China as the top textile and apparel sourcing destination for U.S. companies remains “unshakable”, according to product level data from the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. Specifically, based on the import value in 2015:
- Of the total 11 categories of yarns, China was the top supplier for 3 categories (27.3%)
- Of the total 34 categories of fabrics, China was the top supplier for 23 categories (67.6%)
- Of the total 106 categories of apparel, China was the top supplier for 95 categories (89.6%)
- Of the total 16 categories of made-up textiles, China was the top supplier for 12 categories (75.0%)
In comparison, Vietnam, the second largest textile and apparel supplier to the United States, was the top supplier for only four categories of apparel (3.8% of the total 106 categories).
For many textile and apparel products, China not only is the largest supplier, but also holds a lion’s market share. Specifically, for those textile and apparel product categories that China was the top supplier in 2015 (by value):
- China’s average market share reached 20.7% for yarns, 2.3 percentage points higher than the 2nd top supplier
- China’s average market share reached 42.0% for fabrics, 25 percentage points higher than the 2nd top supplier
- China’s average market share reached 52.7% for apparel, 37.2 percentage points higher than the 2nd top supplier
- China’s average market share reached 56.8% for made-up textiles, 42.7 percentage points higher than the 2nd top supplier
by Sheng Lu
FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing 
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