PCB Market Update
November 2026 PCB Market Update | 2027 Pricing Pressures & Chinese New Year
Since our previous update, pricing pressures across the PCB industry have intensified considerably. What initially appeared to be a temporary spike in raw material costs is developing into a prolonged challenge, with major laminate manufacturers announcing consecutive increases throughout 2026—including adjustments as recently as this month.
There are also growing concerns over material availability and the outlook for pricing into 2027.
Read on for more information and how Hi Spec can help your business navigate these challenges.
Further Price Increases Across the PCB Industry
Most recently, Kingboard Laminates announced another 15% increase in October, marking its eighth price adjustment this year.
Other major global suppliers, including Nan Ya and Panasonic, have introduced similar hikes.
These laminate factories are operating at near maximum capacity and are passing their increased operational and material costs directly onto board fabricators.
With market demand showing no signs of slowing, these compounding rises are placing immense pressure on overall fabrication costs, making the pricing outlook into 2027 highly challenging.
What's Driving the Continued Increases?
Accelerating demand from AI infrastructure, data centres and advanced electronics is placing increasing pressure on key PCB materials, particularly copper foil, glass fibre and high-performance laminates.
Manufacturers are shifting some production capacity towards these higher-margin sectors, creating a significant knock-on effect for standard PCB fabrication.
As availability tightens, costs continue to climb, affecting even regular repeat orders with unchanged specifications.
Further pressure comes from rising prices and restricted supplies of raw materials, including gold, copper and epoxy resins.
Chinese New Year 2027 – Production & Lead Times
Chinese New Year falls on Saturday 6th February 2027, marking the Year of the Fire Goat, with many PCB factories closing for around two weeks (dates to be confirmed) and some operating at reduced capacity for longer.
Along with potential freight delays, this can result in longer production lead times and limited manufacturing capacity.
We encourage customers to place orders as early as possible, particularly for requirements covering January, February and March, to help secure production capacity and reduce the risk of delays.
Plan Ahead with Hi Spec – Secure Pricing & Stock
Placing orders early can help protect against future cost increases while allowing more time to arrange production and deliveries.
At Hi Spec, we offer -
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12-month scheduled orders
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Call-off orders
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Consignment stock arrangements
This allows our customers to secure agreed pricing and have PCBs manufactured in advance, with stock released as required. This helps maintain continuity of supply without the need to hold large quantities of stock on site, while spreading deliveries to suit your production and cashflow needs.
Please get in touch to discuss your upcoming PCB requirements and forecasts for 2027. We can help you explore the best options for securing pricing, managing stock and planning deliveries around your production needs.