Polyoxymethylene (POM), also known as acetal resin, is a thermoplastic engineering plastic with excellent overall performance. It is one of the five major engineering plastics, alongside polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), polyester (PBT/PET), and polyphenylene ether (PPE).
POM is a linear polymer with no side chains, high density, and high crystallinity, featuring a molecular backbone of —CH?O—. It has a well-ordered molecular chain structure, high cohesive energy, and outstanding mechanical properties, including high modulus of elasticity, rigidity, and hardness. POM also exhibits excellent tensile strength, flexural strength, creep resistance, and fatigue resistance. Additionally, it has good self-lubricating properties over a wide temperature and humidity range, along with excellent electrical insulation, solvent resistance, and processability. Because of its mechanical properties, which are closest to those of metal materials among engineering plastics, POM is often referred to as "super steel" or "steel substitute."
Based on differences in chemical structure, POM is categorized into homopolymer POM and copolymer POM:
Currently, China's POM production is primarily focused on copolymer POM.
In the early 1990s, the global POM production capacity was only 430,000 tons per year, with consumption at around 390,000 tons. Over the past two decades, the global POM industry has experienced steady development, with supply and demand remaining relatively balanced. As of 2023, global POM production capacity reached 1.922 million tons per year, with production outside mainland China at 1.22 million tons. Including mainland China, global production totaled 1.595 million tons, with non-Chinese producers operating at a high utilization rate of approximately 91.5%.
POM production is concentrated in the U.S., Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, and China. With major international manufacturers investing in production facilities in China, the country has become the largest POM production hub, with an effective capacity of 590,000 tons per year, accounting for approximately 30% of global capacity. Europe and South Korea follow closely behind.
Key global POM manufacturers include DuPont, Celanese, Polyplastics (Japan), and BASF (Germany). Homopolymer POM technology is dominated by DuPont and Asahi Kasei, while copolymer POM technology is led by Celanese. Celanese operates plants in the U.S., Europe, and Saudi Arabia (with the latter two being joint ventures) and holds a 45% stake in Polyplastics, bringing its total capacity to over 300,000 tons per year, making it the world's largest POM producer.
From 1995 to 2000, global POM consumption grew at an average annual rate of 5%. However, due to the global economic slowdown in 2001, demand growth also slowed. By 2003, the total demand for POM in major countries and regions was around 700,000 tons. From 2003 to 2008, the annual growth rate stabilized at 6.1%, reaching 992,000 tons in 2008. The U.S. and Western Europe experienced moderate growth (3.6% and 3.0%, respectively), while Japan's demand remained stagnant. However, Asia, particularly China, experienced the fastest growth in POM consumption.
In 2009, the global financial crisis severely impacted demand in the automotive and electronics industries, leading to reduced production and lower capacity utilization. Demand rebounded in 2010, reaching 1.075 million tons in 2011. By 2018, global consumption had reached 1.45 million tons, and in 2023, it was approximately 1.6 million tons, matching production. With the market entering a mature phase, growth slowed, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.1% from 2018 to 2023.
Looking ahead, global POM demand is expected to continue growing moderately, reaching 1.77 million tons by 2028. China remains the largest POM consumer, while emerging markets such as India, Vietnam, and Brazil are experiencing rapid demand growth, whereas developed economies (U.S., Europe, Japan, and South Korea) exhibit slower growth.
Before 2000, China's POM production was limited to small-scale operations with outdated technology, high raw material and energy consumption, and unstable product quality. However, with rapid industrialization in the 21st century, China's POM capacity and output have steadily increased. By 2024, China's POM production capacity had reached 760,000 tons per year.
China's POM production is geographically dispersed, with the highest concentration in East China, followed by Northwest China, North China, Central China, Southwest China, and Northeast China. South China has no significant POM production.
Despite steady capacity expansion, production utilization rates remained above 70% in most years, except for 2023 and 2024, when rapid capacity additions outpaced demand growth.
The electronics and electrical sector is the largest consumer of POM in China, followed by consumer goods, automotive, and mechanical industries. High-end applications include automotive components and precision machinery, while mid-to-low-end applications include household products, zippers, and general-purpose electrical components.
As a high-performance engineering plastic, POM is widely used in the automotive industry for interior and powertrain components, benefiting from its superior wear resistance and mechanical strength. The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) has further increased POM demand, as it is used in battery housings, battery management systems, EV controllers, and charging stations.
Due to the steady growth in China's demand for polyoxymethylene (POM) and the need to import high-end POM, China's POM imports have been increasing annually. In 2017, imports exceeded 300,000 tons, and since then, they have remained above this level. In 2021, due to significant demand growth, imports reached a historic peak of 348,000 tons. Over the past two years, import volumes have slightly declined due to slower demand growth and the stability of foreign production facilities. However, in 2024, POM imports increased significantly to 397,000 tons. This surge was primarily due to the shutdown of the Baolingtai Engineering Plastics (Nantong) Co., Ltd. facility and the impact of anti-dumping policies, which encouraged traders to replenish their stocks, leading to a sharp increase in total imports.
China's POM exports remain relatively low, consistently around 30,000 tons per year. Between 2019 and 2020, anti-dumping policies led to higher import raw material costs, reducing total import volumes and increasing the use of domestic POM, which in turn decreased export volumes. In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic and global economic conditions caused many foreign POM facilities to operate at low capacity or shut down. In 2022, the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict led to a surge in POM demand, widening the supply gap, and increasing exports year-over-year. In 2023, slow global economic growth and financial pressures forced many small and medium-sized factories to close, leading to a slight decline in exports, with total annual exports at 33,000 tons. In 2024, exports further decreased to 29,000 tons.
Regarding imports, in 2024, China's POM imports mainly came from the United States, Malaysia, Germany, and Taiwan. The U.S. accounted for 59,400 tons (14.98% of total imports), Malaysia for 57,200 tons (14.44%), and Germany for 50,600 tons (12.72%). These three regions collectively accounted for 42.18% of China's total POM imports.
China's POM exports in 2024 were primarily destined for Vietnam, Russia, Brazil, Hong Kong, and Japan, with these five markets accounting for 51.4% of total exports. The import and export flow patterns align with the regional demand and production capacity discussed in the global market analysis.
Despite China’s annual POM imports exceeding 300,000 tons, the country still struggles to produce high-end grades, and foreign co-polymer POM holds a cost advantage. By 2028, China’s effective POM production capacity is expected to surpass 920,000 tons per year, with capacity expansion outpacing demand growth. The industry is facing increasing competitive pressure.
POM production involves high technical barriers. Currently, China's POM manufacturing technology is mainly derived from second-tier foreign technologies. These technological limitations restrict the production of high-end POM grades, making China reliant on imports. Companies must enhance R&D, improve production technology, master the manufacturing process for various POM grades, and collaborate with research institutions and downstream enterprises. By developing specialized additive packages, China’s POM industry can move toward high-end markets and reduce dependence on imports.
POM’s outstanding mechanical properties, excellent chemical resistance, fatigue resistance, weather resistance, and self-lubricating properties make it one of the most important thermoplastic engineering plastics. However, due to its regular molecular chain arrangement, POM crystallizes easily during processing, leading to poor toughness, low elongation, and low notch impact strength, which limits its applications. Through POM modification, its heat resistance, rigidity, fatigue resistance, creep resistance, and mechanical performance can be enhanced to meet the requirements of various applications.
POM modification is a key driver for industry development. Most Chinese enterprises invest relatively little in POM modification research and innovation, whereas foreign companies have decades of experience in developing modified POM products. The proportion of high-end modified POM products in global applications exceeds 30%, and these products are far more profitable than basic POM materials. Domestic companies should prioritize POM modification, starting from the synthesis process, and develop new stabilizers, compatibilizers, and modifiers to improve the comprehensive performance of POM and expand its application fields.
POM is a thermoplastic polymer with a typical linear molecular structure, making it highly suitable for producing high-performance fibers through melt spinning and high-draw orientation. Research on POM fiber development has been conducted both domestically and internationally. The pilot-scale POM fiber production line of Kailuan Group Zhonghao Company has already launched products into the market. Companies should further expand POM applications to inject new vitality into its development.
2YRS
