On the last trading day of July 2026, textile raw material prices showed subtle divergence. PTA rose 0.40% daily, polyester staple fiber followed with a 0.17% gain, while cotton fell 0.26% against the trend. Behind these seemingly minor fluctuations lies the accelerating collision of distinctly different cost and demand logics between the chemical fiber and cotton spinning chains.
Chemical Fiber Side: Cost Push and Sustained Boom
PTA was quoted at 6,017.34 yuan/ton on July 29, with a year-on-year increase of 23.73%, one of the highest in the textile sector. Polyester staple fiber, part of the same polyester chain, also strengthened, reaching 7,511.33 yuan/ton, up 13.89% year-on-year. Polyester filament varieties—POY, DTY, FDY—though flat on the day, posted year-on-year gains of 22.52%, 18.12%, and 25.57% respectively, all in high operating ranges.
More notably, acrylonitrile remained at 10,533.33 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year surge of 34.18%, the highest in the textile sector. As a key raw material for acrylic fiber, ABS plastic, and carbon fiber, this sharp rise means downstream acrylic yarn and specialty fabric producers will face severe cost pressure. Spandex also performed strongly, up 22.34% year-on-year to 29,666.67 yuan/ton, indicating sustained demand for stretch fabrics.
For buyers, persistently high chemical fiber raw material prices suggest that third-quarter fabric costs are unlikely to ease. The polyester chain's strength is mainly supported by tight upstream PX supply and international oil prices, with no signs of relaxation in the short term.
Cotton Side: Weak Demand and Price Pressure
Cotton prices fell 0.26% daily on July 29 to 17,564.67 yuan/ton. Although still up 12.90% year-on-year, this daily decline warrants attention. Cotton yarn 21S and 32S prices were flat at 23,300 yuan/ton and 24,675 yuan/ton, with year-on-year gains of only 5.11% and 4.56%, far below chemical fiber varieties.
This contrast indicates that terminal demand transmission in the cotton spinning chain is significantly weaker than in chemical fibers. Cotton yarn price increases are only about half of cotton's, squeezing spinners' margins. Viscose staple fiber and rayon yarn prices were flat, with year-on-year gains of 9.40% and 4.06%, also showing limited downstream acceptance.
Raw silk prices fell 9.98% year-on-year to 422,700 yuan/ton, the only variety in the textile sector to decline year-on-year, reflecting overall weak demand in the silk industry, starkly contrasting with chemical fibers and cotton.
Industry Logic Behind Price Signals
July 29 data reveals a core contradiction: upstream raw material costs are generally high, but downstream demand diverges sharply. Chemical fiber raw materials (PTA, polyester, spandex, acrylonitrile) show year-on-year gains of 13%-34%, while cotton-based materials (cotton, cotton yarn) only rose 5%-13%, with daily declines.
This divergence means significant differences in bargaining power across chains. In the chemical fiber chain, upstream monopoly is stronger, facilitating price transmission; in the cotton chain, due to ample global cotton supply and sluggish growth in terminal apparel orders, price transmission is blocked. For textile enterprises, raw material selection strategy will directly impact second-half profit performance.