The global advanced carbon materials market encompasses a diverse and rapidly expanding family of carbon-based materials that are enabling some of the most consequential industrial transformations of the twenty-first century. Spanning carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, biochar, nanodiamonds, fullerenes, carbon nanofibers, graphene quantum dots, carbon aerogels, carbon foam, and emerging allotropes such as carbon nano-onions and diamond semiconductors, these materials share a common elemental foundation but exhibit dramatically different morphologies, microstructures, and functional properties. The market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 11.7% through 2036, driven by the convergence of multiple structural megatrends across energy, transport, electronics, construction, and environmental remediation.
The electrification of transport has created enormous demand for carbon nanotubes as conductive additives in lithium-ion battery cathodes, where they enhance electronic conductivity and cycle life in nickel manganese cobalt and lithium iron phosphate chemistries. With global EV battery production projected to grow from approximately 800 GWh in 2024 to over 3,500 GWh by 2036, CNT demand is expanding proportionally, making it the fastest-growing segment by volume. The expansion of renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, is driving substantial demand for large-tow carbon fiber in turbine blade spar caps, as rotor diameters extend beyond 160 metres and carbon fiber reinforced polymer content in blades increases to approximately 40%. The hydrogen economy is creating a transformational new market for carbon fiber in Type IV composite overwrapped pressure vessels, with each hydrogen fuel cell vehicle requiring 5-10 kg of carbon fiber for its tank system. Aerospace continues to drive demand for high-performance carbon fiber, with current-generation wide-body aircraft utilising 50% or more composite materials by structural weight.
Asia Pacific has emerged as the dominant regional market, led by China, which is now the world's largest consumer of carbon fibers and home to the largest carbon nanotube producers. Jiangsu Cnano Technology alone operates over 10,500 metric tonnes of annual MWCNT capacity, with plans to reach 30,000 tonnes by 2027. Chinese carbon fiber capacity has surpassed 100,000 metric tonnes annually, though quality gaps in aerospace-grade production persist. North America and Europe remain significant markets, particularly in aerospace, defence, and high-value industrial applications, and are leading the development of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage infrastructure that increasingly intersects with advanced carbon materials production.
Biochar has emerged as a significant new market category, driven by the carbon dioxide removal credit market. Global production reached at least 350,000 tonnes in 2023, with biochar delivering over 90% of commercially traded permanent CDR credits. The EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation is establishing certification frameworks expected to become global benchmarks, and corporate demand for durable carbon removal is projected to reach 40-200 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year by 2030. The graphene market continues its transition from laboratory-scale research toward commercial deployment across composites, energy storage, thermal management, and coatings applications, with the 2025 demonstration of the world's first functional graphene semiconductor at Georgia Institute of Technology marking a landmark milestone.
The intersection of CCUS technology with advanced carbon materials represents a potentially transformational development. Companies such as Carbon Corp, UP Catalyst, Graphitic Energy, and HiiROC are demonstrating commercially viable pathways for converting methane or captured CO2 into high-value carbon nanomaterials, graphite, and carbon black. As of early 2025, global operational CO2 capture and storage capacity stood at approximately 50 Mtpa, with over 600 projects in the pipeline. The ability to convert waste carbon into advanced materials offers compelling dual-benefit models that simultaneously address climate change and materials supply chain security.
The competitive landscape has undergone notable changes, including the exposure of the Kangde Group fraud in China, the transition of DowAksa to Aksa Carbon following Dow's exit, and continued aggressive capacity expansion by Chinese and South Korean producers across both carbon fiber and carbon nanotube segments. As production volumes scale and manufacturing costs decline, advanced carbon materials are transitioning from niche specialty markets into mainstream industrial adoption, positioning them as foundational materials for the global energy transition, digital infrastructure expansion, and sustainable construction.
The Global Market for Advanced Carbon Materials 2026-2036 is the most comprehensive market intelligence report available on the advanced carbon materials industry, spanning over 1,150 pages of in-depth analysis, market forecasts, company profiles, and application roadmaps. This report provides detailed coverage of the entire advanced carbon materials value chain, from raw material precursors and production technologies through to end-use applications across more than a dozen industry sectors including energy storage, aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, and environmental remediation.
Advanced carbon materials are foundational to the global energy transition, enabling lighter vehicles, longer wind turbine blades, higher-performance batteries, cleaner industrial processes, and verified carbon dioxide removal. The market encompasses carbon fibers, carbon black, graphite (natural and synthetic), biochar, graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, fullerenes, nanodiamonds, graphene quantum dots, carbon foam, carbon aerogels, diamond-like carbon coatings, activated carbon, and emerging materials such as carbon nano-onions and diamond semiconductors. Each material category is analysed independently with dedicated chapters covering properties, production methods, markets and applications, competitive landscape, pricing, supply chain dynamics, and demand forecasts extending to 2036.
The report provides granular market forecasts segmented by material type, application sector, and geographic region, with historical data from 2018 and projections through 2036. Regional analysis covers Asia Pacific (including detailed China coverage), North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. Pricing analysis includes current and forecast pricing by material grade, with producer-level pricing data for graphene, nanodiamonds, fullerenes, and graphene quantum dots.
A distinguishing feature of this report is its unmatched company coverage, profiling over 900 companies across all advanced carbon material categories. Company profiles include descriptions, products and technologies, production capacities, headquarters locations, and website information. Coverage spans material producers, composite manufacturers, recyclers, and technology developers from established multinationals to innovative startups.
The report includes dedicated analysis of the carbon capture, utilisation, and storage sector and its intersection with advanced carbon materials production, covering point-source capture technologies, direct air capture, electrochemical CO2 conversion, and companies converting captured CO2 into carbon nanotubes, graphene, and other high-value carbon nanomaterials. The biochar chapter provides extensive coverage of this rapidly growing market, including carbon credit market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, production technologies, and over 140 company profiles.
This report is essential reading for materials scientists, corporate strategists, investors, policy analysts, and procurement professionals seeking authoritative market intelligence on the advanced carbon materials industry through 2036.
Report contents include:
- Market Overview and Drivers
- Market landscape and evolution through 2036
- Key market drivers: electrification, hydrogen economy, renewable energy, aerospace, digital infrastructure, CCUS, and sustainability mandates
- Role of advanced carbon materials in the green transition
- Application framework across thermal management, conductive battery additives, and composites
- Carbon Fibers
- Properties, precursor types (PAN, pitch, lignin, polyethylene, textile PAN)
- Recycled carbon fibers - market, recycling processes, and companies
- Carbon fiber 3D printing and plasma oxidation technology
- Markets: aerospace, wind energy, automotive, pressure vessels, oil and gas, civil engineering
- Market analysis: competitive landscape, production capacities by producer, price and cost analysis, supply chain, demand forecasts 2020-2036 by industry and region
- Over 90 company profiles including carbon fiber producers, composite producers, and recyclers
- Carbon Black
- Properties, manufacturing processes, specialty and recovered carbon black
- Markets: tires, non-tire rubber, specialty applications
- Global market forecasts by end-user market and region
- Over 50 company profiles
- Graphite
- Natural graphite (flake, amorphous, vein) and synthetic graphite (isostatic, extruded, electrode)
- China dominance analysis, US subsidies and tariff policy
- Lithium-ion battery anode market analysis and gigafactory coverage
- Global production, pricing, and demand forecasts by end-use market and region 2016-2036
- Over 100 company profiles
- Biochar
- Carbon sequestration, properties, production processes (pyrolysis, gasification, HTC, torrefaction)
- Carbon credits market analysis, regulatory framework
- Applications across 13 sectors: agriculture, construction, wastewater, filtration, carbon capture, cosmetics, textiles, additive manufacturing, packaging, steel, energy, and more
- Global demand forecasts by market, region, and feedstock 2018-2036
- Over 140 company profiles
- Graphene
- Types, properties, pricing by graphene type and producer
- Application roadmaps (2025-2036) for 18 market sectors including batteries, supercapacitors, sensors, conductive inks, thermal management, aerospace, automotive, biomedical, photovoltaics, and more
- Production capacities by producer, supply chain analysis
- Global demand forecasts by graphene type, end-use market, and region 2018-2036
- Over 350 company profiles
- Carbon Nanotubes
- MWCNT and SWCNT properties, production capacities, and market overview
- Application roadmaps for energy storage, polymer composites, electronics, thermal interface materials, construction, coatings, automotive, and aerospace
- Coverage of DWNTs, VACNTs, FWNTs, carbon nanohorns, carbon nano-onions, and boron nitride nanotubes
- Over 150 company profiles
- Carbon Nanofibers
- Properties, synthesis methods, markets (energy storage, composites, filtration, catalysis, EMI shielding)
- Global market revenue forecasts 2020-2036
- Company profiles
- Fullerenes
- Properties, applications, TRL assessment
- Global market demand forecasts 2018-2036
- Company profiles
- Nanodiamonds
- Types (detonation, fluorescent, diamond semiconductors)
- Markets, pricing by producer, global demand forecasts 2018-2036
- Over 30 company profiles
- Graphene Quantum Dots
- Properties, synthesis, applications, pricing by producer
- Company profiles
- Carbon Foam and Carbon Aerogels
- Properties, markets, global market revenue forecasts
- Company profiles
- Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings
- Properties, applications, global revenue forecasts 2018-2036
- Company profiles
- Activated Carbon
- Types, production, markets, global revenue forecasts 2020-2036
- Company profiles
- Carbon Materials from Carbon Capture and Utilisation
- Global point-source CO2 capture capacities and historical growth
- Carbon capture processes: post-combustion, oxy-fuel, pre-combustion, chemical looping
- Carbon separation technologies: absorption, adsorption, membranes, cryogenic, electrochemical
- Direct air capture technologies and companies
- CO2-to-carbon-materials companies and technologies
Table of Contents
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- 3DC
- Arkema
- Birla Carbon
- Black Bear Carbon
- Black Semiconductor GmbH
- C12
- CamGraPhIC
- Carbon Cell
- Carbon Conversions
- Carbice
- Cabot Corporation
- Directa Plus
- DowAksa
- Eden Innovations
- First Graphene
- Fujitsu Laboratories
- GrafTech International
- Graphene Manufacturing Group
- Graphenea
- Graphitic Energy
- GraphEnergy Tech
- Graphjet Technology
- Hexcel Corporation
- HiiROC
- Huntsman Corporation
- HydroGraph
- Imerys
- INBRAIN Neuroelectronics
- Levidian Nanosystems
- Low Sulphur Fuels
- Lyten
- Mersen
- Nanocomp Technologies
- Naieel Technology
- NanoXplore
- NDB Technology
- OCSiAl Group
- Paragraf
- Perpetuus Carbon Group
- Premier Graphene
- Resonac
- Samsung
- SGL Carbon
- Skeleton Technologies
- Syrah Resources
- Talga Resources
- Teijin Limited
- Thomas Swan
- Toray Industries
- TrimTabs
- Universal Matter
- Vartega
- Versarien
- Zeon Specialty Materials
