Teijin Carbon America
Table of Contents

⚠ Disclaimer: This entry may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the sources listed below.

Summary

Teijin built its first U.S. structural carbon fiber plant in Greenwood, South Carolina, on a site chosen for textile-trained labor and rail and port access. In December 2025 the company confirmed a temporary suspension starting mid-January 2026 with no restart date.

Key Facts

  • Type: company (subsidiary of Teijin Ltd., Japan)
  • Status: Production suspended from mid-January 2026 (announced 2025-12-31); restart depends on global market recovery
  • Site: Greenwood, SC (CompositesWorld says Greenville County; the Index-Journal and Textile Excellence say Greenwood). Plant 185,000 sq ft on about 12 acres of a roughly 440-acre site; land bought 2017; groundbreaking June 2018
  • Investment: announced 2016 as $600M with 220 jobs; one 2017 article instead cites USD 320M (discrepancy not resolved)
  • Products: 12K and 24K fibers, standard and intermediate modulus; high modulus in preliminary work
  • Precursor: PAN imported from Teijin’s Mishima plant (Shizuoka, Japan); a Greenwood precursor line “could be part of future expansion”
  • Capacity: not disclosed; the line is reportedly similar to the 2,700 t/yr line Teijin added at Mishima in 2008
  • Targets: aerospace, automotive, hydrogen storage (Type 4 pressure vessels)
  • Earlier U.S. history: a Tenax line in Rockwood, TN, converted to Pyromex oxidized PAN fiber

What It Is / How It Works

PAN precursor is mounted on creels and pulled through a series of oxidation ovens, then converted to carbon (see Carbon Fiber Machinery). The plant includes exhaust filtration and water recycling with no wastewater released. Teijin also owns Continental Structural Plastics (acquired 2016 for US$825M per Textile Excellence).

Notable Developments

  • 2026-01 (mid): Planned production pause; more than 95% of employees affected per the company president, about 80 per the county development director (difference unexplained).
  • 2024-05: CompositesWorld plant tour; lines had operated almost two years; standard-modulus fiber aerospace-grade a little over a year.
  • 2018-06: Groundbreaking.

Claim Verification

Claim: The Greenwood plant is operating

Status: Refuted (as of Dec 2025 report)

Supporting sources:

Refuting / questioning sources:

Summary: Suspension announced; current status after January 2026 not checked.

Notes / Gaps

Current (post-January 2026) status and any restart timeline were not found. The 220-job target was for 2030.

Key People

No individuals identified from the sources read. LinkedIn: not yet researched.

People — Last Reviewed: 2026-10-22

Sources

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