Fiber Exports Increased by 38% in September
In January–September 2026, Türkiye’s textile and raw materials sector recorded varying export performances across product groups. Technical textiles ranked first with exports worth $1.77 billion over the nine-month period, while woven fabrics and yarn also maintained substantial export volumes. The most notable development in September was the 38.3% increase in fibre exports.
Production and capacity utilisation indicators, meanwhile, point to the need for close monitoring of the sector’s recovery prospects.
The January–September 2026 Export Performance Report, prepared by the Textile Sector Branch of the General Secretariat of İTKİB, shows that technical textiles, woven fabrics and yarn continued to account for a significant share of the sector’s exports. However, the increase in fibre exports, the decline in knitted fabrics and diverging performances across export markets indicate that the sector’s nine-month performance cannot be assessed through a single overall trend.
Technical Textiles Lead with $1.77 Billion in Exports
According to export data by product group for January–September 2026, technical textiles recorded the highest export value at $1.768 billion. Woven fabrics followed with $1.746 billion, while yarn exports reached $1.732 billion. These three product groups represented the leading export categories during the nine-month period.
Exports of other product groups amounted to $1.269 billion for home textiles, $1.097 billion for knitted fabrics, $935 million for fibre and $480 million for garment accessories and ancillary products.
| Product Group | January–September 2026 Exports | / Year-on-Year Change |
| Technical Textiles | $1.768 billion | +1.2% |
| Woven Fabrics | $1.746 billion | +2.1% |
| Yarn | $1.732 billion | +4.2% |
| Home Textiles | $1.269 billion | +1.0% |
| Knitted Fabrics | $1.097 billion | -10.5% |
| Fibre | $935 million | +8.8% |
| Garment Sub-Industry | $480 million | +3.0% |
The nine-month figures confirm that technical textiles maintained their leading position in terms of export value, while yarn recorded a positive performance with a 4.2% increase. Growth in woven fabrics and home textiles was more modest. By contrast, knitted fabrics was the only product group in the table to register a decline, with exports falling by 10.5%.
Fibre Exports Increased by 38.3% in September
September figures highlighted the differences in performance between product groups. Yarn exports increased by 11.7% year on year to $215 million. Woven fabric exports rose by 4% to $199 million, while home textile exports increased by 1% to $160 million. Technical textile exports stood at $203 million in September, down 1.6% from $206 million in the same month of the previous year.
The most striking development was recorded in the fibre segment. Fibre exports rose from $77 million in September 2025 to $106 million in September 2026, representing a 38.3% increase. Exports of garment sub-ındustry also grew by 4% to $55 million.
Knitted fabric exports, however, declined by 9.5% in September to $129 million. This indicates that the contraction recorded by the product group during the first nine months of the year continued into September.
Growth in Yarn and Fibre, Contraction in Knitted Fabrics
The 4.2% increase in yarn exports over the January–September period, combined with an 11.7% rise in September alone, points to a positive trend in this product group. Fibre exports also attracted attention, increasing by 8.8% over the nine-month period and recording an even stronger rise in September.
Woven fabrics maintained their export volume with a 2.1% increase over the first nine months, while the 1% growth in home textiles indicated a more limited improvement. Technical textiles retained their position as the sector’s largest export category, with a total export value of $1.768 billion.
Knitted fabrics presented a different picture. Exports in this category declined by 10.5% between January and September, followed by a further year-on-year decrease of 9.5% in September. This contraction represents the clearest example of the performance gap between the sector’s product groups.
Exports of garment sub-ındustry product continued to grow at a moderate pace, rising by 3% over the nine-month period and 4% in September.
Export Markets Show Diverging Trends
Türkiye’s export performance also varied across individual markets. The nine-month data included in the İTKİB report show that developments in the country’s major textile and raw materials export markets did not follow a uniform direction.
Egypt was among the markets recording notable growth, with exports increasing by 10.6% between January and September. Exports to Germany rose by 12.7%, while increases of 5.3% were recorded in Iran, 3.5% in Spain and 0.5% in Morocco. Exports to India surged by 99.6%, with a marked increase also evident in volume-based data.
By contrast, exports to Italy declined by 1.2%, those to the United States by 2.9%, those to the United Kingdom by 10.2% and those to Portugal by 1.1%. The fact that export value to Morocco increased while export volume declined further underlines the importance of assessing market performance through more than one indicator.
India and Egypt Stand Out in Export Volumes
Volume-based figures in the report show that movements in certain markets can differ from changes in export value. Between January and September, the volume of textile exports to India increased by 99.6%, while shipments to Egypt rose by 14.1%. Volume-based exports to Iran increased by 11.2%, and those to the United States by 7.3%.
Meanwhile, export volumes to Germany declined by 6.3%, those to the United Kingdom by 10.2%, those to Morocco by 0.5% and those to Portugal by 1.1%. Italy also recorded a 1.2% decrease in export volume.
Production Indicators Point to a Cautious Outlook
In addition to export data, the production index and capacity utilisation rates included in the report provide important insights into the current state of Türkiye’s textile industry.
According to the chart showing the calendar-adjusted production index over the latest 12-month period, as of July, the manufacturing industry recorded a change of 4.5%, while the textile industry registered a change of 0.3%. The apparel industry, meanwhile, recorded an 8.4% decline. This indicates that changes in textile industry production remained more limited than the overall performance of the manufacturing sector.
In terms of capacity utilisation, the report records changes over the latest 12-month period of 0.3% for the manufacturing industry and 1% for the textile industry. The latest values shown in the chart stood at 74.2% for manufacturing and 69.5% for textiles.
The textile industry’s capacity utilisation rate remaining below that of the manufacturing industry points to a difference in the level of capacity being used across the two sectors. Nevertheless, the positive change over the latest 12-month period suggests a modest improvement in capacity utilisation.
