On August 28, 2026, textile bulk commodity prices showed a rare divergence: raw silk jumped 2.67% in a single day, PTA and cotton edged up 0.59% and 0.51%, respectively, while the remaining 14 monitored products remained flat. This pattern of "one rise, two gains, most unchanged" appears calm on the surface but conceals a tug-of-war across the supply chain—costs are pushing up, demand is dragging down, and intermediate links are choosing to wait.
Background
Of the 17 textile bulk commodities monitored that day, only three rose, none fell, and the average gain was 0.22%. Raw silk prices climbed from 416,400 yuan/ton to 427,500 yuan/ton, marking a recent single-day high; PTA stood at 6,213.25 yuan/ton, and cotton at 18,263.83 yuan/ton, both edging higher. The rest—cotton yarn, polyester, viscose, spandex, nylon—remained unchanged, indicating a lack of broad upward momentum.
Year-on-year data is notable: PTA rose 26.54%, cotton 19.12%, polyester filament varieties 21-24%, spandex 21.65%, and acrylonitrile as high as 44.12%. However, cotton yarn only gained 5.89%, viscose yarn 5.66%, and viscose staple fiber 10.43%. This scissors gap between raw materials and yarn suggests severe margin compression in spinning, with cost pass-through hindered.
Industry Impact
The rise in raw silk is not isolated. As a terminal raw material for the sericulture chain, raw silk is highly sensitive to supply-demand shifts. The 2.67% jump may stem from tight supply during the cocoon procurement season or concentrated restocking by silk fabric mills. Yet the year-on-year decline of 9.16% indicates the price remains below last year's level, suggesting a phased rebound rather than a trend reversal.
PTA and cotton gains are more cost-driven. PTA's upstream is crude oil, directly transmitting oil price fluctuations; cotton is affected by planting area, weather, and import quotas. Both have year-on-year gains exceeding 19%, but downstream polyester staple fiber and yarn rose only 17.93% and 5.90%, respectively, and cotton yarn even less, indicating that final apparel orders have not kept pace with raw material increases.
For weaving and garment enterprises, rising raw material costs without corresponding product price increases squeeze profit margins. The "stillness" of chemical fiber products is also noteworthy: polyester POY, DTY, and FDY all have year-on-year gains above 21%, but zero daily movement suggests the market is awaiting new directional signals—either a rebound in downstream orders or a loosening of cost pressures.