China textile and apparel exports up 17.3% in October as margins tighten

China’s textile and apparel exports grew 17.3% in October 2026 to $26.11 billion, according to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles (CCCT), which released the sector figures on November 10 based on customs (GACC) data. It was the second straight month of double-digit growth: in September exports rose 21.5% to $29.66 billion, the highest value on record for that month.

In October, textiles, which include yarn, fabrics and textile articles, reached $12.96 billion (+15.1%) and apparel $13.15 billion (+19.7%). Compared with September, the total fell 12%. The CCCT attributes the result to recovering overseas demand, some orders returning and a weak base in October 2025.

From January to October, the sector exported $259.06 billion (+6.2%): $125.22 billion of textiles (+6.4%) and $133.84 billion of apparel (+6.1%). In yuan, growth is much smaller, at 1.8%, to 1.78 trillion yuan. The sector is also growing more slowly than the total: according to customs, China’s total exports rose 35.2% in dollars in October.

The CCCT’s September report, published on October 29, links part of the rise to prices. China’s cotton price index (CCIndex 3128B) averaged 17,798 yuan per tonne in September, 16.8% higher than a year earlier, and synthetic fibres were 10% to 30% more expensive, with oil prices high. In September, average export prices rose 10.9% for yarn, 4.2% for fabrics and 2.8% for knitted and woven garments. For knitted and woven garments sold to the United States, the increase was 10.1%.

The same chamber says costlier raw materials and a stronger yuan are squeezing company profits, and that some firms are growing revenue without growing profit. Among its recommendations, the CCCT urges exporters to use forward contracts and options to hedge against the yuan’s appreciation and to invest in design and brands to sell at higher prices. The report also notes that cotton eased from its peak in September (average 0.9% below August), as the new crop arrived and reserve stocks were sold.

By destination, from January to September China’s textile and apparel exports rose 19.4% to the United States, 4.3% to the European Union, 2.5% to ASEAN and 13.2% to Brazil, and fell 0.4% to Japan. The October figures released so far do not include a breakdown by destination.

CSP reading: for apparel and fabric importers, October’s rise does not mean suppliers have slack. With cotton and fibre costs still above last year and a stronger yuan, mills have little room to cut prices; it makes sense to fix currency and price together and to ask for the quote’s validity and the cotton basis it uses. This reading is ours, not the CCCT’s.