- PA6, non-elastic filament and film saw 22%-39% YoY growth (driven by mother yarn FDY for non-elastic filament), only CPL exports contracted due to PA6's substitution effect, while industrial filament exports stayed stable and DTY flat.

- Production export ratios trended differently across products, with film's ratio the highest and still rising.

- India emerged as the core incremental market, fueling surges in PA6 and non-elastic filament exports (the latter driven by doubled mother yarn FDY shipments to India), while CPL exports dropped mainly due to slumping shipments to Taiwan of China.

- Looking ahead, PA6 exports are set to sustain growth on capacity and cost edges plus Southeast Asia's downstream demand, mother yarn FDY's strong demand will support 2026 non-elastic filament exports, and CPL export growth is expected to be limited.

In 2025, trade patterns for PA6 products from the Chinese mainland continued to evolve, with a general trend of moderate import adjustments and steady export expansion. As an integral part of the global PA6 industrial chain with well-developed integrated production capacity, the region has maintained stable operations in PA6 industrial chain. Over the year, however, subtle structural shifts could be observed across different product categories, leading to varied export performances-some products saw steady growth, while others recorded mild contractions.

1. Mixed export changes across PA6 chain in 2025

PA6, non-elastic filament and film posted year-on-year export growth ranging from 22% to 39% in 2025.

In terms of export increment, PA6 recorded the largest rise, with an additional 163,000 tons compared with the previous year, continuing rapid growth for consecutive years. Despite a large and expanding export base, its growth rate further climbed by 7% from a year earlier, showing solid momentum.

In terms of growth pace, non-elastic filament delivered the strongest performance. It grew for the second straight year after contracting in 2023, with a sharp acceleration in growth. The increase was mainly driven by surging exports of mother yarn FDY, rather than traditional POY.

Film exports remained relatively steady, though growth edged slightly lower following a high base last year.

Only CPL exports declined. Breaking from the doubling growth seen in the previous two years, CPL export volume shrank sharply in 2025. This was not caused by price factors, but by the strong export competitiveness of PA6, which replaced more market share of overseas PA6 suppliers and thus reduced external demand for CPL.

Other products

Growth in industrial filament exports was modest, but the growth rate and incremental volume remained little changed from last year, staying broadly stable. Meanwhile, DTY export volume was nearly flat year on year, a sharp contrast to the roughly 20% high growth in the prior two years, mainly due to weaker demand in selected overseas markets.

2. Shifting trends in export/production ratios

Noticeable trend changes also emerged in the proportion of export volume in total production for various products. For example, the export/production ratios of CPL and DTY ended their multi-year upward trend and fell in 2025. By contrast, the ratio for non-elastic filament rebounded in 2025, halting two consecutive years of decline. The ratios for PA6 and film continued to rise, with film recording the highest and fastest-growing ratio among all products. Industrial filament saw limited volatility and remained largely stable compared with the previous two years.

The export/production ratios for most PA6 chain products stood between 8.5% and 11.1%, including PA6, non-elastic filament, DTY and industrial filament. Only CPL had a relatively low ratio of 2.4%, mainly linked to shrinking overseas PA6 markets and constrained export growth, while film posted a higher ratio of 23% supported by strong overseas end-use demand.

3. Destination analysis for volatile export items

The contraction in CPL exports in 2025 was mainly driven by a 37kt drop in shipments to Taiwan of China, down 33% year on year. This resulted from Chinese mainland PA6 gaining market share in Taiwan thanks to its price advantage, which in turn reduced local import demand for CPL. Given the ongoing competitive edge of PA6 exports, CPL export growth is expected to be limited in the future.

PA6 exports continued to achieve breakthrough growth in 2025, supported by strong increases to India, Vietnam, Turkey, Italy and other regions, with the largest increment seen in India. Demand for both civil-grade and non-civil-grade chips grew robustly in the local market, and Chinese mainland PA6 also displaced other import suppliers. Among major export destinations, only exports to South Korea contracted amid a gradual downsizing of its local downstream nylon industry, while all other regions recorded growth to varying degrees. Backed by sufficient PA6 capacity and cost advantages in Chinese mainland, as well as expected demand growth from expanding downstream industries in Southeast Asia, PA6 exports are projected to maintain solid growth.

The sharp rise in PA6 non-elastic filament exports in 2025 was led by a 39kt increase in shipments to India, up 118% year on year. The incremental volume was mainly mother yarn FDY, mostly used for local traditional apparel fabrics. Demand for mother yarn remains strong and is expected to continue supporting robust growth in non-elastic filament exports in 2026.