The price center of nylon POY is moving upward. According to industry public data, the benchmark price of nylon POY reached 14,625 CNY/ton on September 1, 2026, up 4.46% from 14,000 CNY/ton a month earlier. Although the increase seems moderate, considering the annual range (minimum 11,300, maximum 16,950), the current price has risen above the midpoint of 14,125, indicating that raw materials have exited the low consolidation zone and entered a new cost-driven cycle.
The Logic Behind Price Fluctuation
Annual statistics show that the average price of nylon POY over the past year was only 13,086.27 CNY/ton, while the current price is about 11.8% higher, suggesting that the market is returning from the bottom to the center. Notably, the daily change is zero, implying that this is not short-term speculative speculation but a structural change in supply-demand fundamentals or costs. For downstream weaving enterprises, every 1% increase in raw material prices raises fabric production costs by approximately 0.5%-0.8%, directly squeezing already thin processing margins.
From a supply chain transmission perspective, nylon POY is the core raw material for producing nylon filament and nylon fabrics. Its price fluctuations quickly transmit to nylon industry clusters such as Shengze and Changle. Currently, the raw material increase has not fully passed to grey fabrics and finished fabrics, but buyers have begun to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. Some factories are delaying large order locks, hoping for a price pullback. However, if caprolactam supply remains tight upstream, such waiting may actually increase procurement costs.
Substantial Impact on Buyers and Factories
The price position at the annual midpoint means the market neither has the cost advantage of last year's low nor triggers panic buying at historical highs. This "neither up nor down" state tests buyers' ability to lock in prices. For fabric enterprises operating on order-based production, raw material costs typically account for over 60% of total costs. Without proper inventory management, a 4.46% increase could erode 3-5 percentage points of net profit.
More notably, the current price is 2,325 CNY/ton below the peak and 3,325 CNY/ton above the trough, leaving significant room in both directions. If cost-side pressures continue to push prices up, nylon POY may approach the 15,000 CNY/ton threshold, forcing fabric prices to rise. However, downstream brand customers have limited acceptance of price increases, potentially triggering order shifts to polyester or recycled fiber alternatives. Therefore, the current price signal is not just a cost issue but also a warning for product structure adjustment.