As a major category of synthetic fibers, polyester staple fiber, together with cotton and viscose staple fiber, are known as the three main raw materials in the cotton spinning industry. They are mainly used in the textile and apparel industry through spinning, but with the fierce competition in conventional varieties , in recent years, differentiated varieties in the industry have developed relatively rapidly, and their share in non-woven fabrics, filling and functional textiles and other fields has gradually expanded.
In 2019, the global trade situation was complex and changeable, and the domestic direct-spun polyester staple fiber market experienced ups and downs. At the same time, the industry’s supply and demand situation once again shifted from balance to slight excess. In 2019, the output of the polyester staple fiber industry increased by 13.46% year-on-year to 6.2526 million tons. Against the background of the original balance between supply and demand, the release of new production capacity has increased supply pressure in the industry, and the opening of the bidding situation has also caused the industry’s profitability to gradually shrink. The average industry profit during the year was 209.25 yuan/ton, a year-on-year decrease of 41.51%.
However, with the successive commissioning of large-scale private refining and chemical plants, the decline in polyester raw materials has continued to reduce the cost of polyester. The price advantage of direct-spun polyester staple fiber once surpassed that of its substitute recycled staple fiber, which also increased industry demand. The field has been expanded to some extent. In 2019, the average price of direct-spun polyester staple fiber was 7,816 yuan/ton, down 16.33% year-on-year.
In the next few years, new production capacity in the direct-spun polyester staple fiber industry will still be put into operation. However, due to the slow growth of traditional demand, the new areas will mainly focus on three-dimensional hollow and other differentiated products. It is expected that the industry will grow in 2020. There are still plans to add a total of 670,000 tons. However, with the acceleration of the large-scale refining and chemical production process, the reduction of raw material costs may help the market continue to replace some other products and become the main raw material of the cotton spinning industry. In addition, polyester staple fiber futures are expected to be launched in 2020, which will provide market participants with tools to avoid risks. Therefore, the future development prospects of the direct-spun polyester staple fiber industry may not be as pessimistic as expected. </p
