Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23%: Steady Expansion of China’s Bisphenol A (BPA) Production Capacity from 2021 to 2026

Lead: From 2021 to 2026, the scale of integrated Bisphenol A (BPA) production in China continued to expand. Upstream enterprises increasingly extended their operations downstream to enhance cost competitiveness. New capacity added over the past five years was primarily concentrated in East China, Northeast China, North China, and South China. By 2026, the number of BPA producers increased to 23. Notably, capacity growth in East China (including Shandong) was particularly significant, while one producer was removed from the count in North China.

From 2021 to 2026, China’s BPA capacity expanded rapidly. By the end of 2026, total capacity reached 6.681 million tons/year, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23%. During this expansion cycle, most newly added capacity consisted of integrated supporting units.

From 2021 to 2026, China’s BPA capacity achieved rapid expansion, growing from 2.415 million tons/year in 2021 to 6.681 million tons/year in 2026, an increase of 177% compared to 2021 levels.

In 2021, the growth of China’s BPA capacity was relatively slow. The year saw new BPA unit capacity additions totaling 390,000 tons/year, as integrated BPA-polycarbonate (PC) projects by Zhejiang Petrochemical, Sinopec Tianjin Petrochemical, and Henan Pingmei Shenma Chemical were commissioned successively.

During 2022–2024, the Chinese BPA industry entered a phase of high-speed expansion. Although the average annual planned new capacity exceeded 1 million tons during these three years, actual commissioning progress slowed due to external factors such as recurring epidemics, economic downturns, and industry-wide losses. Some projects were deferred and released in 2024. Entering 2025, with the commissioning of two BPA units totaling 420,000 tons/year, China’s cumulative BPA capacity reached 6.351 million tons/year.

In 2026, China added two new BPA units with a combined capacity of 480,000 tons/year. However, at the beginning of the year, a 150,000 tons/year BPA unit operated by Yanhua Polycarbonate was excluded. Consequently, the total capacity for 2026 stood at 6.681 million tons/year.

Table 1: Statistics on Newly Added BPA Capacity in China in 2026 (Unit: 10,000 tons/year)

Source: Chempricehub Information

Table 2: Statistics on Removed BPA Capacity in China in 2026 (Unit: 10,000 tons/year)

Source: Chempricehub Information

In 2026, China added two new BPA units, each with a capacity of 240,000 tons/year. These units belong to PetroChina Jilin Petrochemical Company and Shandong Ruilin Polymer Materials Co., Ltd., respectively, driving further increases in both capacity and output for the year.