Driven by both the global push for carbon neutrality and the upgrading of high-end manufacturing, ceramic fibre paper—as a core material in the high-temperature thermal insulation sector—is currently undergoing a market competition shaped by technical standards. By 2025, the market size for ceramic fibre paper in China is projected to exceed 5.5 billion yuan, with demand from the new energy sector accounting for 29 per cent of the total. Meanwhile, the European and American markets, leveraging their mature certification systems, continue to erect technical barriers. This battle over standards is not only a contest for industrial influence but also a microcosm of the restructuring of the global industrial chain.
I. A Tripartite Standardisation System: The Divergence of Technical Pathways and Industrial Logic
(1) China: A Standardisation Path Driven by National Strategy
China adopts a ‘government-led + industry-coordinated’ model, with the State Administration for Market Regulation overseeing the formulation of GB standards covering three key dimensions: product performance, safety and environmental protection, and energy-saving indicators. The national standard for ‘Ceramic Fibre Products’, implemented in 2023, refines temperature resistance ratings into three levels—1,100°C, 1,200°C and 1,350°C—and incorporates biodegradability requirements, driving the industry’s transition towards green manufacturing.
Case Study: Mu Yi’s zirconia-containing ceramic fibre paper, having obtained GB/T 30835-2023 certification, successfully replaced imported products in CATL’s power battery thermal insulation systems, extending the thermal runaway propagation time to 15 minutes and achieving internationally advanced standards.
(2) United States: A Market-Driven Innovation Ecosystem
The US standards system, centred on ANSI/UL, emphasises testing of product performance and safety. The UL 1570 standard requires that ceramic fibre paper must not shrink by more than 2 per cent after being subjected to continuous burning at 1,260°C for 30 minutes. This requirement has directly driven the industry to develop nanopore control technology, reducing the product’s thermal conductivity to 0.035 W/(m·K).
Technical breakthrough: Following UL certification, reinforced ceramic fibre paper achieved a breakthrough in the Boeing 787 engine insulation layer with a single-layer thickness of 0.3 mm, reducing weight by 40 per cent compared to traditional materials.
(3) European Union: Technical Barriers Created by Environmental Regulations
The EU’s EN standards system, with the REACH Regulation as its cornerstone, extends the control of chemical substances to the raw materials stage. The EN 14303 standard requires that the content of soluble hexavalent chromium in ceramic fibre paper be less than 0.1 mg/kg; this provision has forced Chinese exporters to invest heavily in upgrading their production processes.
Market Impact: In 2024, the EU launched an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese ceramic fibre paper, resulting in the duty rate on Chinese products rising from 9.8 per cent to 27.3 per cent. This compelled Sinoma Science & Technology to establish an EU-standard production line in Hungary to achieve localised supply.
II. Differences in Certification Systems: A Full-Chain Challenge from Laboratory to Market
(1) Technical Divergences in Testing Methods
Thermal stability testing: China’s GB/T 16400 employs a gradient heating method (rising at 200 °C/h to 1,200 °C), whilst the US UL 1570 standard implements a transient high-temperature shock test (rising to 1,260 °C within 3 seconds) to simulate complex operating conditions.
Chemical analysis: The EU’s EN 14303 requires testing for 16 heavy metal elements, whereas the Chinese standard specifies only six. This results in export products requiring additional ICP-MS testing, increasing testing costs by 15 per cent.
(2) The Efficiency Debate in Certification Processes
China’s CCC certification: Adopts a ‘type testing + factory inspection’ model, with a certification cycle of 45–60 days, but permits rectification whilst production continues.
US UL Certification: Implements a ‘pre-assessment plus full-process monitoring’ system, with a certification cycle lasting up to 90 days; however, certified products gain automatic access to the North American defence supply chain.
EU CE Certification: Adopts a ‘self-declaration plus notified body audit’ mechanism; companies may affix the CE mark themselves, but if found non-compliant during spot checks, they face a ban from the entire EU market.
(3) Economic Leverage of Market Access
Cost Differences: The cost of obtaining GB certification for a single Chinese product is approximately 50,000 yuan, whilst EU CE certification involves three standards—EN 14303, REACH and RoHS—with total costs reaching 180,000 yuan.
Pricing Premium: Ceramic fibre paper certified to UL standards can be sold on the US market for up to 82,000 yuan per tonne, representing a 35 per cent premium over non-certified products.
III. Breaking the Deadlock: A Three-Dimensional Breakthrough Strategy for Chinese Enterprises
(1) Aligning with Technical Standards: From ‘Catching Up’ to ‘Keeping Pace’
Establishing internationally recognised laboratories: Constructing a laboratory in the Suzhou Industrial Park capable of conducting GB, UL and EN testing simultaneously, thereby reducing the certification cycle to 30 days.
Developing Modular Products: Designing base materials with adjustable chemical compositions to meet different market requirements through rapid formulation adjustments. For example, an intelligent formulation system can complete the conversion of composition from GB to EN standards within 48 hours.
(2) Vertical Integration of the Industrial Chain: Overcoming ‘Bottleneck’ Stages
Localisation of upstream raw materials: In response to the EU’s import restrictions on high-purity alumina, the Shandong Industrial Ceramics Research Institute has developed a technology for producing alumina with a purity of 99.99 per cent, reducing raw material costs by 40 per cent.
Expansion of downstream services: Mu Yi has established an engineering services company to provide one-stop solutions ranging from material supply to construction and installation. The company has secured a contract worth 230 million yuan for the kiln retrofit project of the JSW Steel Group in the Indian market.
(3) Expansion into Emerging Markets: Circumventing Traditional Trade Barriers
‘Belt and Road’ Localised Production: Construction of a production line with an annual capacity of 5,000 tonnes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with products supplied directly to the NEOM new city development, thereby circumventing EU anti-dumping duties.
Digital Certification Platform: Development of a blockchain-based certification and traceability system, enabling full data traceability from raw materials to finished products and meeting EU requirements for supply chain transparency.
IV. Future Trends: New Opportunities in Standard Convergence
(1) Convergence of Technical Standards
The IEC is currently drafting an international standard for ceramic fibre paper, which will unify key indicators such as thermal conductivity and heavy metal content into a three-tier system: Basic Level (thermal conductivity ≤ 0.12 W/(m·K)), Advanced Level (≤ 0.08) and Flagship Level (≤ 0.05). This provides Chinese enterprises with a clear path for technological upgrading.
(2) Digitalisation of Certification Systems
The EU plans to introduce the ‘Digital Product Passport’ in 2026, requiring ceramic fibre paper products to be embedded with NFC chips to store full life-cycle data. The China Academy of Electronics and Information Technology has already commenced preliminary research on relevant standards, with the aim of achieving interoperability between Chinese and EU digital certification systems.
(3) The Battle for Upgraded Green Standards
California’s AB 1200 Act, due to come into force in 2025, requires ceramic fibre paper products to display their full life-cycle carbon footprint. The LCA assessment model developed by the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences has already helped 12 enterprises complete their carbon footprint calculations, laying the foundation for addressing green trade barriers.
In this battle for standards, China’s ceramic fibre paper industry is shifting from ‘scale expansion’ to ‘value creation’. Through innovation in technical standards, restructuring of the industrial chain and the exploration of emerging markets, Chinese enterprises are not only breaking through certification barriers but also reshaping the global rules of the high-temperature insulation materials industry. When standards become a new weapon of competition, only those enterprises that hold the power to set standards will be able to secure the future in this war without gunfire.
