Research and Analysis of Production and New Capacity of China’s Electronic Copper Foil Enterprises in 2017



Research and Analysis of Production and New Capacity of China’s Electronic Copper Foil Enterprises in 2017

In the light of current fast development of new and expanded copper foil projects of electronic copper foil enterprises and recent adjustment of the main copper foil categories set to be developed by some companies (generally from lithium foil to PCB foil). The secretariat of China Electronics Materials Industry Association e-copper foil branch conducted in March, 2017 an extensive and in-depth research on both new and old enterprises in China (including foreign companies investing in copper foil in mainland China) which establish new or expand copper foil production lines. By means of interview one by one, the survey outlines enterprises’ new capacity to be formed by the end of 2017 in two major categories: lithium battery copper foil and PCB copper foil.

The survey shows that annual new electrolytic copper foil capacity of 22 domestic companies is 150,200 tons, among which lithium battery copper foil accounts for 109,700 tons and PCB copper foil 40,500 tons. The scale of new capacity by the end of 2017 drew from the new survey is 81,200 tons more than the estimate of 69,000 tons by China Electronics Materials Industry Association e-copper foil branch at the end of 2016. It’s worth noticing that the ratio of lithium battery foil to PCB foil (72.6 : 27.4) in the new survey is different from that (81.2 : 18.8) projected at the end of last year by the association in that proportion of new PCB foil capacity in the whole new capacity rises from year-end forecast in 2016.

It is estimated that by the end of 2017, China’s electrolytic copper foil capacity can reach 454,300 tons/year by adding the new capacity (150, 200 tons/year) to the original domestic capacity (304,100 tons calculated at the end of 2016).

Meanwhile, this survey also primarily describes four periods of new capacity release in 2017: estimated capacity established and put into production in the first half of the year, established in the first half year and put into production in the second, established and put into production in the second half year, and established at the end of the year and put into production at the beginning of 2018 (considering new production lines of copper foil need time to come to full production from trial). Based on this, the capacity of lithium battery copper foil formed in the second half of 2017 accounts for 78.6% of its total annual new capacity.

It is also known from this survey that several domestic companies are planning new lines that are to be completed in the first six months of 2018. Besides, some companies will continue the construction of phase two or three of copper foil projects from 2018 to 2020.

The above survey results are only for your reference because investors may adjust and change plans accordingly as markets shift, hence discrepancies between estimates and reality.

Table 1: Capacity release timing of domestic copper foil companies in 2017

Time of completion and productionLithium battery copper foil (tons/year)PCB copper foil (tons/year) Completed and put into production in the first half year175007000 Completed in the first half year and put into production in the second60005000 Completed and put into production in the second half year200006500 Completed at the end of 2017 and put into production at the beginning of 20186620022000 Total10970040500