JCF(SZ:000420) First Capital Securities·2025-05-16 08:54Investment Rating - The industry investment rating is "Recommended," indicating a favorable outlook for the industry fundamentals, with expectations that the industry index will outperform the benchmark index [39]. Core Insights - The carbon fiber industry is expected to see a recovery in demand, with significant growth projected for 2024 and 2025, driven by sectors such as wind energy, military, and new technologies in electric vehicles [5][34]. - The price of carbon fiber has shown signs of recovery, with notable increases in various grades, suggesting that prices have likely bottomed out [6][9]. - The global demand for carbon fiber in 2023 was 115,000 tons, a decrease of 14.8% year-on-year, marking the first negative growth since 1995. However, demand is expected to rebound to 156,000 tons in 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of 35.7% [13][15]. Summary by Sections Price Recovery - Carbon fiber prices have been steadily increasing since the end of 2023, with a notable 5% rise in the price of wet 3K carbon fiber, now priced at 200-220 RMB per kilogram. The T300 12K carbon fiber price has rebounded to 95 RMB per kilogram, a 35.7% increase from the end of 2023 [5][6]. Demand Forecast - The global carbon fiber demand is projected to reach 156,000 tons in 2024, with a 120% increase in demand from the wind energy sector and a 51.6% increase from the sports and leisure market. In China, demand is expected to grow by 21.7% to 84,000 tons [13][15][16]. Supply and Capacity - China's operational carbon fiber capacity is estimated at 150,000 tons in 2024, with an 8.5% year-on-year increase. Despite a low utilization rate of 45%, the expansion phase of carbon fiber production appears to be concluding, with a concentration of capacity among the top five producers reaching 73% [23][27]. Traditional and Emerging Applications - Wind energy remains the largest application for carbon fiber, accounting for over 28% of usage. The demand in traditional sectors is expected to grow rapidly, supported by a significant increase in wind power project tenders and military orders [30][34].