China's carbon fiber industry has taken a critical step in equipment standardization. A new national standard focusing on complete sets of equipment for carbon fiber precursor production—'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.
Background
The standard was jointly led by Zhejiang Jinggong Integrated Technology Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Huachuang Carbon Fiber Technology Co., Ltd. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor is the precursor to carbon fiber, and its quality directly determines the strength and stability of the final fiber. The production of PAN precursor involves multiple steps including polymerization, spinning, drawing, drying, and solvent recovery. For a long time, China lacked unified specifications for related equipment, leading to inconsistent terminology, classification, and model naming across the industry. This fragmented standard situation resulted in low efficiency in production line design, equipment selection, and supply chain coordination.
For the first time, the new standard unifies terminology, classification, and model numbering rules for all these steps from a full-process perspective. This means that equipment manufacturers, carbon fiber producers, and engineering firms will now use the same 'language' in communication, reducing misunderstandings and redundant work caused by definition confusion.
Industry Impact
This standard is not an isolated event. The standard for carbonization equipment—'Terminology, Classification, and Model Numbering Method for Complete Sets of Fiber Carbonization Production Equipment'—was already implemented in June 2025. With these two standards, both core stages of carbon fiber production—precursor preparation and carbonization—are now covered by national standards. This creates a closed loop, providing a unified and coherent standard system for China's full carbon fiber equipment chain.
For the industrial chain, the immediate impact of unified standards is efficiency improvement. For equipment buyers, standardized model numbering makes it possible to compare performance across different suppliers horizontally, reducing decision-making risks from information asymmetry. For equipment manufacturers, unified terminology reduces ambiguity in customized communication, facilitating standardized production and potentially lowering manufacturing costs. On a deeper level, the establishment of standards provides a foundation for domestic equipment to 'go global,' as unified classifications and terms are easier for international customers to understand and accept.
Future Challenges
Standard implementation is only the first step. Jinggong Technology has indicated that it will continue to work with Huachuang Technology to promote the application of group standards while tackling core bottlenecks such as large-tow and high-performance PAN precursor and carbonization equipment. This reveals a key industry judgment: standard unification solves the problem of 'existence,' while the next step is to solve the problem of 'quality.'
Currently, global carbon fiber competition has shifted from production capacity to a dual contest of performance and cost. Large-tow carbon fiber, due to its cost advantage in applications like wind turbine blades and pressure vessels, has become a focal point of market competition. The ability to stably mass-produce high-performance PAN precursor is the cornerstone of high-end carbon fiber (e.g., aerospace grade). While equipment standards have cleared obstacles in communication and coordination for tackling these core technological bottlenecks, true breakthroughs still require sustained technical investment and process iteration.