Carbon fibre usage in India remains at an early stage but is expanding steadily, supported by applications such as wind blade spar caps, CNG pressure vessels, cable cores, and bridge rehabilitation. According to Stratview Research, consumption is expected to increase from 5.6 kilotons in 2024 to 12.1 kilotons by 2030, representing a market value of approximately US$234 million and a CAGR of 12.8 percent. This growth rate significantly exceeds that of glass fibre, which is projected to grow at around 6.5 percent annually.
Composites have become a critical enabler across modern manufacturing sectors, from automotive and aerospace to space exploration. In parallel, India is strengthening its position as a global manufacturing hub, currently ranked fifth worldwide in overall manufacturing capability. However, the country’s composites landscape presents a more nuanced picture. India consumes approximately 738.2 kilotons of polymer composite materials annually, accounting for about 4.5 percent of global demand. On a per capita basis, this equates to roughly 0.51 kg, compared with 10.1 kg in the United States. This article examines the current intersection of India’s industrial growth and the composites sector.
Dominance of Glass Fibre
India is widely regarded as a price-sensitive composites market, largely driven by small and mid-sized fabricators using conventional manufacturing processes. This cost focus is reflected in material preferences. In 2024, India consumed about 372 kilotons of glass fibre, valued at approximately US$376 million. Owing to their favorable cost-to-performance characteristics across diverse applications—including automotive, wind energy, construction, infrastructure, and industrial uses—glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRPs) account for over 98 percent of India’s composite market by volume.
Beyond cost considerations, another key factor underpinning the dominance of GFRPs is the absence of large-scale domestic end-use sectors, such as aerospace, that heavily rely on carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs). India’s glass fibre supply is sourced from both domestic and international producers. Owens Corning and 3B are the only manufacturers with local production facilities, producing approximately 120 kilotons and 25 kilotons per year, respectively. Despite this, the country faces a supply shortfall of nearly 250 kilotons, which is met primarily through imports from Chinese suppliers such as China Jushi, Chongqing Polycomp, Taishan Fibreglass, and ACM.
Rising Momentum for Carbon Fibre
While glass fibre remains the backbone of the Indian composites market, carbon fibre and aramid fibre represent the remaining ~2 percent by volume. Despite their higher cost, these materials offer superior strength-to-weight ratios and are used in specialized applications such as aerospace, defence, and wind energy.
Carbon fibre consumption in India, though still emerging, is gaining traction due to expanding use in next-generation wind blade spar caps, high-pressure CNG storage vessels, advanced power transmission cables, and structural strengthening of bridges and buildings. Stratview Research projects carbon fibre demand to grow at a CAGR of around 12.8 percent between 2025 and 2030, increasing from 5.6 kilotons in 2024 to 12.1 kilotons by 2030. In contrast, glass fibre demand is expected to grow at roughly half this pace. At present, India is entirely dependent on imports for carbon fibre and related composite materials, sourcing from global leaders such as Hyosung Advanced Materials, Toray, Teijin, and Syensqo. However, this reliance may diminish in the coming years. Several Indian conglomerates have announced plans to establish domestic carbon fibre manufacturing. Reliance Industries has proposed a total capacity of 20,000 tons, beginning with a 4,000-ton facility in Gujarat by early 2026. Jindal Advanced Materials plans to set up a 3,500-ton plant by 2027 in collaboration with MAE S.p.A. Additionally, organizations such as BARC, HAL, and MIDHANI are expected to initiate their own production programs. If these initiatives proceed as planned, India could evolve into a competitive carbon fibre manufacturing base rather than remaining fully import-dependent.
Resin Landscape: Thermosets in the Lead
Resins play a foundational role in composite materials, binding fibres while providing resistance to heat, chemicals, and environmental exposure. Thermoset resins dominate the Indian market, led by unsaturated polyester resin (UPR), which accounts for roughly 64 percent of total demand. UPR is widely used in FRP panels, pultruded profiles, and construction-related products, supported by more than 30 domestic producers and international suppliers such as Orson Resins, Revex Group, INEOS, and Polynt-Reichhold.
While UPR leads in volume, epoxy resins dominate performance-critical applications. Epoxies hold approximately 25.5 percent of the market and are expected to grow from 59.7 kilotons in 2024 to 95.4 kilotons by 2030. This growth is largely driven by wind blade manufacturing and supported by suppliers including Atul, Aditya Birla Chemicals, Huntsman, and Hexion. Vinyl ester resins, though accounting for only 2.8 percent of the market in 2024, are gaining acceptance in wind blade profiles and GFRP reinforcement bars. Thermoplastic resins represent a smaller segment, with a 4.4 percent share (about 10.3 kilotons valued at US$61.6 million), most of which is supplied domestically.
End-Use Applications
Construction and infrastructure remain the largest end-use segments, collectively accounting for approximately 35 percent of composite consumption by volume in 2024. Pultrusion is the preferred manufacturing process across these applications, with more than 50 products already in production, including structural profiles and pedestrian bridges. These needs are met by a wide range of fabricators such as Reliance, Jindal, and Arvind Mills.
Ground transportation is the second-largest segment, representing about 21 percent of market volume (155 kilotons in 2024). Although composite penetration in the automotive sector remains limited compared to global benchmarks, Indian Railways generates significant demand through the production of 6,000–7,000 rail coaches annually. Renewable energy accounted for around 17 percent of composite demand by volume in 2024, driven primarily by wind energy. Other key segments include electrical and electronics, telecommunications, and industrial pipes and tanks.
Outlook for the Future
The Indian composite materials market is undergoing a structural shift. Valued at approximately US$1.28 billion in 2024, the market is expected to reach US$1.34 billion in 2025 and grow to about US$2.0 billion by 2030, according to Stratview Research. This trajectory implies growth at nearly twice the global average.
While expansion is expected across all material categories, carbon fibre is projected to grow at roughly double the rate of glass fibre. This acceleration is supported by investments from major conglomerates such as Reliance Industries and Jindal Advanced Materials, as well as increasing activity in downstream segments such as prepregs and compounded materials.
Having established strong capabilities in GFRP, leading Indian manufacturers are now moving into advanced composite systems, developing integrated value chains that span raw materials through finished components. Stratview Research anticipates a gradual shift toward high-value applications, including hydrogen storage vessels and aerospace structures, positioning India as an increasingly relevant player in the global composites industry.
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