What are the contents of the report on the special survey of China's high-modulus fiberglass market and the suggestions for enterprises' 15th Five-Year Plan?
The high-modulus fiberglass industry is currently experiencing a historic period of strategic opportunity. Benefiting from strong national policy support, explosive growth in downstream market demand, and continuous technological breakthroughs, domestic enterprises have achieved a leap from import dependence to self-sufficiency and participation in global competition. In the future, industry competition will focus more on technological innovation, cost control, and the construction of an application ecosystem. Chinese companies are expected to lead the global market in key sectors such as wind power and new energy vehicles, and achieve further breakthroughs in cutting-edge application areas, becoming a core force in the global high-performance glass fiber industry.
I. Product Definition and Classification
1.1 Product Definition
High-modulus glass fiber refers to a class of high-performance glass fibers that, based on traditional E-glass fiber, have significantly improved elastic modulus through composition optimization (such as increasing the content of oxides like silicon, aluminum, and magnesium, and decreasing the content of oxides like calcium and sodium) and process improvements. Typically, its elastic modulus needs to reach ≥86 GPa, far exceeding that of ordinary E-glass fiber (approximately 72 GPa), while maintaining good tensile strength, corrosion resistance, and fatigue resistance.
1.2 Main Categories and Performance Comparison
E-Glass Fiber: General-purpose, low-cost, and most widely used, with a modulus of approximately 72 GPa.
High-Modulus Glass Fiber: Representative products include S-glass fiber (original US standard, modulus approximately 86-89 GPa), R-glass fiber (European standard, modulus approximately 86 GPa), and the HS series of high-strength, high-modulus glass fibers independently developed in China. Some top-tier products can have moduli exceeding 90 GPa.
Comparative Advantages: Compared to E-glass fiber, high-modulus glass fiber allows composite materials to achieve higher stiffness for the same weight, or lighter weight for the same stiffness. Compared to carbon fiber, its cost is significantly reduced, and it has better impact resistance and electrical insulation, resulting in a significant cost-performance advantage.
II. Industry Status
2.1 Global Status
Technology Dominance: International giants such as Owens Corning (OC) of the United States and NEC Glass (NEG) of Japan still hold a leading technological position in the research and development and production of high-end products (such as S-3 glass fiber), which are widely used in the aerospace and military fields.
Demand-Driven: The increasing size of global wind turbines (especially offshore wind turbine blades), the lightweighting of new energy vehicles, and the aerospace industry's pursuit of weight reduction and performance are the core drivers of the growing demand for high-modulus glass fiber.
Capacity Shift Eastward: Global fiberglass production capacity is continuously shifting to China, which has become the world's largest producer and consumer of glass fiber, accelerating technological breakthroughs and industrialization in high-modulus and other high-end product areas.
2.2 Current Situation in China
Breakthrough and Catching Up: Leading domestic enterprises, represented by China Jushi, Taishan Glass Fiber, and Chongqing International, have successfully achieved large-scale production of high-modulus glass fiber (such as Jushi's E9 glass fiber, with a modulus exceeding 95 GPa), breaking the long-term technological and market monopoly of foreign companies. They are currently at a critical stage of moving from "having" to "excellence," and from "following" to "running alongside."
Industry Chain Synergy: Advances in downstream composite material processes (such as pultrusion, winding, and weaving) and upgrades in upstream glass fiber technology create a virtuous cycle, jointly promoting the expansion of application scenarios.
Challenges coexist: In niche areas of ultra-high modulus and ultra-high performance (such as aerospace grade), there is still a gap compared to top international products; simultaneously, there is competitive pressure from low-cost carbon fiber.
III. Relevant Policies
National Strategic Level:
"Made in China 2025" and "Guidelines for the Development of New Materials Industry": These clearly list high-performance fibers and composite materials as key strategic materials, encouraging breakthroughs in the industrialization technologies of high-strength, high-modulus glass fibers, etc.
"Dual Carbon" Goals: Promoting the development of clean energy industries such as wind power, photovoltaics, and new energy vehicles directly drives demand for high-modulus glass fibers.
Specific Industry Plans:
"The 14th Five-Year Plan for the Fiberglass Industry": Clearly proposes to accelerate the development of high-strength, high-modulus, low-dielectric, and corrosion-resistant high-performance glass fibers and products, increasing the proportion of high-end products.
"Guiding Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of Light Industry," etc.: Emphasize lightweight materials, providing policy support for the application of high-modulus glass fibers in automobiles, rail transportation, and other fields.
IV. Market Size and Forecast
Overall Size: According to data from H&S Consulting Group, the global glass fiber market size was approximately US$26 billion in 2024, with high-modulus and other high-performance glass fibers accounting for about 15-20%, and this percentage continues to rise. The growth rate of China's high-performance glass fiber market is significantly higher than the industry average.
Wind Power (Largest Application Market): As blade lengths exceed 100 meters, the demand for a high stiffness-to-lightweight ratio in materials has increased dramatically. High-modulus glass fiber has become the mainstream choice for key components such as beam caps and main beams. It is estimated that the compound annual growth rate of demand for high-modulus glass fiber in the wind power sector will exceed 15% during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
Transportation Lightweighting: The pursuit of longer driving range in new energy vehicles is driving the lightweighting of components such as vehicle bodies and battery packs. High-modulus glass fiber has broad application prospects in components such as leaf springs, body panels, and battery brackets.
Aerospace and Defense: Used in drones, helicopter components, missile casings, satellite structures, etc. Although the individual usage is not large, the added value is extremely high, representing a technological high ground.
Sports and Leisure & High-End Equipment: Applied to high-end fishing rods, skis, medical devices, industrial robot arms, etc.
Forecast: The global high-modulus fiberglass market is expected to grow from the current $3-4 billion to over $6 billion by 2027, with China becoming the most important growth engine and consumer market.
V. Competitive Landscape
Global Landscape: An oligopolistic competition with a confrontation between Chinese and foreign players.
First Tier (International Giants): Owens Corning (USA), Nippon Electric Glass (Japan). Their advantages lie in their long brand history, comprehensive certifications in aerospace and other fields, and leading performance of top-tier products.
Second Tier (Chinese Leaders): China Jushi, Taishan Fiberglass, Chongqing International. Their advantages lie in their strong cost control capabilities, large production capacity, and rapid service response. They have already dominated the mid-to-high-end market (such as wind power) and continue to break into higher-end markets.
Other Participants: Including Saint-Gobain (France), Johannsmannweil (Germany), etc., with strong influence in specific fields or regional markets.
China Landscape: A "one-superpower-many-strong, clearly tiered" landscape.
"One Superpower": China Jushi leads the industry in the R&D and commercialization of high-modulus fiberglass (E9 series), boasting leading production capacity and market share.
"Many Strong Players": Taishan Fiberglass and Chongqing International follow closely behind, both possessing mature HMG (high modulus) series products and strong technical capabilities.
Competitive Focus: The focus has shifted from production capacity competition to technology competition, application development competition, and supply chain integration competition. Companies are deepening their R&D by establishing research institutes and joint laboratories with downstream customers.
VI. Development Trends
Performance Maximization and Serialization: Developing next-generation products with moduli exceeding 100GPa, while simultaneously developing high-modulus varieties with functionalities such as high temperature resistance, low dielectric constant, and corrosion resistance, forming a serialized product matrix to meet different application scenarios.
Cost Affordability and Market Penetration: Reducing manufacturing costs through improved production processes (such as large-scale furnace kiln production and intelligent manufacturing), driving high-modulus fiberglass from "luxury" sectors like aerospace to large-scale "civilian" markets such as automotive, rail transportation, and new energy.
Green and Sustainable Development: Develop low-carbon or even zero-carbon fiberglass production processes, use renewable raw materials, and strengthen research and development of recycling and reuse technologies for fiberglass in waste composite materials, forming a green industrial chain covering the entire life cycle.
Deepening "Competitive Cooperation" with Carbon Fiber: In fields pursuing extreme weight reduction (such as top-tier racing cars and aircraft main load-bearing structures), carbon fiber remains the preferred choice; however, in cost-sensitive fields requiring comprehensive performance (stiffness, impact resistance, and cost), high-modulus fiberglass has a clear advantage. The two will coexist in more applications or form hybrid composite materials, leveraging synergistic effects.
Vertical Integration and Collaborative Innovation of the Industrial Chain: Upstream fiberglass companies extend downstream to composite material design and product manufacturing; downstream giants expand upstream to secure supply and core technologies. Collaborative innovation across the entire industrial chain will be key to accelerating application implementation.
