Aviation Carbon Fiber Market Size - By Raw Material, Type, Application, Analysis, Share, Growth Forecast, 2025 - 2034

Aviation Carbon Fiber Market Size

The global aviation carbon fiber market was valued at USD 2.2 billion in 2024 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2025 to 2034.
 

Carbon fibers are the focus of lightweight aircraft design and manufacturing, as fuel efficiency must increase in response to stricter regulations and public demand and increasing aircraft travel. Carbon fibers and strong polymer materials that can withstand high pressures have made it very easy to manufacture light and fuel-efficient aircraft. In the report released by IATA in April 2023, it was stated that there was a 55.5% rise in demand for air transport on a global scale in February 2023 as compared to February 2022. This traffic stood at 84.9% of the level of traffic recorded at the end of February 2019. It can also be expected that this trend will go on, accompanied by continued growth in the use of carbon fiber in commercial and military aircraft.
 

Carbon fibers have been integrated into major structural components such as wings, fuselage and tail. For example, Airbus expressed interest in carbon fiber composites as part of its campaign to decarbonize the aerospace industry, in June 2024, when the company announced plans to reduce CO2 from its products. In this regard, Airbus is investigating carbon fibers based on biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuel composites and intends to achieve the same performance and safety standards met by fuselage and wing fatigue. Carbon fibers are more available and their use in aerospace has increased due to better automated manufacturing technologies and cheaper production processes.
 

Aviation Carbon Fiber Market Trends

Carbon fiber composites have been adopted as the aviation industry is changing towards sustainable practices. These materials are both powerful and lighter and are now preferred by mechanical journalists to more common aluminum and steel alternatives. This change also supports the worldwide objectives of curbing the negative impact of carbon dioxide, improving fuel performance and minimizing overall waste.
 

As an example, Toray Composite Materials America Inc. has entered into a 3 year MOU with advanced materials to recover pre-elastic scrap materials in its Tacoma, Washington warehouse. These high energy materials specialize in minimizing carbon fiber waste in the aerospace industry and have cut down more than 200,000 pounds of waste carbon fiber since its establishment. The development of new recycling technologies is believed to contribute to the development of a ‘greener’ aviation industry alongside the advancement of bio-based carbon.
 

These advanced technologies for fabrication of carbon fibers are gaining wider acceptance in the aerospace sector. For example, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is a vertical electric take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) used to change the modern transport framework to enable economic, clean, and fast transportation over urban areas. This environmentally friendly enterprise is due to the regional hybrid electricity train system, where carbon fiber composites are of the highest importance.
 

Similarly, carbon fiber reinforced polymers benefit from the progress of UAM manufacturing procedures, such as automatic fiber placement and resin transfer molding, which increases the affordability of composite materials. This, combined with greater efficiency in the production of complex and lightweight components, may improve their use in civilian and military aviation. As modernization of production methods develops, costs of carbon fiber composites will decrease, thereby stimulating interest in the aviation sector.
 

Aviation Carbon Fiber Market Analysis

The carbon fibers requirements in the aviation industry is changing over because of policies such the ICAO emissions reduction plan which promote emissions reduction and sustainability. This means that firms can manufacture advanced materials like carbon fibers which are light and use less fuel. In addition, investments in recycling technology and bio composites could provide other avenues for growth. However there are some hurdles such as regulatory capture such as certification and cost issues may delay acceptance rates, so industry in general needs to innovate and collaborate simultaneously.
 

Based on raw material, the aviation carbon fiber market is segmented into PAN-based carbon fiber and pitch-based carbon fiber. In 2024, the PAN-based carbon fiber segment accounted for the largest market share with 78.4% share.
 

• The aviation industry relies heavily on the use of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers in its carbon fiber composites. It is due to their higher strength to weight ratio, astonishing durability, and ability to endure drastic temperatures that their demand constantly increases. Polyacrylonitrile fibers are treated with proprietary high temperature methods and processes with great precision which produce an extremely lightweight material with astonishing rigidity. This material is primarily solved in structural members of the airplane like wings, bulkheads, and tails. This makes their use almost mandatory for enhancing fuel efficiency in the aircraft or reducing the environmental impacts of aviation since the carbon fibers made from PAN have very high mechanical properties.
   
• The focus of the aviation industry on carbon emission reduction has positively emphasized the requirements for performance and sustainability targets that PAN based carbon fibers can meet. However, problem is that the production cost is high, and it is less attractive economically. Despite advances in all the modern fields, such as automation and better-designed precursors, manufacturing costs are expected to decline dramatically. Given the demand for light fuel-efficient aircraft, the use of PAN-based carbon fibers will certainly grow.

Based on type, the aviation carbon fiber market is divided into continuous, long, and short. The continuous segment is the fastest-growing segment with a CAGR of 10.3% during the forecast period.
 

• Continuous carbon fibers are highly demanded in aerospace because of their excellent performance. They are made in fabrics or pre-cuts, unlike long or cut fibers. Continuous carbon fibers are extremely robust and ideal for highly stressed components such as aircraft wings and fuselage. These features increase the structure's strength and save fuel.
   
• The aerospace industry uses stronger and lighter fuel and environmentally friendly materials, which is why continuous carbon fibers are increasingly used. This material has many advantages, and has increased the production rate of structural components.

North America aviation carbon fiber market is expected to reach over USD 1.7 billion by 2034.  Because of its well-developed aerospace infrastructure the USA dominates the carbon fiber sector in aviation. The United States is home to industry leaders such as Boeing as well as a growing number of urban air mobility entrepreneurs that increases the demand for more advanced, fuel-efficient and lightweight airplanes. The most advanced aircraft nowadays are made from carbon fiber composites and the continuous development of carbon fiber composites has ensured that North America is the leading region in adopting carbon fiber composites in their aerospace industry.
 

In China market, Carbon fiber materials are increasingly important for the Chinese aerospace industry, helping to improve aircraft performance while reducing emission levels. Due to the expansion of the commercial aviation fleet and production capacity of the country, there is a growing demand for lightweight carbon fiber composites. China is also expected to focus more on the development of environmentally friendly materials to support future aviation and aircraft manufacturing industries, making carbon fibers an important component of the infrastructure.
 

In Germany aviation carbon fiber market, The development of German aerospace is based on dynamic innovations combining carbon composites and biofuel engine. The main companies in the aviation sector SGL Carbon and Airbus are investing in Germany's carbon fibers and biocarbon fibers used in military and commercial aircraft. Together, these measures promise to increase fuel efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of fuel combustion and carbon emissions. The German aerospace sector integrates new technologies into commercial and military aircraft.
 

In order to meet Japan's long-term military vision of making it more cost-effective and environmentally friendly, new approaches will be needed to integrate carbon fibers. In order to achieve these objectives, Japan's aerospace sector has invested heavily in the integration of carbon fibers.
 

The Korean space aviation carbon fiber industry is growing as carbon fibers are being introduced for international and domestic markets. The increasing importance of eVTOL and carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites for commercial aircraft alongside the adoption of advanced production technologies and climate change mitigation goals in the country drives the application of carbon fibers in new aircraft design.
 

Aviation Carbon Fiber Market Share

The carbon fiber segment in aerospace is active and growing, as evidenced by players such as SGL Carbon SE, Henry Corporation, and Toray Industries, and they seek the functional characteristic of lightweight and robust strength in new material development. SGL Carbon SE deals with the development of sustainable carbon fibers with high strength and invests in recycling facilities. Toray’s focus is on innovation of composite materials that increases aircraft performance and fuel consumption. This co-operation between companies stimulates innovation with a view of market requirements.
 

Aviation Carbon Fiber Market Companies

Major players operating in the aviation carbon fiber industry are:

• Aernnova Aerospace
• Bally Ribbon Mills
• BGF Industries Inc.
• Chomarat Group
• DowAksa
• DuPont de Nemours, Inc.
• Hexcel Corporation
• HYOSUNG
• Mitsubishi Chemical Group
• Park Aerospace Corp
• SGL Carbon SE
• Solvay S.A.
• TEIJIN LIMITED
• Toray Industries, Inc.
• Zoltek Companies Incorporated
   

Aviation Carbon Fiber Industry News

• In October 2024, Hexcel hopes to target the growing high-speed composite manufacturing market to support the AAM electric aircraft market and the development of next-generation single-engine commercial aircraft in the aerospace industry.
   
• In April 2023, KNK Aerospace resumed its agreement with Solvay in 2017. With the new extension of cooperation, both companies will develop a joint plan for the development of new thermoplastic composites (TPCs), which will introduce new materials and production methods for aerospace components, as well as pursue future expansion strategies. GKN Aerospace will also continue to prefer Solvay to purchase TPC materials.
   

This aviation carbon fiber market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue (USD million) from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

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Market, By Raw Material

• PAN-based carbon fiber
• Pitch-based carbon fiber

Market, By Type

• Continuous
• Long
• Short

Market, By Application

• Commercial fixed-wing aircraft
• Military fixed-wing aircraft
• Rotorcraft

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • UK
  • Germany
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Russia
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Australia 
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico 
• MEA
  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa