There’s an obvious need for carbon fiber price reductions to occur so that it can be used in more applications.  Unfortunately the #1 (Toray) and #3 (Mitsubishi Rayon) announced today that they will be increasing prices accross the board.

Toray will be raising its prices by 10-20% starting in September, while Mitsubishi Rayon will be increasing its prices 20-30% starting in August.  The #2 manufacturer, Teijin, LTD. hasn’t raised their prices yet, but is said they are considering and we can expect an announcement next week.  The reason for the price hike is passing on increased costs of fuel and raw materials.

This could very easily slow the pace for development of new applications for carbon fiber as well as current uses, as it’s a hefty price hike to account for.

[Source: TradingMarkets.com]