Import and export of polyester industrial yarn in H1 2025

According to the latest data from China customs, the PIY exports were at 275.3kt in January-June, 2025, a year-on-year reduction of 5.0%, and the PIY imports were at 6.8kt, down by 32.3% on annual basis.

In terms of the monthly import volume of PIY, from January to June 2025, each month showed a year-on-year decrease compared with 2024, resulting in a significant year-on-year decline in the cumulative figure. As for the import sources, Vietnam remains the primary source. According to customs data, in the first half of 2025, the cumulative import of PIY from Vietnam reached 4,721 tons, accounting for approximately 69% of the total imports, a year-on-year decrease of 38.3%. Meanwhile, the total imports from non-Vietnamese sources amounted to 2,123 tons, a year-on-year decline of 13.4%. Therefore, the main reason for the sharp drop in the import volume of PIY this year was the significant decrease in imports from Vietnam. This may be partly related to the increased supply of domestic automotive industrial yarn. Additionally, Vietnam's advantage in export tariffs may have increased its exports to Europe, the United States, and other regions, replacing some of its exports to China.

As for the monthly export data of PIY, in the first half of 2025, except for May, which saw a year-on-year increase, the other five months all recorded year-on-year decreases. As a result, the total cumulative exports decreased by 14,400 tons year-on-year in the first half of 2025, a drop of 5 percentage points. The decline in exports of PIY this year was mainly due to a significant drop in exports to the United States, which was fundamentally attributed to the several rounds of tariff increases imposed by the United States on China. In the first half of 2025, China's cumulative exports of PIY to the United States reached 22,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 8,200 tons, a drop of 27.1%.

In terms of export destinations, the top 10 countries/regions for exports in the first half of 2025 were the same as those in the first half of 2024, but there were significant changes in the ranking and proportion of export volumes among different countries/regions. In the first half of 2025, South Korea had the highest export share, replacing the United States, which had long been in the first place. Its share increased by 1 percentage point to 11%. Vietnam ranked second, with its share rising by 2 percentage points to 8%. The United States' share decreased by 2 percentage points to 8%, dropping to third place. Turkey maintained an 8% share, slightly falling to fourth place. Brazil's share increased by 2 percentage points to 7%, ranking fifth. The remaining shares of India, Canada, Belgium, Russia, and Germany were 5% or below, ranking sixth to tenth, with slight changes in their shares and rankings. The total share of the top 10 in the first half of 2025 decreased by 2 percentage points compared with last year, reaching 59%.

In summary, in the first half of 2025, the cumulative imports and exports of PIY both declined year on year. Among them, the import volume dropped significantly, with a year-on-year decrease of 32.3%, mainly due to the obvious decline in imports from Vietnam. The cumulative export volume decreased by 5.0% on annual basis, mainly due to the significant drop in exports to the United States, which caused the United States to fall from first to third in the export destination ranking.it was believed that the reasons for the year-on-year decline in imports and exports were, on the one hand, the improvement of the differentiation level of domestic industrial yarn, and on the other hand, the several rounds of tariff increases imposed by the United States on China.