PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 2131886
PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 2131886
Aerospace and defense core materials are high-performance materials used in the manufacturing of aircraft, spacecraft, military vehicles, missiles, and defense systems. These materials provide outstanding strength, durability, lightweight properties, and resistance to extreme environmental conditions, helping enhance operational efficiency, fuel economy, payload capacity, reliability, and overall mission safety.
The primary material types of aerospace and defense core materials include honeycomb core materials, foam core materials, and balsa core materials. Honeycomb core materials refer to lightweight structural materials with a honeycomb-shaped internal configuration that provide a high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent stiffness for aerospace and defense applications. These materials are used in commercial aircraft, military aircraft, and business jets and are applied by airframe manufacturers, aerostructures manufacturers, research and development organizations, and maintenance, repair and overhaul providers.
Tariffs are influencing the aerospace and defense core materials market by increasing the cost of imported composite materials, specialty polymers, aluminum, aramid fibers, and advanced manufacturing inputs required for core material production. This is increasing production costs and affecting honeycomb core materials, foam core materials, and balsa core materials used across commercial aircraft, military aircraft, business jets, aerostructures, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul applications. Material-intensive segments and import-dependent regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific are experiencing supply chain disruptions and procurement cost pressures. However, tariffs are also encouraging domestic composite manufacturing, regional supplier diversification, and increased investment in local aerospace material production, creating long-term resilience in the market.
The aerospace and defense core materials market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides aerospace and defense core materials market statistics, including aerospace and defense core materials industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a aerospace and defense core materials market share, detailed aerospace and defense core materials market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the aerospace and defense core materials industry. This aerospace and defense core materials market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.
The aerospace and defense core materials market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $0.39 billion in 2025 to $0.43 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2%. The growth during the historic period was driven by increasing aircraft production, growing defense modernization programs, rising demand for lightweight aerospace structures, expanding composite material adoption, and increasing investment in military aviation.
The aerospace and defense core materials market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $0.68 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.7%. Growth during the forecast period is attributed to increasing demand for next-generation aircraft platforms, rising investment in space exploration programs, growing adoption of advanced composite structures, expanding production of unmanned aerial systems, and increasing demand for fuel-efficient aerospace components. Major trends expected during the forecast period include increasing adoption of lightweight, high-strength core materials, growing demand for advanced impact-resistant composite structures, rising use of high-temperature-resistant core materials, expansion of multilayer sandwich composite structures, and increasing development of durable corrosion-resistant core materials.
The rising global defense expenditure is expected to drive the growth of the aerospace and defense core materials market going forward. Defense expenditure refers to government spending on military personnel, equipment, weapons systems, research and development, infrastructure, and security operations. The increase in global defense expenditure is driven by growing geopolitical tensions, which are encouraging governments to enhance military preparedness and modernize defense capabilities. Aerospace and defense core materials contribute to defense expenditure by enabling the production of lightweight, high-strength, and durable structures used in military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missiles, radomes, naval platforms, and other advanced defense systems. For example, in April 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Sweden-based independent research institute, global military expenditure reached $2.718 trillion in 2024, representing a 9.4% increase compared with 2023, when worldwide military spending totaled approximately $2.485 trillion. Therefore, the rising global defense expenditure is driving the growth of the aerospace and defense core materials market.
Major companies operating in the aerospace and defense core materials market are focusing on developing advanced materials, including mid-temperature honeycomb core solutions, to improve thermal performance, structural efficiency, and manufacturability in aerospace composite applications. Mid-temperature honeycomb core solutions are lightweight cellular core materials designed to retain structural integrity and mechanical performance under elevated-temperature operating conditions while supporting the production of high-strength composite structures. For example, in October 2024, Hexcel Corporation, a US-based advanced composites manufacturer, launched the Flex-Core HRH-302 mid-temperature honeycomb core. The newly introduced core material is engineered to deliver enhanced thermal stability, improved formability, and superior strength-to-weight performance for aerospace composite applications. It enables manufacturers to produce complex composite components more efficiently while preserving lightweight structural properties. These capabilities assist aerospace and defense manufacturers in improving aircraft performance, durability, and manufacturing efficiency.
In April 2026, Arclin, a US-based manufacturer of specialty materials and engineered solutions, acquired DuPont's Aramids Business from DuPont de Nemours, Inc. for approximately $1.8 billion. Through this acquisition, Arclin intends to broaden its portfolio of high-performance materials and strengthen its position in aerospace, defense, industrial, and safety applications by adding the well-established Kevlar and Nomex product lines. DuPont de Nemours, Inc. is a US-based provider of high-performance aramid-based materials, including Kevlar and Nomex.
Major companies operating in the aerospace and defense core materials market are 3A Composites Core Materials, ACP Composites, Arconic, CoreLite, Corex Honeycomb, Diab International, EconCore, Euro-Composites, Evonik Industries, General Plastics & Composites, Gurit Holding, Hexcel Corporation, HONYLITE, Jiangsu Jiuding New Material, Kineco, Lantor, Plascore, SABIC, SCHUTZ Composites, Sicomin Epoxy Systems, Solvay, Toray Industries
Asia-Pacific was the dominating region in the aerospace and defense core materials market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the rapidly growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the aerospace and defense core materials market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.
The countries covered in the aerospace and defense core materials market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.
The aerospace and defense core materials market consists of sales of corrugated core materials, lattice core materials, truss core materials, thermoplastic core materials, aluminum core structures, aramid paper core structures, polypropylene core materials, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) structural cores, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) structural cores, and engineered composite core panels. Values in this market are 'factory gate' values, that is, the value of goods sold by manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including aircraft manufacturers, defense contractors, composite fabricators, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
Aerospace And Defense Core Materials Market Global Report 2026 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.
This report focuses aerospace and defense core materials market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.
Where is the largest and fastest growing market for aerospace and defense core materials ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The aerospace and defense core materials market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, total addressable market (TAM), market attractiveness score (MAS), competitive landscape, market shares, company scoring matrix, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.
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