Price increases in the copper clad laminate (CCL) market are continuing to spread. Kingboard Laminates, a leading Chinese CCL maker, said on Oct. 13 that it would raise prices by 15% on new orders for CCL and prepreg (PP) made with 2116-grade and thinner fiberglass cloth. The move marks the company’s eighth price adjustment this year.
Panasonic has also notified customers that some CCL products used for standard multilayer boards will see prices rise by 200% on shipments starting Jan. 1, 2027. The report said the latest round of increases is expected by the market to lift supply-chain value for Taiwanese manufacturers including EMC (2383) and TUC (6274).
Kingboard cites tight supply of thin fiberglass cloth
Kingboard said demand for thin fiberglass cloth has remained strong in recent weeks, while upstream supply of fiberglass cloth and fiberglass yarn is still tight and prices have climbed sharply. The company said it adjusted prices to reflect higher raw material costs.
The report, citing Commercial Times, said Kingboard’s previous price increases this year mainly reflected rising costs for copper foil, resin and fiberglass cloth, covering FR-4 copper clad laminates, prepreg and other substrate materials. This latest increase is focused on CCL and prepreg made with 2116-grade and thinner fiberglass cloth, showing that supply bottlenecks in thin fiberglass cloth and fiberglass yarn have become a main driver of the current round of price hikes.
Panasonic to raise prices on selected CCL series from Jan. 1, 2027
Panasonic’s electronic materials division also sent a notice saying some products can no longer be sold at current prices. The company said it would adjust prices for selected CCL products used in standard multilayer boards in order to keep supplying stable quality.
According to the notice, the increase applies to the R-1705, R-1766, R-1566 and R-1755 series, all with a 200% price hike. R-1705 covers all specifications, while the other models apply to products with thickness of 1.1 mm or above. The adjustment is based on factory shipment dates and will take effect for shipments from Jan. 1, 2027. It covers production sites in Koriyama, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Taiwan and Thailand.
EMC and TUC posted triple-digit annual revenue growth in the third quarter
Sinolink Securities in Hong Kong said demand for AI-related CCL and printed circuit boards (PCB) remains strong, and Taiwanese CCL makers generally delivered solid third-quarter revenue results.
EMC reported third-quarter revenue of NT$60.885 billion, up 28.79% from the previous quarter and 142.13% from a year earlier. TUC posted NT$17.948 billion, up 25.51% quarter over quarter and 122.6% year over year. The report said the results reflected continued growth in demand for materials tied to AI servers and high-performance computing. As major suppliers in China and Japan move to raise prices, the market expects supply-chain value for Taiwanese CCL makers to improve as well.
Sinolink sees continued demand support from ASIC spending
Looking ahead, Sinolink Securities expects industry conditions to remain strong in the fourth quarter. As token usage in AI models grows quickly, technology companies including Google, Amazon, Meta, OpenAI and Microsoft are expanding demand for application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).
Sinolink said growth in ASIC demand in 2026 and 2027 is expected to drive additional demand for high-end PCB and CCL products. The report added that Kingboard’s repeated price increases tied to raw material tightness, Panasonic’s sharp increase on selected products, and strong third-quarter revenue growth at Taiwanese suppliers all point to firmer conditions in the CCL sector under AI-driven demand. Whether the latest price increases are fully implemented, and when supply of fiberglass cloth and fiberglass yarn eases, will remain key points to watch.
