In 2025, the domestic nylon filament market experienced a weak performance throughout the year, with both cost and demand exerting downward pressure. Prices saw a broad decline, with an annual drop of approximately 20%, reaching a five-year low.

Annual Price Decline of Products
| Product | Jan 1 (CNY/ton) | Dec 31 (CNY/ton) | Annual Decline |
|------------------|-----------------|------------------|----------------|
| Nylon POY | 14,650 | 11,500 | -21.50% |
| Nylon DTY | 17,080 | 13,760 | -19.44% |
| Nylon FDY | 17,925 | 14,275 | -20.36% |

By the end of 2025, the price of Nylon DTY was CNY 13,760/ton, a decrease of CNY 3,320/ton from the beginning of the year, representing an annual decline of 19.44%. Nylon POY ended the year at CNY 11,500/ton, down CNY 3,150/ton from the start of the year, with an annual decline of 21.50%. Nylon FDY closed the year at CNY 14,275/ton, a drop of CNY 2,650/ton from the beginning of the year, marking an annual decline of 20.36%.

2025 Nylon Filament Price Trend
Price Trend Characteristics
Overall Trend: Continuous decline, with a drop exceeding 20%.
Taking Nylon DTY as an example, the price fell from CNY 17,080/ton at the beginning of the year to CNY 13,560/ton in November, representing a maximum annual decline of 20.61%. It only saw a slight rebound to CNY 13,760/ton in December, remaining at a five-year low overall.

Phased Characteristics: "Accelerated decline → low-level fluctuations → slight rebound"

• First Half (Jan–Jul): Accelerated Decline
  Prices dropped from CNY 17,090/ton to CNY 14,320/ton, a decline of 16.16%, showing a trend of "continuous monthly decline."
• Second Half (Aug–Nov): Low-Level Fluctuations
  Prices fluctuated between CNY 13,500/ton and CNY 14,320/ton, with the decline narrowing but remaining at historically low levels.
• Year-End (Dec): Slight Rebound
  Prices rose slightly to CNY 13,760/ton, an increase of 0.29%, ending the continuous downward trend.

Reasons for the Sharp Decline in Nylon Filament Prices in 2025
Significant Decline in Raw Material Caprolactam
From the nylon filament industry chain price fluctuation chart, it is evident that costs dropped significantly. Caprolactam, the core raw material for nylon filament (accounting for over 70% of costs), has long shown a strong correlation with nylon filament prices. In 2025, the caprolactam market faced "ample supply + insufficient demand."
Upstream raw material caprolactam largely determines the market price trend of nylon filament. In 2025, both experienced a weak and broad decline. Caprolactam prices showed a high-level retreat, ending the year with an upward trend but recording an annual decline of 12.31%, directly reducing the cost support for Nylon DTY. Throughout the year, upward trends were rare, while downward trends persisted for longer periods, mainly from February to October. Although there were occasional slight rebounds, they were short-lived and limited in magnitude.
Annual caprolactam capacity reached 7.5 million tons, but production growth was only 5.38% (affected by maintenance), resulting in an overall supply surplus.

Supply-Demand Imbalance: Oversupply + Weak Demand
Supply Side: Capacity Expansion + High Inventory
In 2025, new Nylon DTY production capacity was released (e.g., new facilities in Jiangsu and Fujian), with annual capacity increasing by approximately 5.5% year-on-year. However, industry operating rates remained at only 82%–88%. Meanwhile, enterprise inventories continued to accumulate, directly suppressing prices due to supply pressure.
In recent years, domestic nylon filament production has steadily increased. In 2023, China's nylon filament production reached 4.44 million tons, up 8.29% year-on-year. In 2024, production was 4.67 million tons, an increase of 5.18% year-on-year. In 2025, production reached 4.95 million tons, up nearly 6.00% year-on-year. Over the past three years, China's annual nylon filament production has exceeded 4 million tons, accounting for about one-third of global production.

Demand Side: Downturn in Downstream Textile Industry
Nylon DTY is mainly used in apparel, home textiles, and other fields. In 2025, terminal consumption was weak (e.g., apparel exports declined year-on-year, domestic retail growth slowed). Downstream weaving enterprises operated at a loom utilization rate of only 69% (down 5 percentage points year-on-year), with raw material procurement mainly for "essential replenishment," leading to sluggish demand transmission. Even during the traditional peak demand season of "Golden September and Silver October," demand showed no significant improvement. By year-end, downstream factories gradually entered the order completion phase, further weakening demand.

Factors Influencing the Nylon Market in 2026
Persistent Supply-Demand Imbalance
In 2025, the domestic nylon filament market experienced continuous oversupply, with a production-consumption gap of 750,000 tons. As capacity continues to increase, the nylon filament market is expected to remain well-supplied in 2026.
Domestic market demand is limited and highly seasonal, with little room for significant improvement. Additionally, foreign market demand may continue to decline. Therefore, downstream demand for nylon filament is expected to potentially decrease in 2026. The supply-demand imbalance will persist, with little change in the short term.

Limited Likelihood of Caprolactam Price Recovery
In 2026, the caprolactam industry will exhibit a structural mismatch of "slow supply expansion and rapid demand growth," with ongoing optimization of supply-demand dynamics. Although caprolactam prices start at a five-year low, the upstream benzene market faces oversupply, providing weak cost support, which may limit upward price movement. The caprolactam industry as a whole may exhibit "improved supply-demand dynamics but limited price recovery."

2026 Nylon Price Trend Forecast
Nylon filament prices in 2025 were at historically low levels. In 2026, there is potential for a slight upward correction, but the market is expected to remain weak overall.
Looking ahead to 2026, raw material caprolactam prices are unlikely to see significant recovery, providing limited cost-side support for the nylon filament market. Market supply is expected to increase, while downstream demand shows no clear signs of improvement, making it difficult to resolve the supply-demand imbalance. Therefore, the nylon filament market is expected to remain weak in 2026, with prices fluctuating in response to raw material movements. Overall, annual prices may see a slight increase but will remain predominantly low.