Global Textile Machinery Investment Plunges in 2025, But China Still Drives Capacity

2025 Machinery Shipment Figures: A Sector Losing Steam

Global spending on new textile production equipment slumped in 2025, according to the latest annual shipment statistics from the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF). Deliveries of draw-texturing spindles, shuttleless looms, circular knitting machines and flat knitting machines all registered double-digit declines, while the finishing segment delivered a mixed picture. Only short-staple spinning and open-end rotor shipments recorded gains, with most new capacity heading to Asia.

China’s footprint was overwhelming. The country absorbed 59,800 of the 65,000 single-heater draw-texturing spindles (used for polyamide) shipped globally and almost 691,000 of the 743,000 double-heater units (for polyester). That meant more than 90% of all filament texturing spindle deliveries worldwide landed in Chinese factories. For water-jet and air-jet looms, China was again the dominant buyer, while India led purchases of rapier and projectile looms, with its deliveries up 21%.

In spinning, 6.11 million short-staple spindles were shipped, a rise of 195,000 units. Asia accounted for the bulk, with deliveries to the region up 8.5%. Open-end rotor shipments climbed by 50,000 to 645,000 units, 94% of them destined for Asia. By contrast, long-staple (wool) spindle deliveries collapsed by 31% to 90,000 units. The weakening was broad-based: Africa (-46%), Europe including Türkiye (-33%) and South America (-9%) all cut back, while shipments to North and Central America jumped 264% from a very low base.

Elsewhere, shuttleless loom shipments dropped 27.5% to 164,000 units. Large circular knitting machines fell 13% to 24,500, with China taking 53%. Electronic flat knitting machine deliveries shrank 21%, though China retained a 66% share. Finishing machinery was mixed: stenters rose 3% to an estimated 2,300 units, but overflow dyeing machines sank 30%.

How China’s Synthetic-Fibre Bet is Reshaping Machine Demand

China’s Seize on Synthetic Filaments

The concentration of draw-texturing spindle deliveries underlines Beijing’s determination to dominate synthetic fibre manufacturing. Polyester and polyamide filament production is the backbone of fast-fashion textiles, technical fabrics and industrial yarns. By capturing over 90% of new texturing capacity, China is not only adding volume but also embedding the latest machinery technology, making it increasingly difficult for producers elsewhere to compete on cost and quality. This machinery is the hardware behind a supply chain that already controls a large share of global apparel and home-textile exports.

Spinning Defies the Downturn

The resilience of short-staple and open-end rotor spinning points to sustained demand for cotton and cotton-blend yarns, mostly within Asia. China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Pakistan were the six largest investors. India’s strong rotor purchases suggest a shift toward coarser counts for denim and home textiles, while China’s short-staple additions likely serve its massive knitting and weaving base. The contrast with the 31% plunge in long-staple spindles is stark; declining wool shipments to Asia reflect weaker luxury and suiting markets.

Weaving and Knitting Slump Hints at Overcapacity

The steep fall in shuttleless loom and knitting machine shipments—down 27.5% and 13–21% respectively—signals that many garment-producing countries already have enough fabric-forming capacity. Water-jet looms, used primarily for filament fabrics, saw a 38% drop, which is surprising given China’s filament ambition; it may mean Chinese mills are still absorbing machines ordered in earlier years. Rapier and projectile loom shipments held up relatively well in India, suggesting pockets of investment in woven fabrics for domestic and export markets.

Regional Shifts and the North American Spike

The 264% surge in short-staple spindle deliveries to North and Central America, though from a tiny base, could reflect early-stage reshoring or nearshoring of cotton spinning to serve Western Hemisphere supply chains. But with an absolute figure of just 77 million spindles, it remains a rounding error next to Asia’s millions. The sharp declines in Africa and Europe indicate that textile machinery investment is retreating to the region where downstream garment manufacturing is most concentrated.

What the ITMF Data Tells Machinery Suppliers and Textile Producers

For textile machinery makers, the 2025 data send a clear signal: China remains the non-negotiable market, but the composition of demand is shifting. Key takeaways based on the ITMF figures:

• Draw-texturing spindle producers must engineer for China’s specifications. With over 93% of double-heater spindle shipments going to a single country, manufacturers that lack a strong local service and parts network risk being squeezed out by domestic Chinese competitors or agile European suppliers already on the ground.
• Spinning equipment offers a more diversified opportunity. India, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh are active buyers of short-staple and rotor machinery. A 21% jump in India’s rapier/projectile loom deliveries shows that woven-fabric investment is not dead—it has simply moved. Suppliers targeting these markets should align their offerings with the count ranges and fibre blends local mills require.
• Long-staple machinery exposure needs a rethink. The 31% drop in wool-spindle shipments underscores a structural demand problem. Producers of combing, roving and spinning frames for wool should consider pivoting service capabilities toward man-made fibres or technical textiles where volumes are still growing.
• Weaving and knitting machine makers face consolidation pressure. With loom and knitting machine shipments down sharply, order books in 2026 are likely to remain thin unless Indian and Southeast Asian garment exporters accelerate investment to fill gaps left by potential tariff disruptions. Sales teams should focus on regions where garment factories are expanding cut-and-sew capacity, not where fabric is already abundant.
• Textile producers outside China must assess their manufacturing position. A rival spinner or weaver in Bangladesh, Pakistan or Vietnam investing today faces a competitor in China that has just absorbed the newest generation of machinery at a scale no one else can match. That imbalance will widen the cost gap and raise the barrier to entry in synthetic filament yarns specifically.