Overview of polyester exports in Chinese mainland in October

According to the latest Customs data, China's total polyester product exports in October 2025 reached 1.198 million tons, up 15,000 tons month-on-month and 65,000 tons year-on-year. Compared with the previous period, filament exports declined both year-on-year and month-on-month, bottle grade PET chip exports resumed growth, and the highest year-on-year growth was still in polyester staple fiber (PSF).

Looking at the detailed breakdown, in October, filament exports declined both year-on-year and month-on-month, falling 20 kt or 6% YoY and 26 kt or 7% MoM. Bottle chip exports stopped falling and recovered, showing growth both YoY and MoM. Staple fiber exports continued to lead in YoY growth, increasing 24 kt or 19% YoY, and roughly unchanged MoM. Overall, the YoY growth of total polyester exports in October slowed to 6%, with a YoY increase of 65 kt, while the MoM growth was 1%, up 15 kt.

From January to October, total polyester exports reached 12.003 million tons, with cumulative YoY growth of 1.582 million tons, representing a 15% increase. Direct exports continue to provide significant support for domestic polyester demand this year.

By product structure, PSF showed the highest export growth rate this year at 29%, while the largest incremental volume came from bottle grade PET chips, with a combined YoY increase of 850 kt. Filament exports increased roughly 320 kt YoY, comparable to PSF, contributing significantly to overall exports this year.

Extending further downstream, if filaments, staple fiber, and downstream yarns and fabrics are combined, the cumulative export increment from January to October reached 1.03 million tons, a 12% YoY increase, higher than the growth rate of domestic polyester production, reflecting the contribution of the export market. Further downstream textile and apparel exports would add even more to the total export increment.