Current status of China's glass fiber reinforced plastic industry

1. Scale of China's glass fiber reinforced plastic industry

After nearly 70 years of development, China's glass fiber reinforced plastic industry has formed an annual output value of 268 billion yuan (excluding CCL copper clad laminates, natural fiber glass fiber reinforced plastic and metal-based glass fiber reinforced plastic, etc.). Since the total output of China's glass fiber reinforced plastic industry exceeded 3.29 million tons in 2010, it has been ranked first in the world for 14 consecutive years.

It is expected to exceed 7 million tons in 2024. China's glass fiber reinforced plastic industry has shown a strong growth momentum, which also reflects China's important position in the global glass fiber reinforced plastic market. At present, the industry's production capacity, technical level and market demand are growing steadily, becoming an important branch in the field of new materials.

2. Technological progress and innovation

Driven by the needs of industries such as aerospace, new energy, and lightweight automobiles, China's glass fiber reinforced plastic industry has continuously made technological breakthroughs, especially in the field of artificial fiber reinforced plastics such as carbon fiber and glass fiber. It is mainly reflected in raw materials, equipment, evaluation and testing, molding technology, etc., and the product performance has been greatly improved through independent innovation. At present, the overall technical level of the composite material industry is second only to Europe, the United States and Japan, meeting the application needs of national economic development.

3. Market application expansion

With the maturity of technology and the reduction of costs, the application of glass fiber reinforced plastic in China is gradually expanding from aerospace and military to civil fields such as automobiles, construction, and wind energy, with broad market prospects.

Enterprises and technology

Scale of glass fiber reinforced plastic enterprises in China

The scale of enterprises in China's glass fiber reinforced plastic industry is mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, with low industrial concentration, and enterprises with an output value of more than 1 billion are basically in a leading position in the industry. The scale of enterprises is mainly concentrated in 100 to 300 million. Sinoma Technology, AVIC Composites, Times New Materials, etc., with their innovative products and technologies, are leading the development of the industry. These enterprises not only occupy an important position in the domestic market, but also show strong competitiveness in the international market.

Composite material technology level

International competitors have more patents and core technologies in the field of glass fiber reinforced plastic, and Chinese companies still need to strengthen their technological innovation and research and development. However, in recent years, China's composite material technology has made significant progress, and the degree of mechanization and automation has been continuously improved; key raw materials such as carbon fiber and glass fiber have reached the international advanced level. These technological breakthroughs have provided strong technical support for the development of China's composite material industry. Glass fiber production capacity will exceed 9 million tons in 2024, and carbon fiber production capacity will reach 140,000 tons in 2023.

Composite material application and prospects

China's glass fiber reinforced plastic are still mainly glass fiber reinforced, and the output accounts for 96% of the total composite material output. The products are mainly appearance parts, interior parts and structural parts. With the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous expansion of the market, glass fiber reinforced plastic have gradually developed towards the main load-bearing parts, functional parts, and structural function integration. The low carbon, light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, vibration reduction, and fatigue resistance of glass fiber reinforced plastic are ushering in a broad application space, and the market shows great prospects.