Color masterbatch is a new product for coloring plastics and fibers, developed in the 1960s. It is a polymer composite obtained by uniformly loading pigments into resin in an extremely high amount. Color masterbatch mainly consists of three parts: colorant, carrier, and dispersant.
According to relevant data, the average annual growth rate of color masterbatch demand in other Asian countries is about 7%-9%, while my country's average annual growth rate is around 20%. China is expected to become the fastest-growing market for color masterbatch demand. In particular, my country relies on imports for colored and additive masterbatches. my country has become the largest producer and consumer of color masterbatch in Asia. There are 330 color masterbatch manufacturers in my country, including 300 plastic-grade color masterbatch manufacturers and 30 fiber-grade color masterbatch manufacturers. These color masterbatch manufacturers are mainly distributed in Fujian, Guangdong, Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Liaoning, Tianjin, Beijing, Hebei, and other provinces and cities. There are nearly 50 companies in my country with an annual production capacity of over 1,000 tons of color masterbatch, with a total national production capacity of 300,000 tons per year. In 2001, my country's demand for color masterbatch was less than 120,000 tons. This severe overcapacity has led to widespread underutilization of the domestic color masterbatch industry. Besides factors such as the rapid increase in new production facilities and insufficient product orders, a significant contributing factor is the limited product range and singular structure of domestically produced color masterbatches. General-purpose products constitute a large proportion, while high-concentration, ultra-high-concentration, multi-functional, and fine-denier fiber color masterbatches account for a smaller share. In contrast, countries with advanced color masterbatch technology have a complete range of raw materials such as pigments and dispersants, resulting in a serialized and specialized product structure. Regarding product development, Chinese color masterbatch manufacturers have developed color masterbatches for fibers, films, wires and cables, polyolefins, PVC, and injection molding products. Experts believe that future color masterbatch development will move towards multi-functionality, high color content, and high technology content, with the development of color masterbatch accompanied by improvements in production technology.