The global Nylon 66 Market Size is projected to grow from USD 7.9 Billion in 2022 to USD 12.5 Billion by 2032, registering a CAGR of 5.2%. The rising demand for Nylon 66 from end use industry such as Textiles, Consumer Goods, Automotive, Packaging, Electrical & Electronics, Industrial, and others, will further drive the Nylon 66 demand in the forecast period.
Nylon 66 is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer also known as polyamide 66 or PA66. Nylon 66 is produced by a polycondensation reaction of hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) and adipic acid. Nylon 66 is supplied in unfilled and filled grades. 30% glass-filled nylon 66 grade is commonly used filled grade of nylon 66. Due to its excellent mechanical and electrical properties, automotive, electrical and electronics, packaging, textiles, consumer goods & appliances are some of the key end-use industries in the global Nylon 66 market.
Global Nylon 66 capacity in 2022 stood at 3,100 thousand tons and projected to cross 5,000 thousand tons by 2032. Invista, Ascend, and BASF are prominent players in the Nylon 66 market and have a combined production capacity share of over 50% of global Nylon production capacity. Invista has planned to ramp up its nylon 66 production in China to reach an annual production capacity of 390 thousand tons per year. This step is expected to create a strong foothold for the company in the Chinese nylon 66 market. After China, the company has also announced an investment plan to transform its South Carolina plant (USA) to provide a better nylon 66 supply chain for fiber and resin production.
Additionally in 2022, the company started the adiponitrile plant in China which has strengthen its nylon 66 supply chain. Followed by Invista, BASF has also planned an expansion of the polyamide 66 plant located in Germany. BASF is also planning to start a new plant of HMDA in Chalampe, France in 2024 which will bring the company’s HMDA capacity to 260 thousand tons.
Source: Secondary & Primary Research and Prismane Consulting estimates
With global trends in the development of sustainable products, companies like Asahi Kasei have signed up with Genomatica, to access an early volume of bio-HMDA for the production of bio-nylon 66. With this investment, the company is expected to become the first nylon 66 producer to develop sustainable nylon 66. Asahi Kasei has a joint demonstration project with Microwave Chemicals to recycle nylon 66 using microwave technology.
In 2022, the global nylon market 66 is estimated to be around 2,269 thousand tons and is forecast to reach 3,315 thousand tons with a CAGR of 3.9% during 2023-2032. In terms of nylon 66 demand by region, Asia Pacific dominates the nylon 66 market with a share of over 40%. Nylon 66 demand in the region is poised to grow on the back of the huge textile and automotive industry present in the region. The large population base and increasing standard of living have strengthened the growth of apparel and garment products in the region preceding the growth in the textile industry.
The global Nylon 66 market is segmented into nylon 66 fibers and nylon 66 resins. Nylon 66 fibers account for more than 30% of the market share in the global Nylon 66 market. Nylon 66 fibers find their application in apparel, stock & hosiery, outdoor gear, industrial & automotive textiles, home furnishing, and other. Owing to the huge demand for nylon 66 in the clothing industry the textile application of nylon 66 is by far the largest application of nylon 66. Applications like jackets, raincoats, sportswear, swimwear, lingerie, socks, backpacks, sleeping bags, rain gear, tents, upholstery fabric, curtains, drapers, and carpets are some of the major products made from nylon 66 fiber.
In industrial applications, nylon 66 fibers are used in conveyor belts, filter fabrics, and hoses whereas in the automotive industry nylon fibers are used in seat covers and carpets. Properties like strength, durability, abrasion resistance, elasticity & shape retention, moisture absorption, quick drying, thermal stability, chemical resistance, and colorfastness play important roles in the textile industry and drive the demand for nylon 66 in textile applications.
The nylon 66 resin market is largely driven by its application in automotive, electrical & electronics, and packaging/film. In automotive, nylon 66 is mainly used for under-the-hood applications like air intake manifolds, valve covers, oil pans, cylinder head covers, fuel lines, connectors, fuel tanks, radiator end tanks, coolant pipes, thermostat housings, battery casing, air ducts, engine covers. Due to its excellent properties to withstand high temperatures and cost competitiveness, nylon 66 has become the preferred choice of engineering plastic for high-temperature applications in the automotive industry. Nylon 66 resin demand in the automotive industry accounted for more than 40%. Automotive is forecast to remain the largest consumer in the nylon 66 market on the back of the increasing application of Nylon 66 in e-mobility. Nylon 66 is commonly used in battery cell frames, module housings, connectors, wire insultations, motor housings, brackets, body panels, supports, cooling fans, and heat shields of electrical vehicles. In 2021 more than 10 million electric and hybrid vehicles were produced, and this number is forecast to grow with global efforts to reduce emissions resulting in increasing demand for nylon 66 resin in the automotive industry.
Followed by the automotive industry, the electrical & electronic industry is the second largest consumer of nylon 66 resin accounting for more than 20% market share in the global Nylon 66 market. The common uses of nylon 66 in electrical & electronics are cable insulation, connectors & terminal blocks, circuit board components like insulating washers, mounting hardware & spacers; electrical enclosures like control panels, junction boxes, and switch boxes; insulating bushes, conduit, bobbins, coil forms, switches, and relays. The combination of properties like mechanical strength, electrical insulation, and resistance to chemicals & temperature have bolstered the use of nylon 66 in the electrical & electronic industry.
Nylon 66 also finds its application in the packaging industry. Nylon 66 films are found to provide excellent barrier properties against moisture and oxygen and hence are used in pouches, blister packs, bags that are used to pack food, pharmaceutical products like capsules & tablets, and small consumer products. Due to its strength, they provide durable packaging while preserving the freshness and quality of packaged goods. Nylon 66 shrink films are used in the packaging of bottles and cans. Thermoformed trays of nylon 66 are used to pack food items, medical devices, and electronics products whereas injection molded containers are used in storage and transport of liquid and chemicals.
These companies are major manufacturers in the global Nylon 66 market, producing a wide range of products for various industries.
In October 2023, Celanese announced its intention to close down its Nylon 66 and high-performance nylon facility in Uentrop, Germany. The company cited the need to optimize production costs across its global network as the reason for this decision.
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