Nylon (PA6, PA66): Overview
From hosiery to airbags and car engine parts
What this tab covers What the chemical is, how big its market is, what it is used for (with shares, volumes, why it wins and what could replace it), and its chain from raw material to end user. Ends with three things to remember.Nylon 6 (PA6) is made by opening the caprolactam ring; nylon 66 (PA66) by reacting adipic acid with hexamethylene diamine (HMDA). Together they are about 9-10 Mt a year (2025, indicative). PA6 dominates textiles; PA66 is stronger at high temperature and goes into airbags, engine parts and electrical connectors. China's PA66 capacity rose about 70% between 2022 and 2025 to nearly 1.5 Mt/yr (ResourceWise, Dec 2025) after Chinese firms learned to make adiponitrile. Unabated N2O from adipic acid can make PA66 one of the most carbon-intensive plastics.
Volume about 9-10 Mt a year: PA6 about 7 Mt and PA66 about 2.5-3 Mt (2025, indicative) Market value about $15 billion at resin level (2025, indicative, basis: PA6 7 Mt x about $1,200/t plus PA66 2.7 Mt x about $2,500/t) Growth about 2-3% a year to 2030 (indicative); China PA66 capacity growing far faster Caprolactam tile (Chemical Week Dec 2025, 7 Mt caprolactam demand); ResourceWise Dec 2025 and Mysteel May 2024 (China PA66); volume and value indicativeKey uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textile filament (apparel, hosiery, sportswear) | 40% | about 3.8 Mtbasis | Nylon yarn is strong, elastic, abrasion-resistant and dyes well, so it is used in hosiery, lingerie, activewear and outdoor fabrics. Almost all of it is PA6, spun in China. indicative; caprolactam tile gives 45% of caprolactam to textile filament | polyester filament recycled nylon (ECONYL) |
| Engineering plastics (automotive, electrical and electronics) | 32% | about 3.0 Mtbasis | Glass-filled PA6 and PA66 replace metal in engine covers, air intake manifolds, radiator end tanks and connectors because they stay stiff at 120-180 C and resist oils. PA66 holds up better under heat. indicative; caprolactam tile gives 28% of caprolactam to engineering plastics | PBT PPA and PPS polypropylene compounds aluminium |
| Industrial yarn, tyre cord and airbags | 12% | about 1.1 Mtbasis | Nylon tyre cord gives bias and truck tyres fatigue resistance; PA66 airbag yarn has the heat resistance to survive inflation gases. indicative | polyester tyre cord aramid PET airbag fabric |
| Carpets and rugs | 7% | about 0.7 Mtbasis | Nylon carpet fibre recovers from crushing better than polyester; PA66 is favoured in North American commercial carpet. indicative | polyester (PET, PTT) polypropylene |
| Film and other (food packaging film, monofilament, fishing nets) | 9% | about 0.9 Mtbasis | PA6 film gives oxygen barrier and puncture resistance for meat and cheese packaging; monofilament for fishing lines and brushes. indicative | EVOH barrier layers polyester film |
From raw material to user
- Benzene About 0.9 t benzene per t caprolactam (caprolactam tile) and similar per t adipic acid (indicative).
- PA6: caprolactam Cyclohexanone oxime is rearranged to caprolactam; world capacity 9.9 Mt/yr in 2024, 63% in China (Chemical Week via caprolactam tile).
- PA66: adipic acid and HMDA About 0.65 t adipic acid and 0.51 t HMDA per t PA66 (stoichiometric). HMDA comes from adiponitrile (ADN).
- Polymerisation PA6 by hydrolytic ring-opening in VK tube reactors; PA66 by melt polycondensation of nylon salt.
- Chips to yarn or compounds Chips are spun into filament or compounded with 15-50% glass fibre for moulding (indicative).
Made from (commodity table)
Oil Crude oilThree things to know
- China's PA66 capacity reached nearly 1.5 Mt/yr by end-2025, more than Europe and North America combined, while Chinese consumption was 0.90-0.95 Mt (ResourceWise, Dec 2025).
- Chinese producers agreed a 20% caprolactam output cut in November 2025; nylon 6 chips were $1,170/t FOB China (Chemical Week via caprolactam tile).
- Adipic acid plants can emit about 0.3 t N2O per t without abatement, roughly 80 t CO2e per t of adipic acid at a GWP of 273 (indicative), so abatement decides PA66's footprint.