The Shengze yarn market at the end of August can be summarized by the word 'stable', but beneath the calm, the divergence among different categories is widening. Cotton yarn 32s remains a bestseller, polyester-cotton 80/20 45s is moving in volume, while pure polyester yarn, except for 45s, has almost no buyers. This divergence is not accidental; it reflects downstream weavers' preferences in new orders and hints at the changing pace of raw material cost transmission.
Market Overview: Mostly Flat, Localized Movements
From August 28 to 30, price monitoring shows that the quoted prices of major yarn varieties in the Shengze market were almost all flat. The price range for pure cotton yarn from 10S to J40S remained stable between 16,200 and 26,800 yuan per ton, with no adjustments across origins such as Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui. Polyester-cotton yarns were also calm, with T65/C35 45S at 17,600 yuan/ton and T80/C20 45S at 16,800 yuan/ton, the latter seeing relatively concentrated volume.
A notable exception was the slight uptick in polyester-viscose yarn. T65/R35 40S prices edged up, becoming one of the few rising varieties. Meanwhile, the latest central price of viscose staple fiber remained at around 14,400 yuan per ton, providing cost support for polyester-viscose yarn. Pure polyester yarn, however, showed weakness, with only 45S trading, and polyester staple fiber prices barely changed, with the 1.56*38 cotton-type central price at 8,050 yuan/ton.
Industrial Logic: Demand Divergence and Cost Transmission
The popularity of cotton yarn 32s is directly linked to demand for fugui-fang fabric, commonly used in home textiles and garment linings, whose stable orders support the volume. The movement of J21s suggests that some weavers are seeking cost-effective options while upgrading product quality. The larger sales volume of polyester-cotton 80/20 45s reflects sustained demand for durable, easy-care blended fabrics.
The slight rise in polyester-viscose yarn is not accidental. Viscose staple fiber prices have stabilized after earlier corrections, while polyester staple fiber prices remain low, giving polyester-viscose yarn a relative cost advantage. For buyers, this means the cost-performance of polyester-viscose yarn is becoming more prominent, potentially replacing some pure polyester or pure cotton yarn in mid-to-low count applications.
Pure polyester yarn's sluggishness is related to the operating rate of downstream water-jet looms. Many weaving mills in Shengze and surrounding areas have not yet resumed full production after the hot season, so purchases of pure polyester yarn are mainly for immediate needs. The low polyester staple fiber prices also discourage traders from building inventories, further compressing liquidity.
Outlook: Consolidation with Structural Opportunities
In the short term, the Shengze yarn market will likely continue to consolidate. On the raw material side, viscose staple fiber prices are firm, polyester staple fiber is weak, and cotton prices lack directional drivers, making a unilateral trend in yarn prices unlikely. However, structural opportunities remain: first, polyester-viscose yarn may continue to strengthen modestly on cost support; second, demand for high-count cotton yarn (e.g., J40S) may improve as autumn/winter fabric orders are released.
For foreign trade companies, RMB exchange rate fluctuations and fragmented overseas orders make order-taking more cautious. Shengze, as an important textile cluster, its stable yarn prices actually provide a relatively predictable cost expectation for downstream weaving and garment enterprises, facilitating autumn order negotiations and execution.