April 21, 2017 Source: China Composites Exhibition Organizing Committee

Recently, Ireland's famous market research company Research and Markets released the "Global and China Carbon Fiber and Composites Industry Development Report 2017-2021."

    According to the report, the global demand for carbon fiber in 2016 was about 83,000 tons, an increase of 12% from 2015. As the world's number one carbon fiber demander, China consumed a total of 19,000 tons of carbon fiber in 2016, accounting for 22.9% of the total global carbon fiber consumption. However, China's industrial carbon fiber, especially high-performance carbon fiber, relies heavily on imports due to backward production technology and insufficient production capacity. In 2016, only 24.9% of China's carbon fiber consumption came from domestic brands. The report predicts that with the continuous advancement of technology, the market share of China's domestic carbon fiber will reach 35% in 2021.

    The development of the carbon fiber and composite materials industry will be driven mainly by the development of automobiles, wind power, aerospace, and especially the new energy automobile industry. Carbon fiber composites can significantly reduce weight, save energy, reduce emissions, and increase cruising range. But at present, due to the high price, carbon fiber is still mainly used in Ferrari, BMW and other high-end car brands. With the development of the carbon fiber recycling industry, the application cost of carbon fiber will decrease, so the application of carbon fiber will be extended to mid-end automobile brands such as Toyota and Ford.

       The report focuses on the basics of carbon fiber, the global carbon fiber market, China's carbon fiber market, carbon fiber composites market, upstream carbon fiber precursors and downstream applications. The report also covers 20 carbon fiber manufacturing in China. The company and 10 carbon fiber manufacturers outside China conducted an analysis. Chinese companies include: Kangde New Compound, China Blue Star, Fangda Carbon, Formosa Plastics, Henan Yongmei, Jiangsu Hangke, Jiangsu Hengshen, Jiangsu Tianyu, Jiaxing Zhongbao, Jilin Carbon, Jilin Carbon Valley, Jiyan Hi-Tech, Blonde Technology, Shanghai Petrochemical, Shenyang Zhongheng, Zhongjian Technology, Weihai Development, Dalian Xingke, Zhejiang Jingye and Zhongfu Condor; foreign companies including: Dow Aksa, Hexcel (Hexcel), Hyosung, Kureha, Mitsubishi Chemical, SGL, Solvay, Taekwang, Teijin, Toray (Toray).