April 11, 2025 – Polycarbonate, commonly known as PC, features a unique carbonate group within its molecular chain. Classified according to the differences in the ester groups carried by its molecular structure, PC can be divided into aliphatic, alicyclic, and aromatic types. In practical applications, aromatic PC holds the most value, and bisphenol A – type polycarbonate is an extremely crucial member of the aromatic category. Its weight – average molecular weight (Mw) generally ranges from 20,000 to 100,000.
PC is truly a versatile material with outstanding properties. It combines good strength and toughness, along with remarkable transparency. Whether in high – temperature or low – temperature environments, it can perform well, demonstrating excellent heat and cold resistance. Moreover, PC is relatively easy to process and also has flame – retardant properties. Relying on these comprehensive characteristics, PC has found wide applications in numerous fields. Its main downstream applications are concentrated in three major industries: electronics and electrical appliances, sheets, and automobiles. The consumption of polycarbonate in these three industries accounts for 80% of the total. In addition, PC is also widely used in many other areas such as industrial machinery parts, optical discs, packaging, office equipment, medical and healthcare, films, leisure and protective equipment, etc. It has become one of the engineering plastics with a top – ranking growth rate among the five major engineering plastics.
According to AsiaMB, based on the relevant statistics and forecasts of QYR (QYResearch), the global polycarbonate (PC) resin market sales reached as high as 19.23 billion US dollars in 2024. However, it is predicted that by 2031, this value will change to 19.1 billion US dollars, with an annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of – 0.1% during the period from 2025 to 2031.
In the global polycarbonate (PC) resin market, there are many well – known manufacturers. These include international companies such as Covestro, SABIC, Mitsubishi, Lotte Chemical, Teijin Limited, Idemitsu Kosan, Trinseo, Chi Mei, LG Chem, Samyang Kasei, etc. At the same time, domestic enterprises such as Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd., Luxi Group, and Lihuayi Weiyuan also hold important positions in the market, jointly promoting the development of the polycarbonate industry.