ETP consumption in 2007 is expected to touch around 800,000 tons. The size of the global engineering thermoplastics (ETP) market is smaller when compared to that of commonly used polymers such as polyolefins, vinyls and styrenics. It is estimated that out of the total consumption of ETP, China alone will consume over 4.5 mln tons in the next few years. In 2007 alone, the country is expected to show a robust growth exceeding 30%. Rapid growth in China's national economy has triggered the demand for engineering plastics in various industries, especially the domestic pillar and new growth industries. These high-end polymers are the fastest moving products in the entire global plastic material industry. Resistance to heat, weather, and a wide variety of chemicals, in addition to many other notable properties, makes ETPs much durable than regular commodity plastics. This is resulting in engineering plastics replacing structural materials such as metal, wood, and glass in many end-user industries. Engineering plastics, with their abrasive and mechanical resistance, have not only gained popularity in daily-life supplies and agriculture sectors, but have also been in high demand in many heavy-duty sectors such as automotive, electrical and electronics, machinery, and transportation among others.
As per a report by Frost & Sullivan, Chinese Engineering Plastics Market has earned revenues of US$5.50 bln in 2006, estimated to touch US$11.56 bln in 2013. Break up of the industry and the various market share is as follows :

		Polycarbonate 400,000 tons (50% market share)
		Polyamide 165000 tons (21% market share)
		POM 140000 tons (17% market share)
		PBT/PET 65000 tons (9% market share)	PBT/PET 70000 tons (9% market share)
		PPO 20000 tons (2.5% market share)

While Polycarbonate (PC) will continue to remain the largest ETP, polyamide is expected to grow at a faster pace. In polyamides, PA 6 has a 65% share of the total polyamide market, while PA 66 has over than 25% share. In China alone over 1,000 automotive component manufacturers are trying to meet the growing demand of automotive manufacturers. Majority of the components are manufactured locally in China, providing a large user base for the Chinese polyamide (PA) engineering plastics industry. However, imports accounted for most of China's engineering plastics consumption. Production capacity of the local Chinese plastics market has been very low, lacking the quality to meet market demand.