Coarse yarn accounting for an increasing proportion in China cotton yarn imports

I. China's cotton yarn imports totaled 112kt in Oct

In Oct 2024, China's cotton yarn imports were around 112kt, an increase of 11.2kt compared with September, and a decrease of 47.1kt compared to Oct of last year. From Jan-Oct 2024, China's total import of cotton yarn reached 1.125 million tons. The rapid rise of the US dollar index since November has further suppressed domestic yarn import demand. It is expected that it will be difficult for subsequent yarn arrivals to see a significant increase.

II China's cotton yarn imports by origin in Oct 2024

In Oct, the import volume of Vietnamese yarn reached a new high, totaling 64.4kt, and the proportion slightly increased to 58%. The import volume of Pakistani yarn in October slightly decreased to 12kt, and its import share dropped to 11%. Indian total imports of cotton yarn in October were 6,731 tons, surpassing Malaysia to rank third. Uzbekistani cotton yarn arrivals in October continued to decline to 5,058 tons, reaching a new low level this year. The production capacity of cotton yarn in China's Xinjiang region is continuously expanding. The advantage of low-priced yarn has squeezed the market share of imported yarn. Moreover, the defect that Uzbekistani yarn is inherently difficult to trace and certify also makes it difficult to avoid fierce price competition.

III China's cotton yarn imports by structure and by origin in Oct 2024

In recent months, the main specifications of China's yarn imports have once again concentrated in coarse-count yarn. This is not only a feedback of market demand but also an active choice in pursuit of differentiated competition. In September 2024, the import share of carded single yarn below 8s in China suddenly rose to 24.8%. In October, the proportion of this specification was still as high as 23%, totaling about 25.8kt. As for carded single yarn 8-25s, the total import volume in October was about 60kt, and the import share continued to rise to 53.77%. The import volume of carded single yarn 25-47s shrank most significantly. The import volume of carded single yarn 25-30s was less than 1,000 tons, and the total import volume of the carded single yarn 30-47s in October was only 10kt.

IV. China's blended cotton yarn imports in Oct 2024

In Oct 2024, China's imports of blended cotton yarn increased slightly to around 12.4kt. From January to October 2024, the cumulative import volume of blended cotton yarn has totaled 119.4kt, and import proportion from Vietnam is more than 90%. Among the imported blended cotton yarn, carded yarn 8-25s represents about 51.31% of the total, with a total of 6,023 tons arriving. The share of carded yarn below 8s was around 12.95% in Oct, with a total import of about 1,601 tons.