TORAYCA Carbon Fiber by Toray Industries: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Boeing ramping 787 to 10/month target

T700 carbon fiber introduced1980Complete.
T800 high-strength fiber qualified for Boeing 7771995Complete.
T1100 ultra-high-strength fiber qualified for 7872007Complete.
TORAYCA prepreg systems certified for commercial aircraft2010Complete.
Boeing ramping 787 to 10/month targetTarget 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

Toray marks 100 years, reinforces long-term commitment to aerospace at Farnborough Air Show30 Jun 2026

Upcoming

2026Boeing ramping 787 to 10/month target (next)

Current obstacles

Furnace capacity for 787 ramp25% output increase needed; carbonization furnaces are the bottleneck.
Cost pressure from rivalsHexcel and Solvay develop alternatives; Toray defends margins while scaling.
Lifecycle emissions reductionCurrent precursor is fossil-based; bio-precursor and recycling emerging.

Physics limits

Carbonization temperature ceilingStrength set at ~1,500°C. Higher temps cost more energy and degrade furnaces beyond strength gains.
Precursor purity limitImpurities create defects; ultra-high modulus fibers demand purity that costs exponentially.
Fiber diameter trade-offsFiner fibers (~7µm) better matrix; coarser (~10µm) stronger but less resin. Design picks the tradeoff.

How it works

3 parts

Precursor

Acrylic polymer synthesis

Toray synthesizes polyacrylonitrile precursor rich in carbon, the base for fiber.

Carbonization

Thermal graphite conversion

Fibers heated in air (~200°C) then nitrogen (~1,500°C); non-carbon elements removed.

Prepreg

Fiber in aerospace epoxy

Finished fibers coated and wound into tows; sold as prepreg or dry tow.

Spec sheet

Spec	TORAYCA Carbon Fiber
T800 tensile strength	5,880 MPa^R (reported)
T1100 tensile strength	7,000 MPa^R (reported)
Global aerospace fiber share	Over 50%^R (reported)
16-year Boeing supply contract	$8.6+ billion^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

Tue 30 Jun

Minor: Toray marks 100 years, reinforces long-term commitment to aerospace at Farnborough Air ShowPressPartnership

About Toray Industries

The team behind TORAYCA Carbon Fiber

Toray Industries

Carbon fiber, composites, fibers, textiles, films, chemicals

Toray Industries is a Japanese advanced materials company. It is the world's largest carbon fiber manufacturer, supplying aerospace and defense with over 50% of global aerospace-grade carbon fiber. Toray's T800 and T1100 carbon fibers are primary structural materials in Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

Founded 1926 as Toyo Rayon, renamed Toray 1970; now a diversified materials maker.
TORAYCA is 50% of global aerospace carbon fiber; primary supplier for Boeing 787.
16-year Boeing contract exceeds $8.6B; scaling output to support 10 aircraft per month.

toray.com (opens toray.com)Company profile →

Founded: 1926100 yrs
Headquarters: Japan
Status: Public
Listed: 3402.T (opens google.com)TSE
Valuation: public
Staff: ~46,294Jan 2026
Works in: MaterialsAlloys & superconductors
Coverage: 1 program · 1 updatelatest 30 Jun 2026checked 10 Oct
Customers: Boeing (opens boeing.com)Airbus (opens airbus.com)Lockheed Martin (opens lockheedmartin.com)
Suppliers: Hexcel (opens hexcel.com)
People: Akihiro Nikkaku (opens en.wikipedia.org)PresidentSadayuki Sakakibara (opens en.wikipedia.org)Chairman

Spec

TORAYCA Carbon Fiber

T800 tensile strength

5,880 MPa^R (reported)

T1100 tensile strength

7,000 MPa^R (reported)

Global aerospace fiber share

Over 50%^R (reported)

16-year Boeing supply contract

$8.6+ billion^R (reported)