manufactured · input

Polypropylene SMS nonwoven fabric

Spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate used for disposable surgical gowns, drapes, and face masks; same feedstock as automotive and hygiene nonwovens; Chinese and Korean manufacturers dominate

6

Source countries

4

Companies

1

Goods affected

0

Claims on record

What depends on it

Goods that need this input

1 essential American goods rely on polypropylene sms nonwoven fabric somewhere upstream in their supply chain.

Where it comes from

Source countries

Share of global supply, by country.

Who makes it

Supplier companies

4 companies produce polypropylene sms nonwoven fabric.

Berry Global Group, Inc.(BERY)

HQ US7% share

Berry Global Group, Inc. (Evansville IN; NYSE: BERY; ~$13B revenue) is one of the world's largest manufacturers of nonwoven fabrics and plastic packaging. Berry's Nonwoven Specialties segment (including Reemay, Avgol, and Fiberweb brands acquired over 2014-2019) operates meltblown, spunbond, and SMS (spunbond-meltblown-spunbond) lines globally. Berry acquired Avgol Nonwovens (Israel/China/India) in 2019 for $430M, making it the world's second-largest hygiene nonwoven producer. Key meltblown facilities: Carlisle UK, Biesheim France, Clervaux Luxembourg, Mooresville NC, and multiple Asian sites. Berry supplies meltblown filtration fabric for N95 respirators, HVAC filters, surgical drapes, and automotive cabin air filters. Dual-use across healthcare, hygiene, and industrial filtration.

Freudenberg Performance Materials

HQ DE5% share

Freudenberg Performance Materials GmbH & Co. KG (Weinheim, Baden-Württemberg Germany; private, subsidiary of Freudenberg Group; ~€1.2B revenue) manufactures technical nonwovens including meltblown filtration media under the Enka brand. Freudenberg is a major supplier of meltblown media for HVAC air filtration (MERV 13-16 rated filters), automotive cabin air filtration, and respiratory protection including N95-equivalent FFP2/FFP3 respirators for European markets. Freudenberg's meltblown media are used by Camfil, AAF International, and other HVAC filter manufacturers. Key meltblown sites: Colmar (France), Kaiserslautern (Germany), Durham NC (US), and Nantong (China). Freudenberg's filtration nonwovens are a critical component for hospital HVAC systems — the same material in an N95 mask also filters the air recirculating through ICU HVAC units.

Ahlstrom (Ahlstrom-Munksjö)

HQ FI4% share

Finnish specialty fiber and filtration materials company; merged with Munksjö 2017; produces ReliaFlow™ conjugate pads (8980, 6614) for lateral flow immunoassays; serves infectious disease, pregnancy, drugs-of-abuse, food safety, veterinary, and environmental LFA markets; major European alternative to Whatman/Cytiva glass fiber pads

Mogul Nonwoven

HQ TR4% share

Turkey-based major nonwoven SMS fabric producer; one of the largest global spunbond/SMS nonwoven manufacturers; supplies medical and hygiene nonwovens to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Bursa, Turkey facilities. Significant medical gown and drape fabric supplier.