On July 24, 2026, bulk textile commodity prices showed significant divergence: chemical fiber raw materials surged across the board, with acrylonitrile rising over 4% in a single day, while raw silk was the only declining variety. This pattern reflects the resonance of cost pass-through along the chemical fiber chain and downstream restocking demand, as well as the consumption structure shift facing natural fibers.
Chemical Fiber Sector: Acrylonitrile Leads, Polyester Chain Follows
Acrylonitrile jumped from 9,950 yuan/ton to 10,366.67 yuan/ton, a daily gain of 4.19% and a year-on-year increase of 31.5%, making it the biggest highlight in the textile sector. As a key raw material for acrylic fiber and ABS resin, this surge directly raises procurement costs for downstream acrylic and carbon fiber producers. The polyester chain also performed strongly: FDY rose 1.66%, staple fiber 0.96%, POY 0.82%, and DTY 0.20%. PTA, the upstream feedstock for polyester, edged up 0.22%, indicating clear cost-side support.
Year-on-year, chemical fiber varieties generally rose between 16% and 28%. PTA was up 27.71%, polyester FDY up 26.4%, and polyester staple fiber up 16.12%. This means the price center of chemical fiber raw materials has been moving upward over the past year, putting continuous cost pressure on downstream weaving and dyeing sectors. For buyers, current prices are at recent highs, so chasing further gains carries risk; attention should be paid to whether new capacity will be added upstream.
Cotton and Viscose: Prices Flat, But Year-on-Year Gains Significant
In the cotton chain, prices for cotton lint, cotton yarn 21S, cotton yarn 32S, and polyester yarn were unchanged from the previous day. However, cotton lint was up 13.33% year-on-year, cotton yarn 21S up 5.74%, and cotton yarn 32S up 5.44%. Viscose staple fiber and rayon yarn also held steady, but viscose staple fiber was up 9.74% year-on-year. The flat prices do not mean the market is stress-free—they reflect a tug-of-war between slowing downstream order growth and high upstream costs. For weaving mills, high raw material prices mean compressed profit margins, requiring higher value-added products or better inventory management.
Silk Alone Falls: Weak Demand and Substitution Pressure
Raw silk was the only declining variety, down 0.14% daily to 424,200 yuan/ton. More notably, its year-on-year decline of 10.58% was the largest among all monitored varieties. The persistent weakness in silk prices reflects sluggish demand in the silk end-consumer market and growing substitution by chemical fiber silk-like products. For farmers and processors in major silkworm-producing regions like Guangxi and Zhejiang, this trend means they need to accelerate the shift to higher value-added products or explore differentiated markets.
Spandex and Nylon: Prices Flat, But Year-on-Year Gains Offer Opportunities
Spandex held at 29,666.67 yuan/ton, up 22.34% year-on-year; nylon DTY, FDY, and POY were unchanged but up 12.57%, 10.74%, and 16.18% year-on-year, respectively. The flatness may offer a brief price window for buyers. Given the essential role of spandex and nylon in sportswear and outdoor fabrics, if downstream orders pick up, prices could rise again.