Six month winning streak of China's refined cotton exports

1. Overall export operation: continuous growth, reaching historical periodic high

China's refined cotton export market has remained highly active throughout 2026, realizing positive year-on-year growth in monthly export volume for six consecutive months. According to customs data, the single-month export volume of refined cotton in Jul 2026 reached 9,472 tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.67%. The total export volume from Jan to Jul amounted to 70,438 tons, with a year-on-year growth of 37.7%, which has basically reached the full-year level of China's refined cotton export before 2021, marking the best market performance in the same period in history. The robust export growth is mainly attributed to the combined effect of export substitution advantages and continuous incremental growth in global market demand.

2. Jul single-month export performance: obvious regional differentiation in exports

A total of 11 provinces and cities achieved export performance in July. Anhui continued to top the national export list with outstanding performance. Its monthly export volume was 3,732 tons, a sharp year-on-year increase of 39.12%, accounting for 39.4% of the national total exports in the month, firmly securing its leading position.

Shandong ranked second, with a monthly export volume of 1,988 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 12.54%, contributing nearly 21% of the national monthly exports. Notably, Guangdong became a prominent dark horse in the export market. It achieved an export volume of 1,055 tons in Jul, occupying 11.1% of the national share, while there were no export records in the same period of 2025, realizing a remarkable zero-to-one breakthrough.

3. Jan-Jul cumulative export pattern: stable top three, polarized regional growth

From the cumulative data of Jan to Jul 2026, 16 provinces (regions) nationwide had refined cotton export performance. Anhui, Shandong and Hubei stably occupied the top three positions, with a combined market share of about 62.3%.

Anhui has maintained its upward trend after surpassing Shandong for the first time in 2025. Its cumulative export volume in the first seven months of 2026 reached 22,744 tons, a year-on-year increase of 51.9%, accounting for 32.3% of the national total, showing an increasingly prominent leading advantage. Shandong achieved a cumulative export volume of 12,055 tons, a year-on-year increase of 16.4%, with a 17.1% market share, maintaining its second-place position.

In terms of growth changes, Guangdong achieved explosive export growth with a year-on-year increase of 356.69%. In contrast, Jiangsu and Shaanxi witnessed a significant decline in export volume, with both regions recording a year-on-year drop of 16.1%.

4. Market summary and full-year outlook

Driven by multiple favorable market factors, China's refined cotton export market achieved brilliant results in the first seven months of 2026. The six consecutive months of year-on-year export growth fully reflect the strong competitiveness of China's refined cotton products in the global market, and the cumulative export scale has reached the historical level before 2021.

In terms of regional development, Anhui has become the core pillar of national refined cotton exports with sustained high growth. Shandong maintains its status as a major export province despite a slight monthly fluctuation. Guangdong's explosive growth has opened up new growth space for the industry. On the whole, the industry's export momentum is positive, and the full-year export performance of China's refined cotton, especially the growth potential of emerging export regions represented by Guangdong, is highly anticipated.