Top 5 Polyurethane Leather Manufacturer in China

Polyurethane PU synthetic leather, as one of the most widely used flexible materials in modern industry, has penetrated into every aspect of our daily life. From daily shoes and clothing to home furnishings, car interiors, and even high-end consumer product packaging, it shows superior performance and high adaptability. With its multiple advantages such as softness, lightness, waterproofness, and wear resistance, PU synthetic leather has gradually replaced traditional natural leather and become an environmentally friendly material favored by many manufacturing companies.

Especially under the global trend of emphasizing sustainability and environmental protection, PU synthetic leather is becoming an important direction in the future material field due to its controllable production process, recyclability and bio-based upgrading path. As the world’s largest producer and exporter of PU synthetic leather, China’s manufacturers not only have a high-capacity and high-efficiency industrial system, but also continue to innovate in independent research and development and environmental protection technology, gradually controlling the voice of the global PU market.

This article will take you to systematically understand the top five polyurethane leather manufacturer in China, including industry giants and high-quality companies focusing on customized services such as Yudeng, deeply analyze their corporate strengths, technical advantages and cooperation models, and combine professional experience to provide buyers with a practical guide for identifying and selecting suppliers.

PU LEATHER MANUFACTURER

Overview of China’s PU synthetic leather manufacturing industry

PU synthetic leather, also known as polyurethane artificial leather, is a synthetic material made by coating polyurethane resin on a fabric base through dry, wet, foaming and other processes. Compared with PVC synthetic leather, it has better feel, breathability and durability, and is widely used in many fields such as footwear, clothing, luggage, furniture and automobiles.

According to the “2024 Synthetic Leather Industry Annual Development Report” released by the China Synthetic Leather Industry Association, the annual output of China’s synthetic leather market has exceeded 6 billion square meters, accounting for more than 65% of the global total production capacity. Among them, PU synthetic leather accounts for more than 70% and continues to grow. With the tightening of environmental protection regulations and the increase in overseas requirements for REACH and ROHS certification, China’s PU synthetic leather companies are gradually transforming to green manufacturing.

At present, the industry is mainly concentrated in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu and other places. The industrial chain has formed a stable cluster system from raw materials (isocyanates, polyether polyols) to coating, printing, calendering, and then to finished product finishing. Technically, more and more companies are introducing DMF-free (N,N-dimethylformamide) water-based PU processes and bio-based raw material routes to achieve cleaner and more sustainable development.

Introduction to China’s top five PU synthetic leather manufacturers

Yudeng (Yudeng synthetic leather manufacturer)

As an emerging but highly professional PU synthetic leather manufacturer, Yudeng is headquartered in Quanzhou, Fujian, focusing on the development and manufacturing of high-quality, customized PU synthetic leather.

Unlike traditional companies, Yudeng has focused on environmental protection and high-performance product lines since its inception, providing a variety of options such as TPU+PU composite leather, water-based PU, high-elastic Q-elastic foaming PU, and antibacterial and anti-yellowing PU. Especially in the customization of functional materials, Yudeng has strong formula research and development capabilities, supporting all-round adjustments from texture, thickness to touch.

Yudeng is equipped with advanced German Rexroth tension control systems and constant temperature foaming reactors to ensure product stability and uniformity; it has a complete testing laboratory that can perform peel strength tests, VOC release tests, antistatic tests, etc.

Yudeng provides OEM/ODM services for many high-end sofas, yoga mats, and pet products brands in Europe and America, and has authoritative certifications such as ISO9001, GRS, and OEKO-TEX. Its customers generally believe that it has “fast service response, stable quality, and strong technical cooperation.”

Huafon Group

Founded in 1991, Huafon Group is one of the largest polyurethane material manufacturers in China and even in Asia, with its headquarters in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Its synthetic leather division has a complete industrial chain: it has self-built MDI, PTMEG and other raw material devices, and has the ability to produce more than 500 million square meters of PU leather annually.

Huafon focuses on technological innovation, and its products cover multiple series including dry PU, wet PU, microfiber leather, and environmentally friendly water-based PU, which are widely used in sports shoes, sofas, bags, and automobiles. Its technical team has been cooperating with domestic colleges and universities all year round to develop new PU leather materials with excellent performance indicators such as high wear resistance, high peel strength, and anti-yellowing.

Its customers include international brands such as Nike, Adidas, and H&M, and it has a number of international certifications, including ISO14001, Oeko-Tex Standard 100, and REACH SVHC testing.

Wanhua Chemical

Wanhua Chemical is a world-renowned chemical giant with a global PU industry and a polyurethane synthetic leather division. As one of the top three global suppliers of MDI, Wanhua has significant advantages in raw material self-sufficiency and quality control.

Its PU synthetic leather products cover the entire process from stock solution formulation to finished leather, and have strong R&D capabilities in the fields of environmentally friendly water-based PU, nano PU, and antibacterial coated leather. Wanhua has globally distributed production bases to ensure stable delivery capabilities.

It is worth mentioning that Wanhua is one of the few companies in China that can achieve industrial mass production of “DMF-free” environmentally friendly PU. Some of its products are even used in batches by European car seat manufacturers, indicating that its technology has reached the world’s first-class level.

Hailide Group

Hailide Group is located in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, and is an important company in China’s synthetic materials field. Its PU synthetic leather products are known for their “strong durability, high color fastness, and uniform thickness”, with an annual output exceeding 120 million square meters.

Hailide has rich experience in leather for shoes and furniture. Its products support customization of thickness from 0.3 to 2.0 mm and are widely exported to Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia. Its production line is equipped with a German KKA multifunctional coating machine and Italian electrostatic transfer equipment, which can achieve more accurate surface pattern reproduction.

In addition, Hailide pays attention to the construction of an environmental protection system, and has realized centralized waste gas treatment and a circulating cooling water system, which complies with EU ROHS, CA65 and other environmental protection requirements.

Nanhai Synthetic Leather Factory, Foshan

Nanhai Synthetic Leather Factory, located in Foshan, Guangdong, is a long-established PU synthetic leather manufacturing enterprise in South China. It has been established for more than 30 years and is good at producing PU leather for mid-to-high-end luggage, furniture, and car accessories.

Nanhai Synthetic Leather Factory mainly adopts a combination of wet foaming + dry calendering technology, which has high product flexibility and simulated leather effect. Most of its products are small and medium batch multi-variety models, supporting up to 50 colors and more than 30 embossed patterns for customization, suitable for personalized products.

Nanhai enterprises emphasize “customer process integration services” and can jointly develop and design new material leathers with customers to provide one-stop support for designer brands.

How to identify excellent PU synthetic leather suppliers?

When purchasing PU synthetic leather, it is often easy to suffer losses if you judge suppliers only by price. The following are several practical supplier evaluation dimensions and tool suggestions:

Complete certification: Priority should be given to companies with international certifications such as ISO9001, REACH, ROHS, and Oeko-Tex.

Process transparency: Excellent companies will show their process in detail, including the source of raw materials, foaming parameters, shaping treatment, etc.

Sample verification process: It is recommended to perform the following tests before placing an order:

• Peel strength test (≥2.5N/cm)
• Friction color fastness (dry and wet friction not less than level 4)
• Aging resistance test (85℃ for 72 hours)

Customization capability: Whether the color, texture, thickness, and backing structure can be customized according to demand is an important criterion for judging its flexible manufacturing capability.

Recommended tools:

• Supplier screening list template (Excel table)
• Technical comparison table (product indicators, equipment configuration comparison)
• List of third-party testing agencies (such as SGS, Intertek)

PU synthetic leather procurement guide: precautions and environmental trends

During the procurement process, it is recommended to pay attention to the following points:

Develop a standard sample template: clarify the color number, thickness tolerance value, and tensile performance benchmark value to avoid later disputes;

Sign a contract with quality inspection requirements: Add a delivery inspection mechanism and batch sampling conditions;

Focus on environmental trends:

• Prefer “DMF-free” environmentally friendly PU and water-based PU products.
• Pay attention to the proportion of bio-based content (such as Bio-PU ≥ 30%).
• Understand whether the supplier’s carbon emission management is compliant and whether there is a third-party carbon footprint audit.

With the increasing global demand for sustainable and high-performance materials, PU synthetic leather, as a functional material with increasing technical content, has embarked on the fast track of transformation of “technology + environmental protection”. Choosing a PU synthetic leather manufacturer with solid technology, thoughtful service and long-term cooperation is not only a guarantee of product quality, but also the foundation of corporate brand building.

Among the many manufacturers in China, Yudeng’s advantages in customization and environmentally friendly materials have made it one of the best choices in the current PU synthetic leather field.

If you are looking for a pu leather supplier who can jointly develop, deeply cooperate and continuously deliver value, you may wish to contact Yudeng first to experience the cooperation experience that emphasizes both professionalism and flexibility.