As a new type of architectural decorative material, soft ceramic possesses advantages such as lightweight, flexibility, and environmental friendliness. However, the industry still faces multiple challenges. In terms of performance, the core issue lies in the difficulty of balancing flexibility and strength. Some products are prone to bending and brittle cracking, exhibit microcracks under extreme climates, and lack sufficient weather resistance. Additionally, certain low-end products suffer from imbalanced raw material ratios, resulting in low fire resistance, susceptibility to powdering when exposed to water, and a strong plastic-like texture that compromises natural aesthetics.
On the production side, traditional processes involve high solidification temperatures, prolonged durations, and elevated energy consumption. Additionally, manual molds exhibit low production capacity and insufficient product specification precision, while large-scale manufacturing is constrained by high equipment investments. Small and medium-sized enterprises struggle to afford production lines costing tens of millions, compounded by volatile raw material prices that further squeeze profit margins.
In terms of construction and standards, issues such as hollowing and uneven surfaces are prone to arise from subgrade treatment, adhesive application methods, and operational compliance. Additionally, significant regional variations in quality standards increase adaptation costs for cross-provincial projects, highlighting the urgent need for industry standardization improvements. On the market front, consumer awareness remains insufficient, with limited understanding of soft porcelain characteristics among some buyers. Simultaneously, low-quality, low-priced products distort the market, leading to extreme price disparities and undermining the industry's overall reputation.
To address these issues, it is essential to focus on technological innovation, integrating standardized construction with industrial chain upgrades. By optimizing structural design, improving raw material formulations, and advancing intelligent process upgrades, performance bottlenecks can be overcome. Simultaneously, refining the standard system and strengthening market guidance will facilitate the soft ceramic industry's transition from scale expansion to quality-driven efficiency improvement.
Current Market Background of Soft Ceramic
The current soft ceramic market is in a period of rapid growth driven by global green building material transformation and consumption upgrades, with both the global and Chinese markets exhibiting steady expansion. In 2024, the global soft ceramic market reached $8.5 billion, and is projected to exceed $15 billion by 2030, maintaining an average annual compound growth rate of around 10%.
The Chinese market performs even more impressively, with a 2024 scale of approximately 28 billion yuan, achieving a year-on-year growth rate of 18%, significantly leading the global market.
Policy measures have become the core driving force, with global "dual carbon" strategies and green building regulations compelling industry upgrades. China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has strengthened building energy efficiency standards, while the EU has introduced a directive on construction waste recycling, requiring new projects to use no less than 30% recyclable materials. The procurement share of environmentally certified soft ceramic products has approached 65%, with low-carbon and formaldehyde-free products dominating the market.
The demand side exhibits dual characteristics of scenario expansion and quality upgrading. Application scenarios have extended from traditional commercial spaces and residential areas to exterior building facades, renovation projects, and photovoltaic building integration, among others. The contribution rate of non-traditional scenarios is projected to exceed 30% by 2030.
The competitive landscape is rapidly polarizing, with technology and supply chain emerging as core barriers. Global industry leaders are focusing on patent portfolios and intelligent manufacturing, with 3,200 new soft porcelain-related patents filed worldwide in 2024, of which 41% originated from China. Domestically, a "one superpower, multiple strong players" structure has taken shape, where leading enterprises collectively account for 42% of the market share. While smaller firms are accelerating their exit, niche specialists—"hidden champions"—are emerging, driving continuous consolidation in the sector.
Recent Developments in Soft Porcelain (December 2025)
In December 2025, with the advantages of green and low-carbon, flexible construction, etc., soft porcelain will continue to make efforts in industrial layout, market expansion, and technological application, becoming a hot category in the field of building decoration materials
Accelerate the landing of industrial projects on December 18th
The Jing'an Soft Porcelain Production Project of Jiangxi Zhuoao Technology has entered the environmental impact assessment stage. The project focuses on the large-scale production of modified clay (MCM) based soft porcelain. After completion, it will further fill the production capacity gap of high-performance soft porcelain in East China and help upgrade the local new building materials industry chain. During the same period, Wuxi Tongchuang New Materials' soft ceramic products, with their advantages of lightweight and weather resistance, have been successfully applied to multiple commercial complex exterior walls and old residential renovation projects. The construction period has been shortened by 40% compared to traditional ceramic tiles, and have been widely recognized by owners and construction parties.
Significant growth in exports and customized orders
Fujian Jinjiang Dianshang Craft Building Materials continues its excellent export performance. After winning orders for villa projects in Malaysia at the 2025 Fujian Construction Expo, it received another large intention order from South American merchants in December. The products include four series of inorganic inkjet soft ceramics, including cave stones and star moon stones, which will be used for exterior decoration of high-end residential and public buildings overseas. The company adopts a "zero inventory customized production" model to meet the needs of small batches and multiple batches. The proportion of export business has increased to 30% -40%, and plans to expand online small order customization channels.
Technological upgrades and certification support expand application scenarios
In late December, Follett New Materials released an improved MCM ecological soft ceramic, which added anti pollution self-cleaning and anti-static functions. It was successfully applied in the Kuala Lumpur urban tunnel project, and its sound absorption, noise reduction, and non reflective properties effectively improved tunnel driving safety, opening up a new scene for transportation infrastructure for soft ceramics. In addition, soft ceramic products have recently passed the China Green Product Certification, with production kiln temperatures much lower than traditional ceramic tiles and carbon emissions reduced by over 60%, which is in line with the "dual carbon" goal and has become the preferred material for projects such as old city renovation and new rural construction.
Top enterprises increase their layout
The "New Pearl Green Material" project of New Pearl Group continues to advance. In December, it announced the expansion of soft ceramic production capacity, the creation of green product matrices such as stone crystal wall panels and ecological soft ceramics, and the provision of systematic solutions for building surface decoration. The industry expects that with the tightening of environmental policies and the popularization of prefabricated buildings, the market size of soft ceramics is expected to exceed 8 billion yuan by 2026, and flexibility, customization, and low carbonization will become the core competitive points of the industry.
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