Chinese capacity for polyester fibres totalled 18.34 M tonne/y in 2006, with output of 16.05 M tonnes. A graph shows that Chinese capacity for polyester fibres has increased by 22.8%/y since 2000. Production of polyester fibres now accounts for 79.22% of output in the chemical fibre sector. Chinese capacity for polyesters rose to over 20 M tonne/y in 2005 and is forecast to grow by 6.3 M tonne/y by 2010, providing sufficient raw material for polyester fibres.

Trends in the prices of polyester fibres in China in Jan-Sep 2007 are elucidated. New capacity for polyester filament yarns brought onstream in 2006 totalled 900,000 tonne/y, an increase of 9.2%. In contrast, apparent consumption of polyester filament yarns in China rose by 24.1% to 9.78 M tonnes in 2006. Increased operating rates (70.4%) in 2006 enabled profits in the polyester fibre sector to increase by 62%. The likely impact of export policies introduced during 2007 is discussed.

Source: China Chemical Reporter