# Nylon (PA6, PA66)

Polyamides PA6 and PA66 for textile yarn, tyre cord, airbags and car parts; China's capacity surge has ended a long PA66 shortage.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/

Pseudo-commodities · Engineering plastics · No. 53

- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 9-10 Mt a year: PA6 about 7 Mt and PA66 about 2.5-3 Mt (2025, indicative)
- 6.0 t CO₂e per t
- HS 390810
 Pseudo-commodities · Engineering plastics · Foundation · Matter

A long shortage of the nylon used in airbags ended when China built more capacity than Europe and North America combined.

Chart: Illustration: Nylon (PA6, PA66)

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

PA6 is made by opening the caprolactam ring. PA66 joins adipic acid with HMDA, which comes from adiponitrile, a technology long held by very few firms.

##### Three things to know

1. China's PA66 capacity reached nearly 1.5 Mt a year by end-2025, while Chinese use was only 0.90-0.95 Mt.
2. Unabated adipic acid plants can emit about 0.3 t of nitrous oxide per tonne, roughly 80 t CO2e.
3. PA66 melts at about 260 C, around 40 C higher than PA6, which is why it goes under car bonnets and into airbags.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Benzene**About 0.9 t per tonne caprolactam
2. 2 **Monomers**Caprolactam for PA6; adipic acid, HMDA for PA66
3. 3 **Polymerisation**Ring-opening or melt polycondensation
4. 4 **Chips**Spun into yarn or glass-filled
5. 5 **End uses**Sportswear, tyre cord, airbags, engine parts
 Covered in [How a chemical process works: reactions, separations, catalysts and flowsheetsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/how-chemical-processes-work/)

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/links/index.md)