Beijing – Demand for polyurethane elastane rose 5.8% in 2019, reaching 620kT. Domestic capacity rose 8.1% from 2018 to 850kT/year.
The country also became more self-sufficient in the key raw material PTMEG. China imported 53.6 kT of the material in 2019, down 15.9% on the 2018 figure.
Nearly 40.5kT was imported from Taiwan, followed by 9.9kT from Korea and 2.kT from Japan, according to Chem366.com, a news portal for the polyurethane sector in China.
Roughly two thirds of China’s imports went to three companies: Xiamen Lilong Spandex, Yantai Tayho Advanced Materials and Zhejiang Sihai Spandex. The balance went to the 100-odd other PTMEG importers, said Chem366.com.
As PETG imports fell, exports grew by 211% to 11.6kT. The three largest markets were Korea, Thailand and Singapore, which together accounted for more than 80% of demand.
The top three exporting companies were Hyosung Chemical (Jiaxing), Hangzhou Sanlong New Materials and Sichuan Tianhua Fubang Chemical Industry. These generated more than 90% of the total PTMEG exports, said Chem366.com.
China’s polyurethane elastane fibre demand grew 5.8% in 2019
