针状焦主要应用于电炉炼钢用石墨电极、锂电池、核电、航天等领域。2009年之后，随着针状焦各下游行业逐步复苏，全球针状焦需求量迅速回升。同期，全球针状焦行业巨头为操控价格而均未大幅扩张产能，从而使得全球针状焦市场供应持续紧张。2012年，全球针状焦供给缺口达10万吨。而在全球最主要的针状焦消费国中，中国针状焦市场供应紧张情况最为显著，需求缺口达到12万吨。

　　作为全球最大的钢铁生产国，中国一直保持巨量的针状焦需求，且近年来随着国内石墨电极行业产品结构持续优化，超高功率石墨电极比重不断增加，针状焦需求量增速明显加快。同期，由于中国针状焦生产企业数量少，技术基础薄弱，普遍存在稳定生产及产品质量控制方面的技术障碍，中国针状焦产能增长缓慢，针状焦产品供应缺口不断拉大。2009-2012年，中国针状焦需求量从16.1万吨增长到36万吨，年复合增长率达30.8%。同期，中国针状焦年产能仅从13.0万吨增长到24万吨，年复合增长率22.7%。由于绝大部分新涉足针状焦业务企业存在诸多技术障碍，且行业内企业产能增长有限，预计未来2年中国针状焦市场供应紧张局面将会延续。



　　由于中国是富煤少油的国家，煤系针状焦原料供应充足，且相关技术较为成熟，故国内现有针状焦产能以及拟在建针状焦项目绝大部分属于煤系针状焦，油系针状焦项目占比偏小。同时，从需求方面看，大规格超高功率石墨电极产品目前已成为石墨电极行业发展重点，而油系针状焦因自身成分特征更适合制备该产品，因此，中国针状焦市场又呈现出结构性供需失衡的特点。

　　国际上，油系针状焦生产技术被美国、英国、日本垄断，煤系针状焦生产技术被日本垄断。ConocoPhillips是全球最大的油系针状焦生产商，针状焦产能为37万吨/年，近年来公司产能基本保持稳定。公司是全球油系针状焦价格的主导者之一。

　　Seadrift 是全球第二大油系针状焦生产企业，针状焦产能达15万吨/年。2010年，该公司被美国最大的石墨电极生产企业GTI收购，成为其子公司。根据GTI的规划，公司远期产能将达24-25万吨/年。

　　C-Chem是新日铁集团旗下一家专业生产碳素制品的公司，是全球最大的煤系针状焦生产商。近年来，公司通过产能扩建有力地提升了针状焦产能，2012年公司针状焦产能达17万吨/年。

　　宏特化工是中国首家实现工业化生产煤系针状焦的企业，为满足国内需求公司于2008年开始兴建10万吨煤系针状焦项目，该项目于2012年投入运行。公司针状焦产能已达15万吨/年。

　　2011年6月，中钢鞍钢针状焦二期工程开始招标，根据市场需求现状，公司将二期项目产能调整至12万吨/年。2012年二期项目的可行性研究和环评工作已经完成，预计到2014年投产。

　　《2012-2015全球及中国针状焦行业研究报告》共分6章，以详实的数据深入分析全球以及中国针状焦行业的发展背景与市场格局，具体分析了16家中外针状焦大型企业（Seadrift、C-Chem及山西宏特等）的经营状况，并预测了针状焦行业的发展趋势。

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Needle coke mainly finds application in graphite electrode for electric steelmaking and in areas of lithium battery, nuclear power, aerospace, etc. Since 2009, the global demand for needle coke has shoot up in the wake of the gradual recovery in the industrial downstream. During the same period, the world’s industrial magnates have taken no actions to expand their capacities in a massive scale, out of consideration for holding precedence in prices, leading to lingeringly strained supply all over the world with the supply-demand gap in 2012 hitting 100,000 tons. In particular, China was the most distinctive with the short supply gapping 120,000 tons among the world’s leading needle coke consumers.
As the largest steel producer in the world, China has been maintaining huge demand for needle cokes. Moreover, ultra-high power graphite electrode is occupying increasing proportion as a result of continuously optimizing product structure in the graphite electrode industry, which, in turn, further fuels the demand for needle cokes. At the same time, China has smaller amount of needle coke enterprises which feature weak technological base and are huddled by the uncertainty of stable production and product quality. Thus, the needle coke capacity in China has seen slow growth with the supply gap increasingly widening. In 2009-2012, China’s demand for needle coke soared from 161,000 tons to 360,000 tons with the CAGR of 30.8% while the annual capacity surged from 130,000 tons to 240,000 tons with the CAGR of 22.7%. Given that most new industrial players encounter technical huddles and that industrial veterans witness limited capacity growth, the supply shortage is projected to go on in the upcoming two years.


As China is rich in coal and poor in oil, the supply of coal-based needle coke raw materials is abundant and China is technologically advanced in this regard. Nationwide, the existing needle coke capacity and most of planned and ongoing needle coke capacities are coal based needle cokes rather than oil-based needle cokes. Presently, large-sized ultra-high power graphite electrode products have become the mainstream in the graphite electrode industry. Because of its unique properties, oil-based needle cokes are ideal to make large-sized ultra-high power graphite electrode products. Hence, China needle coke market is witnessing structural imbalance between supply and demand.

Internationally, oil-based needle coke production technology is dominated by the US, Britain and Japan while the coal-based needle coke production technology is monopolized by Japan. ConocoPhillips, the world’s biggest producer of oil-based needle coke, realizes the needle coke capacity of 370,000 tons/a and the figure keeps stable in recent years. And the tycoon serves as one of benchmark makers when it comes to the oil-based needle coke prices globally.

Seadrift is the world’s second largest oil-based needle coke maker with the capacity recording 150,000 tons/a. In 2012, it was taken over by GTI, America’s largest graphite electrode manufacturer. According to GTI planning, the long-term capacity of the company will reach 240,000-25,000 tons/a.

C-Chem is a professional carbon product maker under Nippon Steel, and the world’s largest coal-based needle coke producer. In recent years, its needle coke capacity has greatly boosted through capacity expansion with the figure in 2012 soaring to 170,000 tons/a.

Shanxi Hongte Coal Chemical Industry is a coal-based needle coke enterprise in China, the first realized commercial production. In response to domestically robust demand, the company began its 100,000-ton coal-based needle coke project in 2008 which was put into operation in 2012 with the current capacity of 150, 000tons/a.

In Jun., 2011, the bidding of SINO Steel Anshan Research Institute of Thermal Energy’s second phase of needle coke project drew the curtain. According to real market demand, the company adjusted the capacity of the second phase to 120,000 tons/a. Meanwhile, the feasibility study and environmental assessment of the second phase had been done in 2012. And it is estimated to be put into production in 2014.

The 6-chapter report conducts an in-depth analysis on the development background and market pattern of global and China needle coke industry, highlights the business performance of 16 large industrial players at home and abroad, and predicts the development trend of the industry.