A newly approved national standard for carbon fiber precursor production equipment is set to take effect in February 2027, already prompting adjustments in equipment selection and production line design across the industry. The standard, titled "Terminology, Classification and Model Designation Method for Complete Sets of Polyacrylonitrile Fiber Production Equipment," was jointly drafted by Zhejiang Jinggong Integrated Technology Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Huachuang Carbon Fiber Technology Co., Ltd. It follows a previous national standard for carbonization equipment, marking another milestone in standardizing China's carbon fiber machinery sector.
Filling a Standard Void
PAN precursor is the parent material of carbon fiber, directly determining its strength and stability. Production involves multiple stages including polymerization, spinning, drawing, drying, and solvent recovery, each with distinct equipment. For years, China lacked unified standards for precursor equipment, leading to inconsistent terminology, classification, and model naming across manufacturers. This raised communication costs during line design, hindered cross-comparison in procurement, and reduced supply chain efficiency. The new standard for the first time unifies terminology, classification, and model designation across the entire precursor production process, effectively creating a common language for the sector.
Standardization impacts more than technical documentation. Equipment precision and intelligence directly affect carbon fiber yield and production costs. With a unified benchmark, equipment makers can align on design and technical indicators, while downstream users gain clearer criteria for selection and acceptance. For China's rapidly scaling carbon fiber industry, this removes a key bottleneck in the precursor segment.
A Growing Standard System
Notably, the national standard for carbonization equipment, also led by Jinggong Technology, took effect in June 2025. With the precursor standard now approved, both core stages of carbon fiber production—precursor preparation and carbonization—are covered by national standards. This means the entire equipment chain, from polymerization reactors to carbonization furnaces, now shares a consistent technical language and classification logic.
For equipment buyers, this simplifies technical comparison. Previously, evaluating a carbon fiber line required cross-referencing different company standards for precursor and carbonization sections. Now both sections have national standards, greatly enhancing parameter comparability. For manufacturers, competition shifts from naming differentiation to genuine performance and cost competition.
China's carbon fiber capacity is expanding rapidly, but high-end products like large-tow and high-performance PAN precursors remain bottlenecks. Jinggong Technology has indicated it will leverage both national standards to promote group standards and tackle these core challenges. This signals that standardization is extending from equipment terminology to process and performance dimensions.