Humanoid Robot Industry Develops Rapidly, China PEEK Market Accelerates Its Rise

As a lightweight material, PEEK demonstrates outstanding mechanical and physical properties, heat resistance, corrosion resistance, electrical performance, and biocompatibility. With its excellent overall performance, it stands at the pinnacle of the specialty engineering plastics pyramid. After more than four decades of development, PEEK has been widely used in automotive, electrical and electronics, industrial manufacturing, aerospace, medical, and other fields. At the same time, PEEK has shown enormous potential in emerging industries such as new energy, low-altitude economy, and robotics. In recent years, the global PEEK market has grown steadily, while the Chinese market, driven by strong demand and breakthroughs in domestic technology, has expanded rapidly and become the core engine of global industry growth.

Source: Guohai Securities Research Institute

According to data from Sullivan Company, global PEEK production reached 8,694 tons in 2023 and is expected to grow to 15,393 tons by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1% from 2023 to 2028. The continuous capacity expansion highlights the promising development prospects of the industry. China's PEEK market is growing at a pace that far exceeds the global average.

Relying on its outstanding weight-reduction performance and cost advantages in mass production, PEEK has become a core specialty engineering plastic for humanoid robots, suitable for a wide range of key components across the entire machine.

In the field of structural design, it can be used to create limb skeletons, joint supports, and robotic arm components. With its high specific strength and low density, it enables lightweight body structures, and when combined with carbon fiber composite materials, it can further enhance motion stability and operational safety.

At the transmission connection end, gears, bearings, and fastening components are made using wear-resistant, low-noise, and self-lubricating characteristics, effectively reducing frictional losses in joint movement.

At the same time, this material can also be used for sensors, protective housings for actuators, and decorative exterior components, combining protection for precision components with overall product styling. Its excellent insulation and high-temperature resistance also make it highly suitable for the manufacture of battery housings and energy storage insulation components, comprehensively ensuring the safe operation of energy systems.

With the explosive growth of the robotics industry, PEEK materials are ushering in new development opportunities. The Tesla Optimus Gen2 robot uses 4.2 kg of PEEK per unit, while the Unitree H1 uses 3.2 kg per unit. According to forecasts by the Gaogong Industrial Research Institute (GGII), if PEEK usage per robot reaches 5–10 kg by 2028, global market demand will amount to 5,000–10,000 tons, corresponding to 1 million humanoid robots.

From a global competitive landscape perspective, the PEEK market has developed into a “one dominant player with multiple strong challengers” structure, while domestically produced PEEK products are gradually breaking the foreign monopoly and gaining widespread market recognition. Victrex in the UK remains the world’s largest PEEK producer, followed by Solvay of Belgium and Evonik of Germany, forming a competitive landscape dominated by international giants. At the same time, Chinese PEEK companies are rising rapidly, with firms such as Zhongyan Co., Ltd. and Shandong Junhao reaching annual production capacities at the kiloton level, placing them among the world’s major producers.

Overall, China’s PEEK market is in a golden period of rapid expansion. The growth of the global industry, the acceleration of domestic substitution, and the expansion of downstream application scenarios are jointly driving the high-quality development of the sector. Looking ahead, as domestic enterprises continue to expand production capacity, upgrade technologies, and unlock demand from emerging fields such as humanoid robots, China’s PEEK market is expected to maintain its global lead. Domestic PEEK companies will also assume a more important position in global competition, helping drive the leapfrog development of China’s special engineering plastics industry.