my country's composite materials industry breaks through to high performance, long fiberglass polypropylene becomes a new growth point?
Building on the solid foundation of abundant supplies of polypropylene and glass fiber, my country's fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene composites industry is accelerating its expansion into high-performance sectors, driven by large-scale production. This new composite material, combining the toughness of polypropylene with the strength of fiberglass, is flourishing in various fields, including automotive, electronics, and medical. Its long glass fiber version (LGFPP) is also leading growth, driven by its performance advantages. By 2024, the domestic market size will exceed 3.2 billion yuan, accounting for over 20% of the global market. The average annual growth rate is expected to exceed 6% over the next five years, making it a promising new material.
Raw material advantages strengthen the industry's foundation, while product classifications highlight performance differences.
my country's confidence in scaling up its fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene composites stems from abundant supply from the upstream supply chain. Firstly, China's glass fiber production consistently ranks among the highest globally, with a comprehensive range of products, from standard alkali-free glass fiber to high-performance fiberglass, and ample production capacity. Secondly, polypropylene, a major chemical, continues to see increased production capacity from domestic refining and chemical integration projects, providing a stable and low-cost matrix raw material for composite material production. This dual abundance of these two raw materials has directly propelled my country to become one of the world's leading producers of glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites.
Long glass fiber products are leading growth, and their global position is expected to be further consolidated in 2029. Driven by downstream demand, particularly the accelerated trend toward lightweighting in automobiles, my country's long glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites market is experiencing rapid growth. According to data from the Xin Shijie Industry Research Center, the domestic LGFPP market is projected to exceed 3.2 billion yuan in 2024, accounting for 22.9% of the global market, an increase of nearly 5 percentage points from 2020, making it a key driver of global market growth.
The production processes for fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene composites are primarily categorized as dry and wet processes. The dry process (also known as the carding process) focuses on felt and board production, offering a relatively simple process suitable for large-scale production. The wet process, on the other hand, achieves the bond between the fiber and the matrix through solution infiltration and is more suitable for high-end products requiring extremely high interfacial bonding strength. Currently, domestic companies primarily utilize the dry process, though some leading companies have begun exploring the localization of the wet process.
Industry analysts at Xin Shijie point out that recent technological breakthroughs by domestic companies in optimizing material formulations, iterating production processes, and developing independent high-end equipment have significantly enhanced my country's supply of high-performance fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene composites. As domestic companies gradually expand their share of the high-end market, my country will not only maintain its position as the world's largest producer but will also shift its international market competition from a "scale advantage" to a "technology + scale" advantage, injecting "Chinese momentum" into the global composites industry.
