[Continued from: Development and Trends of Carbon Fiber Composites in Sports and Leisure (Part One) (II)]
5.2 Carbon-Plate Running Shoes: The Fastest-Growing "Super Track"
Carbon-plate running shoes represent the most astonishing growth segment among carbon-fiber sporting goods. In 2024, the global carbon-plate running shoe market reached RMB 13.272 billion, and is projected to surge to RMB 56.651 billion by 2030, with a CAGR as high as 27.36%. The core driver of this explosive growth came from the 2017 debut of the Nike Vaporfly 4% - which embedded a full-length shovel-shaped carbon fiber plate in the midsole, leveraging its high stiffness and energy-return properties to deliver a significant propulsion boost to runners.
The significance of the carbon-plate running shoe boom for the carbon fiber industry lies in this: it proves that carbon fiber can move from "professional competitive equipment" to "mass consumer products," opening up a trillion-yuan imagination space for carbon-fiber sporting goods - China alone already has over 300 million runners. A single pair of athletic shoes uses about 15–20 grams of carbon fiber for the plate; based on a projected 150 million pairs of carbon-plate running shoes globally by 2030, this single application alone would consume about 3,000 tonnes of carbon fiber per year. Currently, domestic carbon fiber producers such as Zhongfu Shenying and Hengshen Co. have begun supplying carbon fiber prepreg to brands like Li-Ning and Xtep for carbon plate manufacturing.
5.3 Bicycles: The "Crown Jewel" of Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber bicycles represent the highest unit value and the most technologically integrated among carbon-fiber sporting goods. In 2023, the global carbon fiber bicycle frame market reached RMB 4.0 billion in sales, projected to reach RMB 8.7 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 11.8%. Mainland China and Taiwan, China are the global manufacturing centers for carbon fiber bicycles, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for over 50% of the global market share.
In terms of brand landscape, Giant is the world's largest bicycle manufacturer, with an annual capacity exceeding 6 million units; it not only produces its own brand but also OEMs carbon fiber frames for brands such as Trek and Colnago. Merida has an annual capacity of about 3 million units and OEMs a large volume of carbon fiber frames for Specialized. Both use carbon fiber materials from Toray and Zhongfu Shenying. As a representative Chinese brand, Xidesheng equipped its self-developed full-suspension XC bike with T1100 carbon fiber for the women's cross-country mountain biking event at the Paris Olympics; the bike used 380 plies of carbon fabric with a frame weighing only 1,100 g - the lightest in its class worldwide.
In the OEM system, Taiwan's Topkey is the world's largest contract manufacturer of carbon fiber composite sporting equipment, producing several hundred thousand carbon fiber bicycle frames annually and OEMing for brands such as Trek, Canyon, and BMC, with factories in Taiwan, mainland China (Dongguan), and Vietnam. The Tangxia/Huangjiang area of Dongguan hosts professional carbon fiber frame OEMs such as Quest Composite, Shengda, and Kailu, forming the world's largest carbon fiber bicycle parts OEM cluster.
5.4 Badminton and Tennis Rackets: Carbon Fiber's "Mass Touchpoint"
In a modern badminton racket, carbon fiber accounts for about 60% of the composition; the core carbon fiber material for high-end rackets is exclusively supplied by Japan's Toray - "whoever secures the newest and most advanced carbon fiber holds the pricing power." Toray's M40X carbon fiber has been mass-applied in tennis and badminton rackets, with a tensile strength of 5,700 MPa combined with high modulus (377 GPa).
China is the world's largest racket producer. Xiamen's Jimei/Tong'an is the world's largest racket production base, hosting professional racket manufacturers such as Carbotec, Qiaoxing, and Xinkai. Yonex, Li-Ning, Wilson, Babolat, and Head are the main brands. At the process level, racket frames mainly adopt compression molding plus prepreg lay-up, optimizing the "sweet spot" design by adjusting the carbon fiber lay-up angle. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) have clear specifications for racket size and performance; carbon fiber's stiffness and design flexibility make it the best material choice to meet these requirements.
5.5 Fishing Rods: Carbon Fiber's "Original Work"
The fishing rod is one of the earliest sporting applications of carbon fiber. In 2024, the global carbon fiber leisure fishing rod market was about USD 980 million, projected to reach USD 1.328 billion by 2031. Japan's Shimano EXSENS series uses one-piece molded carbon fiber grips and a hollow thin-wall structure to achieve ultimate lightweight and high sensitivity; its annual revenue from fishing rods and bicycle components is about USD 3.5 billion, making it the world's largest manufacturer of carbon fiber fishing tackle and bicycle parts.
China is the world's largest fishing rod producer. Weihai, Shandong is China's largest fishing tackle industry cluster, with a complete industrial chain from carbon fiber prepreg to filament winding, rod manufacturing, accessory processing, and brand marketing, accounting for about 60% of global rod output. Core enterprises include: Guangwei Composites (started from fishing tackle, grew into a full carbon fiber industry-chain leader), Baofeilong (representative of domestic high-end rods), and Yulieren (main force in the mid-range market). Weihai Dongfa Precision is a professional domestic manufacturer of carbon fiber prepreg equipment for fishing rods/golf clubs, with over a decade of deep cultivation in sporting goods segments.
5.6 Other Sports and Leisure Applications: From Ice & Snow to Water
Summary: Carbon fiber has penetrated almost every corner of sports and leisure. From a fishing rod to a racing bicycle, from a pair of carbon-plate running shoes to a racing shell, carbon fiber is redefining the performance boundaries of sporting goods with its material properties of "lightness, strength, and resilience." In 2024, global carbon fiber demand for sports and leisure was 28,500 tonnes (Sino-report caliber), growing 9.8% to 31,300 tonnes in 2025; the carbon fiber composite market for sporting goods reached RMB 27.86 billion in 2025 (Hengzhou Chengsi caliber), projected to reach RMB 40.79 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 5.6%.
[To be continued: Development and Trends of Carbon Fiber Composites in Sports and Leisure (Part Two)]
Article Title: [Industry Research] Development and Trends of Carbon Fiber Composites in Sports and Leisure (Part One) (III)
[Source] China Composites Industry Association official website (CCIA)
[Original Link] https://ccia.xin/xingyebaogao/3619.html