World’s major fiber production and development trends

Flora Zhao

According to a press release from Japan Chemical Fibers Association， 2017 world fiber production and chemical fiber production trends are as follows：

World fiber production

The worlds major fiber production in 2017 （estimated） saw an increase of 6% over the previous year to 93.71 million tons， increasing for two consecutive years and setting the highest level in three years in a row since 2014.

Chemical fiber production increased by 4% over the previous year to 66.94 million tons， an increase of 9 consecutive years， setting a record high. Among them， synthetic fibers （except polyolefin fibers） increased by 4% to 61.88 million tons， breaking for the first time 60 million tons. Cellulose fibers （except acetate fibers） increased by 3% to 5.36 million tons.

Chemical fibers accounted for 71% of the overall fiber population， a drop of 2 percentage points from 73% of the previous year due to a 2-digit increase in cotton production over the previous year.

Due to the expansion of cotton acreage， the output of natural fibers increased by 11% to 25.43 million tons， increasing for two consecutive years. Except for 9% increase in India， the largest producer， and 7% increase in China， second place， the U.S. increased substantially by 25%. Wool increased by 0.3% to 1.16 million tons as the number of sheep raised in Australia， the main producer， increased.

World chemical fiber production

World chemical fiber production in 2017 witnessed an increase of 4% over the previous year to 66.94 million tons， an increase of 9 consecutive years， hitting the highest record. Among them， the synthetic fiber （except polyolefin fiber） increased by 4% to 61.58 million tons， breaking for the first time 60 million tons； cellulose fibers （except acetate fiber） increased by 3% to 5.36 million tons.

Output of major countries and regions

Looking at the world chemical fiber production from all major producing countries and regions， with the exception of China， which has the largest output， expanding from 4% in the previous year to 5%， Western Europe who has been in a stagnating or slightly increasing trend has presented 5-percent increase since 2010， due to the optimism of polyester fiber. On the other hand， Chinese Taiwan drastically reduced by 9%.

China continued seeing increase by 5% to 47.14 million tons. From the varieties， the main varieties of polyester increased by 5%， and nylon by 12%， while acrylic saw a significant decrease of 8% at then end of the year because of rising raw material prices. The cellulose fibers also increased by 4%. China accounted for 71% of the worlds production， at a standstill compared with the previous year.

Other major producing countries and regions， except Western Europe which enjoyed 5-percent increase due to the optimism about textile polyester filament， India increased by 2%， ASEAN increased by 3%. On the other hand， Chinese Taiwan drastically reduced by 9% while Japan reduced by 2%. South Korea and the United States remained stagnant.

Various main varieties

Judging from the major varieties， although polyester has some exceptions， all of them are strong with an increase of 3% - 5%. Polyamide increased by 6% due to the continued substantial increase in production in China， on the other hand， there was a 6% decrease in acrylic staple fiber.

Polyester and filament yarn increased by 5% over the previous year to 37.17 million tons； staple fiber increased by 4% to 16.6 million tons， both increasing. Total polyester filament and staple fiber production accounted for 80% of man-made fiber production， remaining stagnant.

Nylon saw an increase of 6% to 4.93 million tons. China increased by 12%， and Japan substantially increased by 8%， while South Korea （down by 7%）， Chinese Taiwan （down by 3%） and the United States （down by 5%） decreased.

Acrylic staple fiber presented a decrease of 6% to 1.61 million tons. China， which reduced its output by the end of the year， reduced by 8%. In other major producing countries， Western Europe has been stagnated （down 0.3%） and Japan reduced by 5%.

Cellulose fibers （viscose， acetate， copper ammonia） showcased an increase of 3% to 536 tons. China （up 4%）， India （up 4%）， and Japan （up 8%） increased， while Western Europe and ASEAN were stagnating， and Chinese Taiwan drastically reduced by 41%. The fibers from 2007 to 2017 saw an average annual growth rate of 6%， still higher than synthetic fibers（5%）.

Details of major synthetic fibers

Polyester filament： An increase of 5% over the previous year， reaching 37.17 million tons and hitting the highest record. China increased by 5%， an increase of 1 percentage point compared with the previous year. Western Europe saw a 19% soaring thanks to its optimistic textile products market. Ad for others， India， ASEAN and the United States increased， while Chinese Taiwan （down 9%）， Japan （down 2%） and South Korea（down 3%） decreased.

Polyester staple fiber： An increase of 4% over the previous year to 16.6 million tons. In Asia， China （up 5%）， ASEAN （up 4%）， South Korea（up 4%） increased， while India （down 6%）， Chinese Taiwan （down 2%）， Japan （down 16%） decreased. In Europe and the United States， the United States increased by 5%， and Western Europe increased by 3%. the U.S. non-woven fabric products are enjoying an optimistic market.

Nylon： An increase of 6% over the previous year to 4.93 million tons. China continued its substantial growth， up 12%. Western Europe increased by 3% thanks to the growing industrial fibers. There was a 5-percent reduction in the United States due to the reduction in carpet fibers.

Acrylic staple fiber： A decrease of 6% from the previous year to 1.61 million tons. Due to the high raw material prices， China， a major producer at the yearend， cut its output substantially by 8% to 580，000 tons. Western Europe was stagnated （down 0.3%）， while Japan lost 5%.