On July 17, 2026, bulk textile commodity prices edged down by 0.01% overall, but beneath the calm surface, significant divergence emerged. Acrylonitrile and polyester staple fiber bucked the trend, while PTA led declines at -0.44%, followed by polyester POY and raw silk. This divergence reflects varying supply-demand pressures across different segments of the textile chain.
Upstream Raw Materials: PTA's Correction Not a Trend Reversal
PTA fell 0.44% to 5,985.91 yuan/ton, the largest single-day drop among the 17 monitored varieties. Yet its year-on-year increase remains a substantial 25.68%, suggesting the short-term correction is more technical than structural. Accelerated capacity releases and restarts of some maintenance units have marginally loosened supply. For downstream polyester mills, this eases cost pressure slightly, likely shifting procurement from panic-buying to demand-driven replenishment.
In contrast, acrylonitrile rose 0.35% to 9,600 yuan/ton, up 22.29% year-on-year. Serving acrylic fiber, ABS resin, and carbon fiber, its strength reflects resilient demand in high-end chemical sectors. This divergence is widening cost gaps within the chemical fiber segment.
Intermediate Products: Polyester Filament Under Pressure, Staple Fiber Bucks Trend
Polyester POY fell 0.23% to 8,150 yuan/ton, while DTY dipped 0.07% and FDY held flat. The overall weakness in filament products indicates subdued weaving orders. Loom utilization in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces remains around 70%, but new orders are mostly short-run and small-lot, keeping downstream inventory appetite low. The PTA price drop has failed to stimulate polyester sales volumes, instead reinforcing wait-and-see sentiment.
Polyester staple fiber, however, rose 0.30% to 7,469.43 yuan/ton, up 12.73% year-on-year. Used mainly in nonwovens and fillings, its link to consumer goods like hygiene products and home furnishings suggests a modest recovery in consumer restocking, contrasting sharply with industrial filament demand.
Natural Fibers: Divergent Signals from Raw Silk and Cotton
Raw silk continued its downtrend, falling 0.14% to 425,100 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year decline of 10.34%. As the core raw material for silk products, its prolonged weakness reflects persistent pressure on high-end silk garment exports. The trend of consumption downgrading in European and U.S. markets remains unchanged, with recovery in high-value silk orders significantly slower than for chemical fiber alternatives.
Cotton edged down 0.02% to 17,729.33 yuan/ton, up 15.31% year-on-year, with much lower volatility than chemical fibers. The cotton market is buffered by state reserve adjustments and import quotas, limiting price elasticity. Cotton yarn 21S and 32S prices were flat, indicating reasonable margins in spinning, but slow destocking of grey fabric inventories constrains upside potential for cotton.
Viscose and Spandex: The Hidden Concern of High-Level Stalemate
Viscose staple fiber and spandex prices remained flat at 14,200 yuan/ton and 29,666.67 yuan/ton, respectively. Their year-on-year gains of 9.74% and 22.34% have persisted for weeks at elevated levels. Viscose is squeezed between dissolving pulp cost support and weak downstream rayon yarn demand, while spandex faces expectations of new capacity additions. This sideways movement signals markets awaiting directional cues.