The standardization of carbon fiber equipment has taken a crucial step forward. The State Administration for Market Regulation has recently approved the 'Terminology, Classification, and Model Numbering Method for Complete Sets of Polyacrylonitrile Fiber Production Equipment,' China's first national standard for complete sets of carbon fiber precursor equipment, set to take effect on February 1, 2027. Jointly led by Jinggong Technology and Huachuang Technology, this standard marks that, following the implementation of the carbonization equipment national standard, the standardization framework for the entire carbon fiber equipment chain is now basically complete.
Standard Gap Filled, Full-Process Coordination Costs Expected to Fall
Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor is the precursor to carbon fiber, and its quality directly determines the strength and stability of the final carbon fiber. The precursor production process involves multiple stages, including polymerization, spinning, drawing, drying, and solvent recovery. For a long time, these stages lacked unified terminology, classification, and model naming rules. This fragmented state led to difficulties in benchmarking equipment parameters during production line design, confusion among different suppliers' model numbers during equipment procurement, and low efficiency in technical coordination and collaborative innovation across the industry chain.
This new national standard, for the first time, provides unified specifications for the terminology, classification, and model numbering of complete sets of precursor production equipment from a full-process perspective. This means that equipment manufacturers now have a clear benchmark for designing and naming their products, and carbon fiber producers can more accurately match their needs when procuring equipment or building or upgrading production lines. From an industry perspective, this establishes a common technical language for the precursor equipment market, reducing information asymmetry and the associated transaction and trial-and-error costs.
Dual Standards for Carbonization and Precursor, Domestic Substitution Enters a New Phase
It is noteworthy that the national standard 'Terminology, Classification, and Model Numbering Method for Complete Sets of Fiber Carbonization Production Equipment,' also led by Jinggong Technology, has been in effect since June 2025. With this, both core stages of carbon fiber production—precursor preparation and carbonization—are now covered by national standards. This 'point-to-chain' integration of the standard system is of great significance for the large-scale promotion of domestic carbon fiber equipment.
In the past, domestic carbon fiber equipment companies often found themselves at a disadvantage in international competition due to an incomplete standard system. With the dual standards in place, the alignment of domestic equipment terminology, classification, and models with mainstream international standards will be smoother, helping to lower the cognitive barrier for overseas customers. More importantly, a unified standard system creates conditions for modular and serialized equipment production, directly driving down mass production costs and improving yield rates. This, in turn, supports the growing demand for high-performance carbon fiber in downstream application fields such as wind turbine blades, aerospace, and pressure vessels.
Industry Impact: A Chain Reaction from Equipment Procurement to Technology Iteration
For equipment manufacturers, the new standard provides clear guidance for product development and model management, allowing them to focus more on breakthroughs in core performance indicators rather than expending effort on naming and classification. For carbon fiber producers, especially large and medium-sized factories planning new or expanded production lines, the direct benefits of standardization include shorter equipment selection cycles and reduced supply chain management complexity.
From a broader perspective, the completion of the standard system is a sign that the industry is transitioning from 'following' to 'running alongside' global leaders. In their announcement, Jinggong Technology and Huachuang Technology stated that they will continue to leverage the implementation of these two national standards, promote the application of group standards, and tackle core bottlenecks such as large-tow, high-performance PAN precursor and carbonization complete sets. This signals that Chinese carbon fiber equipment companies are no longer satisfied with solving the 'have or have not' problem but are systematically building technological moats to compete for a leading position in the global new materials industry.