To provide a method for producing a tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, wherein
the polymerization rate is excellent, the copolymer to be obtained is
excellent in mechanical properties such as the tensile strength, it is
free from coloration and can be melt-molded.
A method for producing a melt-moldable tetrafluoroethylene copolymer
comprising repeating units (a) based on tetrafluoroethylene and repeating
units (b) based on another fluoromonomer, wherein based on the total mass
of the repeating units (a) and the repeating units (b), the amount of the
repeating units (a) is from 97.3 to 99.5 mass %, and the volume flow rate
is from 0.1 to 1000 mm.sup.3/s, characterized by radical
suspension-polymerizing tetrafluoroethylene and the fluoromonomer in an
aqueous medium in the presence of a radical polymerization initiator and
at least one chain transfer agent selected from the group consisting of
methane, ethane, a hydrochlorocarbon, a hydrofluorocarbon and a
hydrochlorofluorocarbon.