Company in NE China's Jilin leads world in carbon fiber production

Photo shows a T800 carbonization line at Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Jilin Province. (People's Daily Online/Ma Junhua)

At Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Jilin Province, snow-white carbon fiber precursors undergo processes including pre-oxidation and low- and high-temperature carbonization, turning into lightweight carbon fiber with remarkable strength.

In the first half of this year, the company's output value rose 12.4 percent year on year, with total fiber sales increasing 10 percent from the same period last year. Carbon fiber sales climbed 24 percent year on year, giving the firm a 51 percent share of the domestic market. Founded in 1959, the state-owned enterprise is using carbon fiber to drive its transformation.

Photo shows a carbon fiber production line at Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Jilin Province. (Photo courtesy of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd.)

After years of research and development, the company put three new large-tow carbonization lines into operation in the first half of this year, each with a single-line capacity of more than 4,000 tonnes, said Sun Xiaojun, the company's deputy general manager.

"With a single-line capacity of 4,000 tonnes, the line is currently the world's largest carbon fiber production line of its kind," Sun said. A fourth line is expected to start production soon, raising the company's total capacity to 16,000 tonnes once all four lines are in operation.

Photo shows a T800 carbonization line at Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Jilin Province. (People's Daily Online/Ma Junhua)

The company holds 147 related patents and is the only producer in the world with independent intellectual property rights covering both wet-spinning and dry-jet wet-spinning techniques for carbon fiber precursor production.

"Our self-developed dry-jet wet-spinning process focuses on T800 high-performance carbon fiber products, which are now in mass production," Sun said.

Workers work on a carbon fiber production line at Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Jilin Province. (Photo courtesy of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd.)

The company is also pursuing green development, planning a 600-megawatt renewable power project to supply its carbon fiber lines directly, forming a closed loop from clean energy to carbon fiber to wind power equipment.

Carbon fiber plays a crucial role in industries such as aerospace, high-end equipment and new energy. In 2025, the company's carbon fiber capacity reached 74,000 tonnes, with sales totaling 56,000 tonnes, ranking first globally in both capacity and sales.

Carbon fiber products spanning four major application fields are on display at Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Jilin Province. (People's Daily Online/Ma Junhua)

"The breakthrough in carbon fiber has resolved key bottleneck challenges in China's high-end manufacturing sector, particularly supporting the development of the aerospace and defense industries, and has made a significant contribution to national industrial security and high-end manufacturing," Sun said.

Carbon fiber is also driving the rapid growth of emerging sectors such as new energy, the low-altitude economy, and the ice-and-snow economy, Sun added.