The precursor segment of the carbon fiber supply chain has long operated in a standard-less gray area, a situation now being rectified. A national standard covering complete sets of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor equipment—'Terminology, classification, and model numbering method for complete sets of polyacrylonitrile fiber production equipment'—has been officially approved and will take effect on February 1, 2027. This marks the first time precursor equipment has been included in China's national standard system, unifying terminology, classification, and model numbering across the entire process from polymerization to solvent recovery.
Industrial Logic Behind the Standard
PAN precursor quality directly determines the strength and stability of carbon fiber, while the precision and intelligence level of precursor equipment directly affects production yield and cost. For years, the domestic precursor equipment sector lacked unified norms: chaotic terminology, inconsistent classification, and arbitrary model naming led to low efficiency in production line design, equipment procurement, and supply chain coordination. This national standard, led by Zhejiang Jinggong Integrated Technology Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Huachuang Carbon Fiber Technology Co., Ltd., achieves full-process unification from polymerization, spinning, drawing, and drying to solvent recovery.
For buyers, standardized model naming eliminates the need to manually compare customized parameters across vendors, simplifying cross-supplier comparison and production line integration. For equipment manufacturers, unified terminology reduces communication costs and facilitates horizontal benchmarking for technology iteration.
Closing the Loop from Precursor to Carbonization
Notably, this is not Jinggong Technology's first move in carbon fiber equipment standards. Previously, it led the formulation of the national standard for carbonization equipment, which took effect in June 2025. Precursor and carbonization are the two core stages of carbon fiber production. With the approval of the precursor standard, both stages now fall under the national standard framework, forming a complete and unified standard system for China's carbon fiber equipment.
From an industry impact perspective, this closure is significant for domestic carbon fiber enterprises. Previously, the lack of precursor equipment standards forced carbonization lines to adapt to varying output parameters from different precursor machines, leading to long commissioning cycles and yield fluctuations. With unified standards, upstream-downstream equipment interfaces become clearer, improving matching efficiency between precursor and carbonization stages and potentially lowering unit production costs.
Reshaping Competitive Dynamics
As a strategic material in the new materials field, carbon fiber localization is accelerating. Public data shows continuous capacity expansion in China's carbon fiber sector, but high-end products (e.g., T800 grade and above) still face supply bottlenecks, with precursor quality instability being a key constraint. This national standard provides a foundational guarantee for precursor quality stability from the equipment perspective.
Jinggong Technology has stated it will continue to collaborate with Huachuang Technology to promote the implementation of both national standards, advance group standards, and tackle core bottlenecks in large-tow, high-performance PAN precursor and carbonization equipment. This indicates that the standardization effort directly serves the goal of 'full supply chain security and control,' helping domestic carbon fiber firms narrow the gap with international leaders in high-end segments.