COMPONENT PRICES
PCB Price Today: Price, Trends and Forecast 2026 | Tacto
28.09.2026
Current PCB price as a weighted NCAB-based material cost indicator (unchanged at 128 points). Trend analysis on NCAB's new supply chain outlook, which sees no marked easing before mid-2028, laminate capacity expansions, the holidays in China and the copper base. Scenarios and procurement recommendations for European industrial buyers.
METHODOLOGY
PCB pricing does not have a single transactional benchmark. We use the NCAB Material Cost Composite as a relative indicator, weighting gold, CCL, prepreg, copper foil and laminate cost movements. Real procurement costs additionally depend on layer count, copper thickness, material, surface finish, test, lot size, lead time and logistics.
AT A GLANCE
- In its September outlook NCAB sees no short-term relief in the PCB supply chain; meaningful easing may only come from mid-2028. Do not plan on falling prices in 2027.
- Correction to our last edition: industry reports on 31 August cited a further price increase by a major laminate maker, around 10 percent on FR-4 and 10 to 20 percent on prepregs. The indicator stays at 128 points in the absence of new NCAB data.
- Ventec is expanding laminate production in Kunshan by 20,000 m² for AI and high-speed applications (Evertiq, 22 September). Standard material does not benefit in the short term.
- China's holiday week from 1 to 7 October lengthens lead times; for Chinese New Year 2027 NCAB already advises allowing all approved materials.
Contents
What is moving the price right now?
NCAB expects no marked easing before mid-2028. In its September supply chain outlook the PCB supplier describes continued tightening with no short-term relief, above all in base materials, where upfront payment decides allocation. NCAB sees some easing over the course of the second half of 2027 and meaningful relief possibly only from mid-2028. That is a clear message for buyers planning on falling prices or shorter lead times in 2027.
A correction to our last edition: we wrote that no new laminate price round had been documented during the period. However, industry reports on 31 August cited a further increase by one of the largest laminate makers, of around 10 percent on FR-4 laminates and 10 to 20 percent on prepregs, citing shortages of glass cloth and copper foil. We keep the indicator at 128 points because NCAB itself has not published new quantified values. The direction of material costs, though, is still upward.
New capacity is coming, but it targets the top end of the market. Ventec is expanding its laminate production in Kunshan, China, by 20,000 m², explicitly for AI and high-speed applications (Evertiq, 22 September). For standard PCBs used by European industry that brings no short-term relief; if anything it shifts more material towards data centres.
The holidays add to this. From 1 to 7 October production in China and Taiwan largely stops for National Day, and for Chinese New Year 2027 from 5 to 12 February NCAB is already advising customers to allow all approved materials. The copper base for copper foil rose slightly in September: the LME cash average to 25 September was 0.9 percent above August.
The cost structure explains why the direction holds. Copper foil accounts for around 42 percent of laminate costs, and the laminate maker names both copper foil and glass cloth as reasons for its increase. As long as both inputs are scarce and new capacity goes mainly into material for data centres, standard laminates lack any counter-pressure. For buyers this means the indicator at 128 points describes a high plateau, not a peak after which prices fall again.
What we watch: new price rounds from laminate makers, lead times after China's holiday week and the next quantified NCAB release.
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What does this mean for procurement in Europe?
Do not plan on relief in 2027. NCAB expects meaningful easing from mid-2028 at the earliest. If your 2027 annual talks assume price cuts or shorter lead times, you are building on an assumption the market itself does not share. Negotiate allocation, delivery windows and price mechanics instead, meaning what you actually receive and how increases have to be justified.
Require increases to be tied to the material type. The announced increase on FR-4 and prepregs hits standard laminates directly. That does not justify a blanket increase across all PCBs: boards with other materials or a small laminate share in the total price are affected differently. Ask which share of a demand relates to laminate, copper foil, gold or manufacturing.
Secure supply over the holidays. China's holiday week from 1 to 7 October lengthens lead times immediately, and for Chinese New Year in February 2027 NCAB is already advising customers to allow all approved materials. Check your drawings and specifications for which alternative materials you can approve technically, before the shortage forces a rushed decision.
Put delivery capability ahead of the last percentage point. In a market where upfront payment for base materials decides allocation, a supplier with secured material contracts is often worth more than a slightly cheaper offer. Ask about your suppliers' framework agreements with laminate makers and their cover for 2027.
Keep an eye on the copper base. Copper foil accounts for around 42 percent of laminate costs. The slightly higher September average of LME cash feeds into laminate prices with a lag. For PCBs with a high copper content, such as heavy-copper boards, a copper component belongs in the price mechanism.
Document the starting point for annual talks. Record at which indicator level and on which material assumptions your current prices were agreed, so that later demands can be checked against a clear baseline.
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PCB Price Forecast: Our Procurement Intelligence Team's Assessment
Base Scenario
In this band over the next four to six weeks. (1) NCAB describes continued tightening in base materials and expects meaningful relief only from mid-2028, (2) a major laminate maker announced further increases for FR-4 and prepregs at the end of August, (3) new laminate capacity targets AI and high-speed applications, not standard material, (4) China's holiday week from 1 to 7 October lengthens lead times.
Risk Scenario
Further laminate makers follow with price rounds, the glass cloth shortage worsens, or another expansion round at AI data centres pulls away additional capacity. A further rise in the copper base would add to this through copper foil. Probability 30 to 35 percent over the next three months.
Related Procurement Glossary Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
When your application depends on specialized materials, a limited number of qualified suppliers, or tight delivery windows. In this market, a late or technically inadequate PCB is often more expensive than a moderate surcharge on the unit price.
Most sensitive are ENIG-finish boards, HDI, IMS, RF, and heavy-copper PCBs, as well as applications with high power density, thermal management requirements, or tight tolerances. These segments are where material scarcity and lead-time pressure show up first.
Copper is important but too narrow as a sole reference. NCAB currently identifies gold, copper foil, and copper-clad laminate as the primary cost drivers. For your price validation, a material basket approach is significantly more defensible than a single metal price.
The indicator is a market anchor, not a 1:1 purchase price. It weights the cost movements of gold, copper-clad laminate, prepreg, copper foil and laminate and is normalised to 100 = January 2025. Your actual procurement costs additionally depend on layer count, copper thickness, material, surface finish, testing, lot size, lead time and logistics. Since mid-2026 a second yardstick applies: the limiting factor is more often material allocation than price.
