Price trend

In January 2026, polyester filament prices showed volatile upward movement, peaking in the latter half of the month. The core driving factors were cost support, supply contraction, and futures market influence, while weak demand during the off-season limited the extent of the price increase, and a situation of high prices but low trading volume became increasingly apparent. As of January 30th, the mainstream polyester filament factories in Jiangsu and Zhejiang quoted POY (150D/48F) at 6,950-7,150 RMB/ton, and DTY (150D/48F low-elastic) at 8,000-8,300 RMB/ton.

January 1-9: Volatile market with a downward trend; POY 6,500-6,700 RMB/ton, FDY 6,700-6,900 RMB/ton, DTY 7,700-7,900 RMB/ton. Weak raw material prices coupled with sluggish demand.

January 10-16: Initial increase followed by a stalemate; prices rose by 50-100 during the week in line with raw material prices, then stabilized on Friday following a correction in crude oil prices. POY: 6,700-6,800 RMB/ton, FDY: 6,950-7,050 RMB/ton, DTY: 7,900-8,000 RMB/ton.

January 17-23: Accelerated price increases; production cuts implemented coupled with strong futures market performance led to major manufacturers raising prices by 50-100 RMB, with POY at 6,800-6,850 RMB, FDY at 7,000-7,100 RMB, and DTY at 8,000-8,100 RMB, representing a weekly increase of approximately 1.0%-1.5%.

January 24-30: Prices remained stable at high levels; downstream businesses were on holiday, trading slowed down, and quoted prices remained firm. Mainstream specifications fluctuated by ±1000 RMB/ton, resulting in a situation where prices were quoted but no transactions occurred.

Core driver analysis

Supply side: On January 14th, major manufacturers initiated quarterly production cuts of 15%; operating rates fell to 69.8% in the latter half of the month (a decrease of 2.0 percentage points month-on-month); production cuts and shutdowns around the Spring Festival amounted to approximately 8 million tons, with low inventory levels supporting price stability.

Cost side: Crude oil fluctuated, PTA rebounded strongly, and MEG hit the upper limit at the end of trading; polymerization costs were approximately 6,000 RMB/ton, providing clear cost support. On January 23rd, polyester chain futures rose across the board, with PTA and MEG experiencing significant increases, prompting factories to raise their prices.

Demand side: From January 15th to 20th, downstream companies took their holidays, causing the operating rate of texturizing plants to drop to 70%. The period of urgent restocking ended, and the willingness to chase higher prices was weak, leading to a weakening of production and sales.

Market outlook

Sunsirs expects that short-term demand recovery will fall short of expectations; plants will resume operations ahead of schedule; crude oil/PTA prices will pull back; and increased resistance from end-users will lead to a situation where prices are high but transactions are few. In the short term, prices may fluctuate within the following ranges: POY 6,700-6,900 RMB/ton, FDY 6,950-7,150 RMB/ton, and DTY 7,900-8,100. Cost and supply will provide support, while the off-season for demand will limit price increases. In the medium to long term, if maintenance continues and demand recovers, prices are expected to rise further.

If you have any inquiries or purchasing needs, please feel free to contact SunSirs with support@sunsirs.com.