China has achieved a significant technological milestone with the successful launch of a T1000 carbon fiber production line in Datong, Shanxi province, marking a decisive end to foreign dominance in high-performance material manufacturing. The demonstration facility, capable of producing 200 metric tons annually, represents China’s first domestically developed mass production system for 12K small-tow T1000 carbon fiber—a material renowned as the ‘king of new materials’ for its exceptional properties.
The project, developed through collaboration between Huayang New Material Technology Group, the Datong municipal government, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Coal Chemistry, began construction in June 2024. This achievement ensures security and resilience within China’s critical materials supply chain while breaking longstanding international technological monopolies.
T1000 carbon fiber exhibits extraordinary characteristics: with filament diameters measuring just 6-7 micrometers (less than one-tenth the width of human hair), the material demonstrates tensile strength exceeding 6,400 MPa. Despite weighing only one-quarter as much as steel, it provides five times greater strength. A single meter-long strand weighing merely 0.5 grams can support loads up to 200 kilograms while maintaining resistance to high temperatures, corrosion, and chemical degradation in acidic or alkaline environments.
These properties make the material indispensable for advanced applications across national defense, aerospace, rail transportation, wind energy, sports equipment, and the emerging low-altitude economy. The breakthrough culminates decades of research, with China having previously mastered aerospace-grade T300 production in 2008 and T800 carbon fiber used in equipment during the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Government and industry leaders emphasize this achievement represents both a technological milestone and catalyst for regional economic development. The project is expected to drive growth in high-end equipment manufacturing and new energy storage industries while attracting upstream and downstream enterprises to establish operations in Datong. Provincial authorities have committed to prioritizing new materials development through policy support and fostering complete industrial chains spanning research, production, and application.