On July 28, 2026, bulk textile commodity price data reveal a structural adjustment unfolding within the industry. Among 17 monitored products, only two recorded gains, seven declined, and the rest remained flat. The average daily change was just 0.02%, but the divergence between products is far greater than the surface numbers suggest.
Acrylonitrile: A Price Anchor Under Tight Supply
Acrylonitrile became the focus of price volatility with a 1.61% daily increase and a 33.62% year-on-year surge. This rise is not isolated—since the second half of 2025, acrylonitrile prices have been climbing due to an imbalance in the acrylonitrile-acrylic fiber supply chain. Some domestic acrylonitrile plants entered planned maintenance in Q2 2026, while downstream demand for carbon fiber and ABS resins remained robust, tightening spot supply. For textile buyers, this means production costs for acrylic yarn and blended fabrics are unlikely to decline in the near term.
Polyester Series: A Tug of War Between Cost and Demand
In contrast to acrylonitrile's strength, polyester staple fiber fell 0.46% daily, with a year-on-year gain of only 13.51%, far below that of polyester filament yarn (POY up 23.88%, FDY up 25.92%). This 'strong filament, weak staple' pattern reflects structural differences in end demand. Polyester filament benefits from a phased recovery in apparel and home textile export orders, while polyester staple is weighed down by inventory overhang in the nonwovens sector. PTA, the upstream raw material for polyester, edged down 0.06% daily, with a year-on-year increase of 23.26%, indicating that cost-side support for polyester products is limited. Polyester DTY also fell 0.26%, further confirming poor price transmission within the polyester chain.
Cotton and Silk: Weak Signals from Natural Fibers
Cotton fell 0.28%, with a year-on-year gain of 13.19%, while cotton yarn 21S and 32S declined 0.14% and 0.20% respectively. This data group shows that price pressure from raw cotton to yarn is moving downstream. Ample new cotton supply expectations in 2026, coupled with cautious restocking by textile mills, leave cotton prices with little upward momentum. Raw silk fell 0.35% daily, with a year-on-year decline of 9.98%, the only product to show a negative annual change. This reflects weak consumption in the silk sector, especially in export markets where the recovery of high-end apparel orders from Europe and the US has been slower than expected, leading to slow inventory digestion.
Viscose and Spandex: A Standoff in the Waiting Zone
Viscose staple fiber and spandex prices remained unchanged on the day, but their year-on-year gains were 9.74% and 22.34% respectively. Viscose's flat price indicates a market at a supply-demand equilibrium—upstream dissolving pulp prices are stable, downstream rayon yarn demand is steady, and there is a lack of catalysts to break the stalemate in the near term. Spandex's high year-on-year gain suggests that the previous cost-driven price increase has been completed, and the market is now waiting for new demand signals to confirm direction.