SunSirs: The Price of Polyester Filament Remained Stable Last Week (February 2-6)

Price trend

Last week (February 2-6, 2026), polyester filament prices remained stable, with weakening costs, shrinking supply, frozen demand, and mixed market sentiment. As of February 6th, the mainstream polyester filament factories in Jiangsu and Zhejiang quoted POY (150D/48F) at 6,950-7,100 RMB/ton, DTY (150D/48F low elasticity) at 8,000-8,300 RMB/ton, and FDY (150D/96F low elasticity) at 8,000-8,300 RMB/ton.

Market analysis

Cost Side

Raw Materials: Brent crude oil fluctuated weakly between $80-82/barrel during the week, providing insufficient cost support. PTA saw a maximum decline of over 4% during the week; Sichuan Energy Investment's 1 million-ton plant restarted, leading to a slight increase in supply; reduced polyester production led to weaker demand, and processing fees fell to 415-469 RMB/ton, resulting in shrinking profits. Ethylene glycol saw a maximum decline of over 4.6% during the week; domestic plant operating rates increased, and port inventory reached 831,000 tons (+3.2), increasing inventory pressure; both coal-based and ethylene-based processes were generally unprofitable (coal-based approximately -50 RMB/ton, ethylene-based approximately -755 RMB/ton).

Costs and Profits: The average weekly cost of filament yarn was approximately 6,850 (-110) RMB/ton, with a gross profit of 550 (-40) RMB/ton. While profits have narrowed, they remained within a reasonable range. A significant drop in raw material prices on February 2nd led to a daily cost reduction of approximately 180 RMB/ton, representing the largest cost fluctuation during the week.

Supply Side

Load and Production: Polyester operating rate 79.3% (-4.9%); weekly production 452,000 tons (+0.5), with increased maintenance shutdowns (e.g., some units at Hengli and Rongsheng), resulting in a contraction of effective supply.

Inventory and Price Support: Factory inventory was approximately 7-9 days (low level), and supply is tight; major manufacturers were coordinating to support prices, implementing production cuts and mutual inspections, resulting in firm quotations and limited price concessions.

Key Changes: After February 2nd, spot prices resisted declines due to low inventory, and the POY basis spread rose to +280 RMB/ton, significantly stronger than futures prices.

Demand Side

Downstream operations: Texturizing/weaving factories were gradually closing for holidays, with operating rates falling to 30-40%, and as low as 10-20% in some areas. Purchases were mainly for essential replenishment.

Production, Sales, and Orders: The average weekly production-to-sales ratio was 25% (-15%), with daily production and sales below 30%; downstream orders were scarce, and there was weak willingness to stock up before the Spring Festival, with most companies adopting a wait-and-see approach.

Exports: Overseas orders remained stable, with weekly exports of approximately 28,000 tons (a decrease of 0.3% compared to the previous week), which was insufficient to offset the decline in domestic demand and provided limited support for prices.

Market Outlook

According to SunSirs, spot prices are expected to remain resilient in the short term, fluctuating within a certain range. Attention should be paid to the pace of business resumption after the holiday. If demand recovers and inventories decrease, prices may stabilize and rebound.

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