In early May 2026, a printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer in the Seoul metropolitan area placed pre-purchase orders worth 10 billion Korean won (approximately 50 million RMB) with two Chinese copper clad laminate (CCL) suppliers — more than five times its normal monthly usage. The company's CEO stated that the move was driven by concerns over supply disruptions, noting that delivery times had become uncertain. For the first time in over 20 years in the industry, the company faces the risk of production stoppages due to CCL shortages.
Currently, CCL lead times are generally being extended. For some high-end products, delivery times have increased from the original 2–4 weeks to over 6 weeks, leading to advance order locking and excessive stockpiling. According to data from the Korea Customs Service, the average import price of CCL in South Korea rose 74.5% year-on-year in March 2026, the highest since 2000.
CCL is a foundational material for PCB manufacturing, akin to the "highway foundation" for electronic products. AI servers, switches, optical modules, and liquid cooling systems impose higher demands on PCBs, driving downstream PCB manufacturers to accelerate capacity expansion. However, upstream CCL capacity expansion is lagging. Building new plants takes 18–36 months and involves resins, copper foil, fiberglass fabric, and high-end precision equipment, making it difficult to respond quickly to surging demand.
AI-related PCBs require 3–5 times the quantity of CCL compared to traditional servers, keeping CCL supply and demand consistently tight. Major global manufacturers have been raising prices intensively: Kingboard Laminates announced a 10% price increase on its entire FR-4 CCL and PP prepreg product lines on April 28, 2026 — its second increase in April and third of the year — with cumulative rises exceeding 40%. Taiwan Union Technology raised prices on high-end CCL by 20–40%. Elite Material and Iteq increased prices on high-grade materials by 10% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical raised high-end CCL prices by 30% from April 1. Panasonic will increase prices across its full range by 15–30% starting in May. Domestic Chinese manufacturers such as ShengYi Technology, Nanya New Material, and Goldenmax International have followed with increases of 10–15%.
Upstream materials are also in tight supply. High-end fiberglass fabric (e.g., 1080) has been in short supply since 2025, with shortages extending to standard specifications in 2026. Inventories at Grace Fabric's Huangshi subsidiary have fallen below 10 days. High-end copper foil is constrained by a monopoly on core overseas equipment, limiting capacity expansion. High-end resin is in tight supply while ordinary resin is oversupplied, creating an "hourglass" structure in the supply chain.
The Shanxi Securities Research Institute noted that AI-driven demand for high-end CCL is highly sustainable, and the tight supply-demand situation is expected to persist through 2027 or even longer. If price increases continue at the current pace, a sheet of CCL originally priced at around 100 RMB could exceed 400 RMB after seven rounds of 10% increases — a price surge comparable to historical levels seen in fiber optic products. Although rising market expectations carry the risk of volatility, real demand for AI hardware continues to grow, and the fundamental industry logic has not reversed.
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Sources: DoNews.
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