Under the strategic guidance of China's New Materials Industry Development Guide and the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Raw Materials Industry, basalt fiber and composite materials have emerged as a new generation of digitally-driven strategic new materials with significant development opportunities. Sichuan Province has taken the lead in designating basalt fiber as a key focus within its advanced new materials industry development. It has introduced a series of policies, including the Sichuan Provincial Action Plan for Enhancing the Quality and Multiplying the Output of the Advanced Materials Industry (2022-2027), explicitly supporting the construction of the entire industrial chain, from ore mining and raw fiber production to composite material applications. Notably, cities such as Dazhou and Guang'an in Sichuan have formed industrial clusters. Recently, Dazhou High-tech Zone, with an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons of raw fibers, has become a core innovation base and a model for digital transformation within the basalt fiber industry, leading the way in smart manufacturing and high-quality basalt fiber production.
In response to the demand for digital economic development and the production of high-quality basalt fiber and composite materials, the China Composites Industry Association has recently completed a systematic survey of initiating units for the Basalt Fiber Composite Materials Branch. Currently, more than ten demonstration enterprises have been identified:
With the support of enterprises like Aerospace Tuoxin Basalt Fiber Co., Ltd., the Polymer Team from Sichuan University, and the Sichuan Fiber Inspection Bureau, the survey proposes an organizational structure for the branch led by state-owned enterprises, supported by local governments, and actively participated in by a wide range of enterprises. Dazhou Zhenxing New Materials Co., Ltd., with its comprehensive layout covering "raw fiber production - pipe manufacturing - technological research and development" and supporting systems such as the Basalt Fiber Research Institute and Quality Inspection Institute, is recommended as the initial candidate for the position of the council chairman unit. The company has integrated resources with enterprises like Sichuan Juyuan and Aerospace Tuoda, and established provincial key laboratories in collaboration with Southwest University of Science and Technology and Sichuan University of Arts and Sciences, forming an integrated entity for "research and development - testing - application." Its industrialization model of "basalt fiber + pipes" has demonstrated a significant effect in the southwest region.
At the symposium of the Dazhou Basalt Fiber Industry Association held on July 1, representatives from nearly ten enterprises unanimously called for the branch, once established, to address technical bottlenecks across the entire process, from ore homogenization and raw fiber forming to composite material processing. They emphasized the need to integrate resources from industry design departments and inspection institutions to promote the composite applications of short-cut, woven, and pultruded processes with carbon and glass fibers, as well as to conduct application trials in fields such as construction and automotive industries. These calls align closely with the recommendations in the 2024 Basalt Industry Development Report by Southeast University, which advocates for strengthening the research and development of modified technologies and the formulation of industry standards.
The survey team has visited regions such as Jiangsu and Chongqing to establish collaborative partnerships for technology introduction and market application development with entities like the Jiangsu Science and Technology Information Institute and the Chongqing New Materials Industry Association. Notably, the Suzhou Advanced Technology Achievement Transformation Center for the Yangtze River Delta will focus on promoting the application of basalt fiber in novel composite materials. Huaying City, leveraging the advantage of Sichuan Qianyi Composite Materials Co., Ltd., which pioneered the world's first 2,400-hole bushing drawing "3,500-ton" pool kiln for high-quality basalt fiber production with stable product quality, has seen a promising market for its 2,400tex direct roving since 2023, which has been in short supply. Simultaneously, the company has actively promoted a new model for the high-tech development and expanded application of pool kiln technology in high-quality basalt fiber industrialization, in collaboration with nearly 20 upstream and downstream enterprises (including central enterprises). It has also established the New Quality Productivity Innovation Platform for Basalt Fiber and Composite Materials with over 10 universities, such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, and successfully attracted domestic and foreign investment funds to participate in the innovative applications of the basalt fiber industry, providing a typical case for the digital transformation of basalt fiber enterprises.
In 2019, with active support from the Sichuan Provincial Government, Guang'an Municipal Government, and the Sichuan Industrial Investment Fund, Sichuan Qianyi Composite Materials Co., Ltd. pioneered the "world's first 2,400-hole bushing drawing 3,500-ton pool kiln" technology for producing high-quality basalt fiber. This technology was evaluated as "first-class in China and leading in the world" by a panel of experts led by Academician Liu Jiaqi from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was honored with 11 scientific and technological innovation certificates in 2021.
Recently, Dezhou has developed ultra-fine basalt fiber with a diameter of less than 4 microns, also known as basalt ultra-fine cotton, produced using the centrifugal or blown fiber methods. This ultra-fine cotton is primarily used in manufacturing high-grade basalt fiber paper. Breakthroughs in basalt ultra-fine cotton by enterprises such as Dezhou Shengyuan Fiber Technology and Rongshi New Materials (Hebei) have significantly contributed to the development of ultra-fine basalt cotton products, injecting new vitality into the basalt fiber industry.
Approved by the council of the association, the "Inaugural Working Conference of the Basalt Fiber Composite Materials Branch of the China Composites Industry Association" is scheduled to be held on August 26, 2025, in Yi County, Baoding, Hebei Province, marking a new starting point for the digital transformation of the basalt fiber industry.
The meeting will focus on the following core topics:
It is proposed to establish a council for the Basalt Fiber Branch, incorporating participation from research institutes, testing organizations, upstream and downstream enterprises, and investment institutions to build a deeply integrated platform for "government-industry-academia-research-application-finance" collaboration. In line with the national strategies outlined in the New Materials Industry Development Guide and the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Raw Materials Industry, the branch will guide enterprises in establishing industry-university-research collaboration centers for the development and application of basalt fiber and composite materials, promoting the development of new technologies and standards, formulating relevant guidelines, and establishing incentive mechanisms for achievement transformation.
In response to the 2024 Basalt Industry Development Report, the branch will actively address technological bottlenecks in ore homogenization, product quality stability, and fiber forming. It will organize technical seminars, product quality analysis sessions, and professional exhibitions. The branch plans to establish a special R&D fund guidance group to provide focused support for enterprises undergoing digital transformation in the basalt fiber industry.
First, a 10-year high-quality development plan for the basalt fiber industry should be formulated.
Second, a series of standards and specifications for basalt fiber and composite materials should be developed.
Third, efforts should be made to explore both domestic and international markets for basalt fiber and composite material applications.
Traditional crucible method filament drawing enterprises can use basalt spheres as raw materials for filament drawing, which is highly feasible. However, constructing a 5,000-ton intelligent pool kiln would require an investment of 280 million yuan, which is also unrealistic for traditional enterprises under current economic conditions. The Basalt Fiber Branch will collaborate with relevant enterprises to explore innovative construction paths, starting with the establishment of an annual 60,000-100,000-ton basalt sphere plant (with capacities of 30,000 tons for high strength, 10,000 tons for high modulus, 10,000 tons for high-temperature resistance, and 10,000 tons for alkali resistance) at a cost controlled at 800 yuan per ton, with 10,000 tons earmarked for export.
Basalt Sphere Models:
High-strength basalt fiber (≥3,000 MPa)
High-modulus basalt fiber (≥95-104 GPa)
High-temperature-resistant basalt fiber (≥700°C)
Alkali-resistant basalt fiber (≥75)
The branch will support the establishment of basalt fiber and composite material enterprises in regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, Greater Bay Area, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Hebei, Shandong, Northeast China, Jiangxi, Lanzhou, and Qinghai.
It will actively encourage and welcome state-owned enterprises, central enterprises, glass fiber companies, foreign-funded enterprises, and cross-industry investors to participate in the basalt fiber and composite material industry.
The branch will support Chinese basalt fiber enterprises in going global and establishing basalt fiber and composite material factories along the Belt and Road Initiative routes. Looking ahead, the digital economy, characterized by "substantial capital investment + high technology," is poised to drive the rapid development of high-quality basalt fiber. The era of extensive application of high-quality basalt fiber in new energy, automotive lightweighting, low-altitude economy, and AI has arrived.