Datapoints
Allbase Intelligence scans the markets every day: official statistics, producer notices, trade rulings and research, checked at source, each with our view. Newest first.
Flame-retardant hybrid epoxy laminates cut heat release in lab fire tests
Lab laminates of hybrid epoxy released far less heat in cone calorimeter tests, at one thickness and one heat flux. HB is a basic plastics rating, not a building fire class, so nothing to act on yet.
MDPI (Materials)Industrial
Used car sales edge up in Q3 as electric share reaches 4.8%
Used car trading barely moved, and second-hand sales put no new demand on composite body panels or battery enclosures. The 23.2% jump in used electric cars is a slow, long-run signal: nothing to act on yet.
SMMTAutomotiveCharted
ALTA Performance Materials to buy BASF's Palatal business in Chile
Ownership of a Chilean composites materials business is changing hands, on the strength of one company's statement and with completion set for Q1 2027. The deal concerns Latin American markets rather than UK supply, so nothing to act on yet.
ALTA Performance MaterialsConstruction
Steered fibre paths raise buckling load of stiffened composite panel in simulation
Steering fibres in a stiffened panel raised its buckling resistance, but only in a computer model; no panel was built or tested. Nothing to act on yet, even for aerospace laminates made by automated fibre placement.
SAGE Publications (Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites)Aerospace
Lab panels of recycled PET cladding tested for strength and heat
Small lab panels only, and cladding that melts at 300 °C is far from what facade fire rules expect. Interesting as a use for waste plastic and tyres; nothing to act on yet.
Springer Nature (Discover Civil Engineering)Construction
Airbus delivered 74 aircraft and booked 202 gross orders in October
Airbus orders keep outpacing deliveries, so aerospace demand for carbon fibre and prepreg stays firm and continues to compete with industrial users for capacity. This is one company's monthly count, though: nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospaceCharted
Bank of England lifts rate to 4% as energy costs climb
Interest rates are up again, with Brent at USD 108/bbl and gas at 216p/therm behind the Bank's inflation outlook. Both feed resin, bitumen and coating costs, so expect producer price notices to follow in the coming months.
Bank of EnglandConstructionCharted
UK construction shrinks faster in October as housebuilding slumps
UK building work is shrinking faster, yet input costs are still rising, so weaker demand isn't pulling material prices down. Expect suppliers to hold their price lists this winter, even as order books thin out.
S&P GlobalConstructionCharted
Euro weakens against sterling in ECB daily reference fixing
Sterling edged up against the euro at this fixing, so resins, fibres and fleece priced in euros land slightly cheaper. A single day's rate is not a trend, and there is nothing to act on yet.
European Central BankIndustrialCharted
Hybrid glass and polypropylene epoxy laminates resist seawater better over 30 days
A single lab study of E-CR glass and polypropylene hybrid epoxy laminates, aged in seawater for 30 days. Promising for marine work, but a month is short and nothing here changes a specification today: nothing to act on yet.
MDPI PolymersMarine
October car registrations up 5.4% as battery electric share reaches 32.0%
Car registrations are up and battery electric keeps gaining share, though SMMT expects the gap to the Mandate to widen. Steady support for glass and carbon fibre in battery housings and panels, but nothing to act on yet.
SMMTAutomotiveCharted
Container freight rates slip again, with Asia to Europe down 2%
Container rates eased again this week, with Shanghai to Rotterdam slipping further than the global composite. A small weekly move on imported glass fibre, resin and fleece freight, so nothing to act on yet.
DrewryIndustrialCharted
Airbus hands over 74 aircraft in October and books 202 orders
Aerospace pull on carbon fibre and prepreg stays firm, with Airbus taking orders faster than it builds. That keeps aerospace-grade fibre lines busy, but for roofing, fleece or resin buyers there is nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospaceCharted
UK construction material prices rose 7.2% in the year to September
Material costs are still rising across UK construction, with repair and maintenance inputs climbing a little more slowly than the all-work index. For overlays and refurbishment, price the next job at current quotes, not last year's rates.
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeConstruction
UK factory output grows fastest in 25 months as PMI reaches 52.8
UK factories are busier and paying more for inputs, with deliveries slowing. That busier demand competes for the same resins, glass fibre and adhesives that roofing and composite work draws on, so firmer quotes and longer waits look likely this winter.
S&P GlobalIndustrialCharted
EU fixes anti-dumping duties on Chinese polyester spunbond for five years
The duties apply at EU borders, not UK ones, but EU-made roofing membranes on Chinese polyester carriers could rise in price as makers switch supply, and UK buyers may see some of that. On roofing jobs, check where the specified membrane is made and ask suppliers how long quotes will hold.
European CommissionConstructionCharted
UK energy production falls 7.0% while gas-fired generation rises 10%
For green energy and industrial contractors, the diesel rise could feed into site plant, crane and haulage costs on wind and solar jobs, so fixed-price tenders may need a fuel clause. Continued reliance on gas generation means power costs for energy-intensive resin and fibre production could stay volatile and may show up in composite price notices.
Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGreen energyCharted
Airbus deliveries rise to 547 aircraft in first nine months of 2026
Aerospace demand for carbon fibre and epoxy prepreg is strengthening, on one manufacturer's own figures. Most of that goes to qualified aerospace grades, so for construction and industrial buyers there is nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospaceCharted
Silica and alumina nanoparticles cut shrinkage in polyurethane/epoxy grout
Lab results only, so not yet a basis for specification, but if nanoparticle-reinforced polyurethane/epoxy grouts reach the market they could suit crack injection and ground consolidation where shrinkage gaps are a risk. Specifiers should expect to ask for independent field data, cure behaviour and pricing before weighing them against established systems.
WileyConstruction
Airbus expects 970 new-build freighters among 2,670 needed by 2045
A long-range forecast from one aircraft maker, pointing to rising aerospace demand for carbon fibre and prepreg over two decades. New-build freighters are a slow draw on fibre capacity, so nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospace
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