On July 22, 2026, the General Administration of Sport of China officially issued the "15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Sporting Powerhouse" - the first national-level dedicated plan themed on building a sporting nation. It sets clear targets for 2030: total sports industry output exceeding RMB 7 trillion, per-capita sports venue area of 4 square meters, and about 40% of the population exercising regularly.
Moving from RMB 5.12 trillion to RMB 7 trillion, the sports industry is opening an entirely new growth cycle. Within this cycle, carbon fiber composites - hailed as the "king of new materials" and "black gold" - are becoming the core driver of quality upgrading in sporting goods. According to the General Administration of Customs, China exported RMB 67.53 billion of sporting goods and equipment in the first half of 2026, accounting for over 40% of global exports. The global market for carbon fiber composites used in sporting goods reached RMB 27.86 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach RMB 40.79 billion by 2032.
1. Policy Tailwinds: A Sporting Powerhouse Opens a New Blue Ocean for Carbon Fiber
The Plan explicitly requires the sporting goods manufacturing sector to shift toward high-end, smart and green production, with breakthroughs in the application of advanced materials such as carbon fiber and titanium alloys in sporting goods. The "Guidelines for the Development of the New Materials Industry", issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and seven other departments, classifies high-performance carbon fiber as a "key strategic material", providing solid policy support for its wider use in sporting goods.
Provinces and cities are actively deploying new materials for sporting goods: Shandong has designated the Weihai carbon fiber fishing tackle cluster as a provincial-level key cluster; Fujian has listed carbon fiber footwear materials as a priority innovation direction; Guangdong is building a carbon fiber bicycle industry base in Shenzhen with land and tax incentives; Hebei is building a carbon fiber winter-sports equipment manufacturing base. Globally, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry proposes raising the share of carbon fiber used in sporting goods from 18% to over 30%; the European Union has set up a dedicated sports-technology R&D program under Horizon Europe, with about 15% of it earmarked for new sports materials.
Key judgment: the building of a sporting powerhouse, domestic substitution of new materials, and upgrading global sports consumption - three overlapping policy dividends - place carbon fiber in sports and leisure at a historic strategic window of opportunity.
2. From "Black Gold" to Premium Sports Products: A Full Analysis of Carbon Fiber Manufacturing
The outstanding performance of carbon fiber in sporting goods is rooted in its highly sophisticated production process. Over 90% of the world's carbon fiber follows the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) route, with a complete flow of six core steps, each of which directly affects the performance of the final sporting good:
Acrylonitrile polymerization → spinning → pre-oxidation → carbonization/graphitization → surface treatment → sizing
2.1 Spinning: The Step That Determines the "Genes" of Carbon Fiber - the Starting Point of Sporting Goods
Spinning is the most technically demanding stage in carbon fiber manufacturing, directly determining the strength grade of the fiber and the sporting goods it can serve. The two mainstream routes today are wet spinning and dry-jet wet spinning:
Dry-jet wet spinning was first developed by Japan's Toray in the 1980s and was successfully mastered by Zhongfu Shenying in 2013, making it the first Chinese company to hold the technology. Zhongfu Shenying remains the only Chinese company with mature industrial-scale (10,000-ton class) dry-jet wet spinning carbon fiber technology; its T800-grade fiber holds over 60% of the domestic high-end sporting goods market and is used in volume in carbon fiber bicycle frames, badminton rackets and tennis rackets. Jilin Tangu (a subsidiary of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group) is the world's largest supplier of carbon fiber precursor with a market share above 50%; the cost advantage of its large-tow precursor (48K/50K) is pushing carbon fiber from competition equipment toward mass-market sporting consumer goods.
2.2 Carbonization and Graphitization: From Precursor to Carbon Fiber - the Grading Path of Sporting Goods
Carbonization is divided into low-temperature carbonization (300–1000 °C) and high-temperature carbonization (1000–1800 °C). In the high-temperature stage the carbon content of the fiber rises above 92% and a turbostratic graphite structure begins to form. Sporting goods requiring ultra-high modulus also undergo graphitization (2000–3000 °C), raising the fiber modulus to 400–900 GPa.
Carbon fibers produced with different carbonization/graphitization parameters have clearly graded applications in sporting goods: T300–T700 grade (strength 3500–4900 MPa) is mainly used in mid-range fishing rods, entry-level carbon fiber bicycles and skis; T800–T1000 grade (5490–6370 MPa) in high-end bicycle frames, competition rods and carbon-plated running shoes; M40J–M60J grade (modulus 377–588 GPa) in high-end golf club shafts and F1 car components. Toray's T1100G (6600 MPa) and M40X (5700 MPa strength with 377 GPa modulus) are the most advanced carbon fiber grades in sporting goods today, used exclusively by top brands such as TaylorMade, Graphite Design and Yonex.
2.3 Sizing Agent: The "Bonding Bridge" Between Carbon Fiber and Sporting Goods
Sizing is the final step of carbon fiber production, applying an extremely thin polymer coating (typically 0.1–1.0 micrometer) to the fiber surface. It protects the fiber from abrasion during downstream processing and improves interfacial bonding with the resin matrix. For sporting goods, sizing selection is critical: epoxy systems (80% of sporting goods) require epoxy-compatible sizing, while thermoplastic systems (used in skis, carbon shoe plates and similar products) require sizing compatible with PEEK, PPS or PA6. Requirements differ significantly by product: fishing rods need highly flexible sizing to avoid cracking during winding, while bicycle frames need high-temperature-resistant sizing to withstand autoclave curing.
3. Molding Processes: How Sporting Goods Take Shape
Carbon fiber cannot be used on its own; it must be combined with a resin matrix to form carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). The molding process that turns carbon fiber (or prepreg) into a finished sporting good is the key step determining product performance, quality and cost. Seven molding processes are commonly used in sporting goods manufacturing, each with its own sports application scenario:
[To be continued: Development and Trends of Carbon Fiber Composites in Sports and Leisure (Part I) (2)]
[Source] China Composites Industry Association (CCIA), official website
[Original link] https://ccia.xin/xingyebaogao/3617.html