Analysis of development trends of China's polyimide film industry in 2025
Jan 08, 2025
1. Overview of Polyimide Film Industry
Polyimide film is a high-performance material known for its excellent thermal stability, electrical insulation properties, and chemical resistance. It is made from polyimide resin through solution coating, heat treatment, and other processes. Commonly used in industries such as electronics, electrical engineering, aerospace, and automotive, polyimide film can maintain high mechanical strength and good electrical properties in high-temperature environments. Therefore, it is widely used in flexible circuits, insulation materials, and protective layers for high-end electronic devices. Its outstanding heat resistance and chemical durability make it an essential material in demanding applications.
2. Policies for the Polyimide Film Industry
In recent years, there has been an emphasis on the development of high-value utilization technologies for plastic films, which are part of the green and low-carbon technology development initiatives. These initiatives have pointed the industry toward a sustainable growth direction. As global awareness of environmental protection and sustainable development increases, the green and low-carbon transformation has become an important issue across industries. The "Action Plan for Enhancing Standards for Traction Equipment Updates and Consumer Goods Recycling" outlines the following key policies:
Promotion of Recycled Materials and Standardization:
The plan calls for the improvement of standards for recycled materials, including recycled metals and plastics, and promotes the establishment of a comprehensive standard system for recycled plastics.
It advocates for the inclusion of recycled plastics and metals in the material requirements for household appliances, automobiles, and electronic products, helping to close the loop on material use.
Expansion of Recycled Resource Imports:
The policy encourages the expansion of imports of recycled materials, particularly recycled plastics and metals, while also improving the standards and policies governing the importation of these materials.
The aim is to increase the variety and volume of recycled material imports, supporting the circular economy and sustainability efforts.
These policies are guiding the polyimide film industry toward a more environmentally friendly, sustainable, and efficient future, with a focus on reducing environmental impact during production and use, while enhancing material performance for long-term, sustainable growth.
| Policy Name | Issuing Department | Issuing Time | Related Industrial Policies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guiding Opinions on Promoting the High - quality Development of the Light Industry | Five departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology | June 2022 | Deeply promote green and low - carbon transformation. Encourage the development of green and low - carbon technology development projects such as the high - value utilization of plastic films. |
| Work Plan for Steady Growth of the Light Industry (2023 - 2024) | The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Commerce | July 2023 | Expand the applications of special engineering plastics, high - end optical films, battery separators, etc. in national defense and military industries, aerospace, new energy, electronic information, transportation, and other fields. Promote the application of new antibacterial materials and other medical plastics in medical devices, consumables, and pharmaceutical packaging to give full play to the advantages of plastic products. Accelerate the production and application of plastic water - saving equipment, long - life functional agricultural films, thermal insulation boards, special pipes, plastic door and window profiles, etc. Carry out the action of ensuring the compliance of thickened and high - strength mulch films and fully biodegradable mulch films, and improve the supply and guarantee capacity of high - quality agricultural films. |
| Catalogue for the Guidance of Industrial Structure Adjustment (2024 Edition) | The National Development and Reform Commission | December 2023 | The development and production of long - life (three years and above) functional agricultural films, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated films, functional polyester (PET) films, solvent - free composite or heat - composite energy - saving and low - carbon polypropylene films, and oriented polystyrene (OPS) films are included in the encouraged industries. |
| Action Plan for Promoting Large - scale Equipment Upgrades and Trade - in of Consumer Goods | The State Council | March 2024 | Support the construction of a number of deep - processing industrial clusters for recycled resources such as waste steel, non - ferrous metals, and plastics. Explore the construction of an information - based traceability system for the use of recycled plastics, recycled metals, and other recycled materials that meet international standards. |
| Action Plan for Promoting Equipment Upgrades and Trade - in of Consumer Goods with Standard Improvements | Seven departments including the State Administration for Market Regulation | March 2024 | Improve the quality and usage standards of recycled materials. Formulate and revise the quality standards for recycled metals, recycled plastics, and other recycled materials, and comprehensively promote the construction of a standard system for the whole chain of recycled plastics, and promote the establishment of a recycled plastic certification system. Explore adding the requirements for the use of recycled plastics and recycled metals in the standards for home appliances, automobiles, and electronic products to help form a closed - loop in material use. Improve the standards and policies for the import of recycled resources, and expand the types and scale of imports as much as possible. |
From the perspective of end-use applications, electronic polyimide (PI) film serves as a core raw material for FCCL (Flexible Copper Clad Laminate), COF (Chip on Film) packaging substrates, and other related components. The downstream industries cover a wide range of sectors, including consumer electronics, 5G communications, automotive, industrial control and medical, aerospace and military, among others. Among these, the electronics sector holds the largest share, accounting for 48%, followed by specialty products, which account for 29%.
Polyimide (PI) film is currently one of the best-performing insulating materials available, known for its exceptional mechanical properties, electrical performance, chemical stability, and resistance to radiation and extreme temperatures (ranging from -269°C to 400°C). These qualities make it widely used in industries such as aerospace, maritime, spacecraft, rocket and missile systems, nuclear energy, and electronics.
In recent years, driven by the growth of downstream markets, China's PI film market has expanded steadily. In 2023, the market size for PI film in China reached approximately 8 billion RMB (about 80 billion CNY).
PI film can be categorized based on performance standards and application scenarios into electrical-grade PI film, electronic-grade PI film, thermal control PI film, and specialty-grade PI film. Prices vary significantly depending on the grade and application. Among them, high-end electronic-grade PI films are the most expensive, with electronic-grade PI films accounting for 38% of the market and specialty-grade PI films making up 36%.
