René Muschter
Research Expert covering Industry & Mobility
Global composite materials industry - statistics & facts
Plywood, first produced thousands of years ago, was the one of the first composites ever made, while today many high-tech composites have been developed, such as nanocomposites, graphene composites, or carbon fiber reinforced polymers, to name a few. Composite materials, also known simply as composites, are materials made from two or more materials with very different chemical and physical properties to produce a new material with characteristics that differ greatly from their individual forms when combined. Two types of materials (known as constituent materials) are used to produce composites, of which one or more of each type is required: matrix (the material that binds) and reinforcement materials. In 2023, the total global market volume of composites amounted to an estimated 13 million metric tons.
