United Kingdom Composites Market

According to UK Composites Industry Competitiveness and Opportunities research carried out by Lucintel for Innovate UK, the UK composites industry was valued at total of $5.29bn (both raw materials and parts) in 2019. Approximately 1,500 companies in the UK are involved in the composites industry with circa 400 companies having composites as their main activity. More than 85% of activity is undertaken by the 50 largest companies.  

In comparison with the U.S., the UK has approximately three times lower composite consumption per capita.  However, the future of the UK composites market looks attractive with opportunities in aerospace & defense ($2bn opportunity), automotive ($670 million) and wind energy ($320 million). The industries most relying on imports to the UK are automotive and wind energy, and with the UK Government focus on clean energy, we expect a high growth due to acceleration in offshore wind turbine installations.  It should be noted that due to the size of the parts of wind turbines, the manufacturing is often local.  

In the past year the negative COVID impact on most industries resulted in decline in demand for composites. However, two major industry sectors haven’t been significantly affected; those are wind energy and defense. The demand for composites from these sectors remains strong. 

In the composites value chain, the UK has its own strong manufacturing base for resin, intermediates, and composites parts, but there is a lack of UK fiber manufacturing companies. This represents opportunities for U.S. fiber producers in the UK. Furthermore, increasing penetration of carbon fibers in weight sensitive applications is expected, although the slow growth of industries such as aerospace due to COVID will affect this segment. 

The Commercial Service in the UK is working with colleagues in France and across Europe in support of U.S. companies participating at JEC 2022 (March 8-10, 2022, Paris, France). JEC is a leading industry trade show dedicated to composite materials and applications. 

For further information on how we can help you to get the maximum from this event contact: Kristina.Schaferova@trade.gov.