Last week (January 12-18, 2026), the domestic viscose staple fiber market continued its weak and stable trend, with market prices showing a narrow decline. The market for dissolving pulp, the main raw material, remained stagnant, and while industry finished product inventory was not high, end-user demand was weak. Some viscose staple fiber manufacturers lowered their prices in the latest round of price adjustments, leading to a decrease in high-priced goods on the market. A strong wait-and-see atmosphere prevailed, and prices are expected to remain low in the short term.

Market prices declined slightly

According to monitoring data from SunSirs' commodity price analysis system, last week (January 12-18, 2026), viscose staple fiber manufacturers successively released new prices, all showing slight decreases. As of January 18, 2026, the average market price of viscose staple fiber was 12,800 RMB/ton, a decrease of 100 RMB/ton compared to the previous period, representing a weekly decrease of 0.78%. Overall market transactions were relatively stable.

Cost-side support was limited

Regarding costs, last week (January 12-18, 2026), the market price of dissolving pulp, the main raw material for viscose staple fiber, fluctuated only slightly, remaining in a weak and stagnant state, providing limited support to viscose staple fiber prices. Specifically, the price of domestic dissolving pulp remained around 6,700 RMB/ton, while the price of imported hardwood pulp was approximately US$800/ton, and softwood pulp was around US$870/ton. In the auxiliary materials market, the prices of caustic soda and sulfuric acid remained largely stable with minor fluctuations, failing to provide effective cost support. Overall, the cost side remained relatively flat.

Downstream demand remaine weak

The downstream rayon yarn market was performing weakly, becoming a key factor limiting demand for viscose staple fiber. Last week, the operating rate of rayon yarn factories showed no significant change, but the market was in its traditional off-season, resulting in unsatisfactory sales. In terms of price, the price of ring-spun R30S in Shandong province was around 17,200 RMB/ton, and the price of ring-spun R40S was approximately 18,300 RMB/ton, showing a slight downward trend. At the same time, physical inventory at rayon yarn factories continued to rise, and end-use fabric manufacturers lacked new orders, leading to reduced purchasing enthusiasm for viscose staple fiber and insufficient support from the demand side.

The market forecast suggests prices will remain at low levels.

From a supply and demand perspective, the operating rate of viscose staple fiber plants is expected to remain stable in the short term, and some manufacturers have low inventory levels, providing relatively strong support from the supply side. However, there is unlikely to be a substantial improvement in demand from the end market, and downstream buyers will continue to purchase on an as-needed basis, resulting in limited driving force from the demand side. Regarding raw materials, the markets for dissolving pulp and sulfuric acid are expected to remain largely stable, while the liquid caustic soda market may experience a slight decline, meaning cost support will remain insufficient.

Summary: Considering various factors such as costs and supply and demand, although the overall physical inventory of viscose staple fiber factories is not high, inventory is showing an upward trend.  Coupled with weak downstream demand and limited cost support, the overall market sales speed remains weak but stable. Sunsirs analysis predicts that the price of viscose staple fiber will continue to operate weakly at a low level in the short term.

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