Printed Circuit Boards | Situation | Market Situation | Price Pressure | Availability Pressure | PCB Market

Current Market Situation

The PCB market is currently under pricing and availability pressure like we haven't seen in years. Below, we inform you openly about the causes and how we will continue to ensure your supply.

What's Happening in the Market

Two trends are driving the market at the same time. On the one hand, the expansion of AI data centers worldwide is consuming raw materials that are also used in standard printed circuit boards, primarily copper and glass fabric. On the other hand, the aftermath of the war in Iran continues to cause shortages in the raw materials markets. In addition to oil, this has also led to shortages of sulfuric acid and resins. Furthermore, the price of copper is about 30 percent higher than it was a year ago and reached an all-time high in early 2026.

The mechanism that is often overlooked: The shortage begins with high-performance materials for AI hardware but is spilling over into the standard segment because both come from the same production lines. In the case of glass fabric, weaving mills are shifting their capacity to high-margin specialty glasses for high-speed layers, which is also causing a shortage of standard E-glass for FR4. The same is happening with copper foil: Manufacturers are prioritizing low-loss HVLP foil for high-speed applications, causing standard foil to fall behind.

Added to this are Chinese export quotas on E-glass and price increases across the entire product line. So demand is driven by the high end of the market, but the shortage ultimately affects everyone.

The special case of resin: In early April, the petrochemical complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, caught fire following a missile attack, bringing production to a halt. The missiles were intercepted, but falling debris set the complex ablaze. The operator, SABIC, supplies about 70 percent of the world’s high-purity PPE resin.

Important to note: This resin is primarily needed for true high-speed and low-loss laminates, such as those used in AI servers, 5G, and radar, and is rarely used in standard FR4. Unlike with glass and copper, there is no spillover effect onto the standard material here, because FR4 simply does not contain any PPE resin. The resin shortage therefore specifically affects high-frequency technology, while FR4 is primarily under pressure due to shortages of copper, glass, and epoxy resin in general.

What has changed in the market: As a result, the market has not only become more expensive, but in some respects also less flexible. Some base material manufacturers hardly accept orders for standard products with final thicknesses exceeding 1.2 mm and copper thicknesses exceeding 35 µm. Such laminates are usually not core layers and consume a disproportionate amount of material, which is why manufacturers are shifting their capacity toward the higher-margin core layer business. Materials such as 1080 prepreg and certain copper foils are also only available in limited quantities at times.

What This Means for Prices

The numbers: Market reports, including Goldman Sachs via Reuters, cite premiums of up to 40 percent for April and around 30 percent for copper foil since the beginning of the year.
Our assessment: We do not pass on these price increases on a one-to-one basis. In April, we passed on significantly less of the increase to our customers on average because we were able to secure better purchasing terms thanks to a more than 50 percent increase in order volume. However, a new wave of price increases for printed circuit boards is on the horizon for the summer.
The catch: PCB manufacturers also no longer agree to long-term price or volume commitments. Contracts that would have allowed prices to be frozen are no longer enforceable in the market. The only option now is to place fixed orders. We therefore cannot prevent the price increases, but can only cushion their impact.
The good news: Our German manufacturing partners in particular have learned from the pandemic and are deliberately maintaining high inventory levels, with additional quantities already on the way.

What We Can Do Together Now

We can't plan ahead; we need actual orders for that. However, together we have several effective tools at our disposal.

1. Open up sourcing options. We source globally through an extensive network of manufacturing facilities in Europe, China, India, and Thailand, and can flexibly switch to another facility as needed. Please verify which manufacturing countries are approved for your products so that we can make full use of our network.
2. Set up materials flexibly. We prepare comparison data sheets for equivalent base materials, such as IT-180A by ITEQ, S1000-2M by Shengyi, and KB-6167F by KingBoard; we keep the entire Rogers 4000 series in stock; and, for thick assemblies, we may laminate thinner layers if necessary. This is technically feasible, but more expensive. You should check whether your specification is explicitly limited to a specific type or allows for flexibility based on comparable parameters.
3. Ensure supply through framework agreements. We offer mixed logistics, pre-financing, and large warehouse capacity. You place a binding framework order, and we source the goods via a combination of ocean and air freight to our warehouse. As soon as the first shipment arrives, you can draw on it as needed at a competitive mixed rate.
4. Plan delivery times realistically. We provide honest, up-to-date delivery times and notify you of any delays early on. When planning your project schedules, allow for more lead time than in 2025.

When the Situation Eases

The two-part analysis: The two-part analysis described above is helpful here. The effects of the war are already subsiding: tensions in Iran are easing, oil prices are falling, and the resin shortage at SABIC is expected to ease starting in the first quarter of 2027.

The underlying trend: Structural pressure from the expansion of AI data centers, however, will persist as long as it ties up copper and glass fabric. Short-term bottlenecks will thus ease, but the underlying trend will not.

This assessment is based on our own supplier network, ongoing market monitoring, and external press sources.

Please feel free to contact us via kontakt@leiton.de. We’ll discuss your specific situation and find the right solution.

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