# Nylon (PA6, PA66): Production

How China ended the PA66 shortage

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

What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.

| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| **World capacity** | PA66 China nearly 1.5 Mt/yr (end-2025); world PA66 about 3.5-4 Mt/yr (indicative); caprolactam for PA6 9.9 Mt/yr (2024) |  | ResourceWise, Dec 2025; Chemical Week via caprolactam tile; world PA66 indicative |
| **World output** | about 9-10 Mt (2025, indicative) |  | indicative |
| **Capacity utilisation** | PA66 China about 65-70%; Europe about 60-65% (2025) | PA6 tracks caprolactam at about 70% (caprolactam tile). Chinese PA66 capacity growth outran demand of 0.90-0.95 Mt. | ResourceWise, Dec 2025 |
| **Concentration** | China about 60%; top three regions about 80% (indicative) | PA66 was an oligopoly built on ADN technology (Invista, Ascend, Asahi Kasei, Butachimie). Chinese ADN entrants broke it after 2022; Chinese PA66 capacity is now larger than Europe and North America combined (ResourceWise). | ResourceWise, Dec 2025; indicative |
| **New capacity** | more than 1 Mt/yr of further PA66 capacity planned in China (ResourceWise, Dec 2025) | China PA66 capacity was 1.051 Mt/yr in May 2024 and was projected at 1.281 Mt/yr after 2024 additions (Mysteel); 2024 additions included Invista 80 and 130 kt/yr, Yantai Huarun 40 kt/yr, Anhui Haoyuan 40 kt/yr, Shandong Longhua 40 kt/yr and Ningxia Ruitai 20 kt/yr. | Mysteel, May 2024; ResourceWise, Dec 2025 |

#### Top producing countries
 China 60% · most PA6 chips (63% of caprolactam capacity) and nearly 1.5 Mt/yr PA66 United States 10% · Invista and Ascend PA66 chain (indicative) Western Europe 10% · BASF, Domo, Envalior, Butachimie ADN (indicative) Taiwan 6% · PA6 chip and yarn producers (indicative) Japan and South Korea 6% · Toray, Asahi Kasei, UBE, Hyosung (indicative) Chemical Week via caprolactam tile; ResourceWise Dec 2025; share indicative; indicative

#### Largest producers: global

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Invista (Koch)** also ADN and HMDA in Shanghai and the US | US | 0.21 Mt/yr PA66 added in Shanghai in 2024 (80 kt + 130 kt) | 2024 | [Mysteel, May 2024 (OilChem data)](https://www.mysteel.net/news/5055315-china-pa66-capacity-breaks-through-1-million-ty-in-may) |
| **Ascend Performance Materials** integrated acrylonitrile to ADN to PA66 in Alabama, Florida and Texas; filed for Chapter 11 in the Southern District of Texas on 21 April 2025 with about $2 billion of funded debt and emerged in December 2025 owned by its term-loan lenders | US | not published | 2025 | [Chemical Week, Apr 2025 (filing); Elevenflo case summary of court records, Mar 2026 (emergence)](https://chemweek.mydigitalpublication.com/article/Ascend+Performance+Materials+files+for+Chapter+11/4973370/846417/article.html) |
| **Domo Chemicals** bought part of Solvay's PA66 business in 2020 (indicative) | Belgium | not published | 2025 | not published in sources reached |
| **BASF** Ultramid PA6 and PA66 compounds; integrated caprolactam (indicative) | Germany | not published | 2025 | [not published in sources reached](https://www.basf.com) |
| **Hualu Hengsheng** one of the Chinese ADN and PA66 entrants (indicative) | China | not published | 2025 | not published in sources reached |
| **China Pingmei Shenma (Shenma)** large nylon 66 salt and fibre group | China | 0.02 Mt/yr PA66 added 2024 (Shanghai Shenma Engineering Plastic) | 2024 | [Mysteel, May 2024](https://www.mysteel.net/news/5055315-china-pa66-capacity-breaks-through-1-million-ty-in-may) |
| **Highsun Holding** large integrated caprolactam and PA6 chip producer (indicative) | China | not published | 2025 | not published in sources reached |

#### Largest producers: India

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals (GSFC)** India's only caprolactam producer; also makes nylon 6 | India | not published | 2026 | [caprolactam tile (Indian Chemical News, Oct 2026)](https://www.indianchemicalnews.com/regulatory/india-launches-anti-dumping-investigation-into-caprolactam-imports-from-china-russia-thailand-and-us-32225) |
| **SRF** major nylon 6 tyre cord and industrial yarn maker (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | [not published in sources reached](https://www.srf.com) |
| **Century Enka** Pune and Bharuch (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | not published in sources reached |

India makes nylon 6 yarn, tyre cord and chips, using GSFC caprolactam plus imports. It has no adipic acid, ADN or PA66 polymer production of scale and imports PA66 for airbags and auto compounds (indicative).

#### Position by region

| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| **US** | Home of the ADN technology holders; Ascend's Chapter 11 (April-December 2025) and weak auto demand show the strain. |
| **EU** | PA66 plants ran at about 60-65% in 2025 (ResourceWise); high energy and N2O abatement costs. |
| **India** | PA6 yarn and tyre cord industry; imports PA66; caprolactam anti-dumping case opened October 2026 (caprolactam tile). |
| **China** | From PA66 importer to surplus producer; HMDA and PA66 prices fell steadily in 2025 (ResourceWise). |
| **Japan** | Asahi Kasei and Toray hold airbag and specialty niches (indicative). |
| **Middle East** | Little nylon production (indicative). |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/index.md)
- [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)
- [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)