PCB market update: Pricing and lead times for early 2027

If you have PCB assemblies or finished products due between January and March 2027, now is a good time to review your build schedule. Rising laminate costs can affect the price of bare printed circuit boards (PCBs), while supplier closures around Chinese New Year could add time to material deliveries. Both are worth factoring in before you commit to first-quarter delivery dates.

Why PCB material costs are rising

Demand from AI infrastructure and data centres is increasing competition for materials used in PCB fabrication, including copper foil, glass fibre and high-performance laminates. Tight supply of copper foil and glass fabric has contributed to laminate price increases during 2026. As fabricators buy materials at higher prices, some of those increases can feed through to bare board quotations.

The impact will vary with the board specification, the materials it uses and the timing of the order. A repeat build with the same design may still need an updated quote if the cost of the bare board has changed since the last order.

How Chinese New Year could affect UK assembly schedules

Chinese New Year falls on Saturday 6 February 2027. Factory closure dates vary by supplier, and reduced production capacity and freight delays around the holiday can extend lead times. The weeks on either side of the holiday matter too. A board that misses a supplier’s pre-holiday production or shipping window may have to wait until operations resume.

ACL assembles PCBs and builds finished products in Manchester. Where a project relies on bare boards or components sourced overseas, their arrival dates affect when the UK build can start. A March delivery may still depend on materials that need to be ordered or shipped before the February holiday.

What to review for your first-quarter builds

• Confirm your delivery dates and quantities. Share your January to March forecast and flag builds with fixed deadlines, such as a product launch or a customer delivery.
• Check the parts that could hold up a build. Review current lead times for bare boards and critical components, particularly where there is a single approved source or a part has been difficult to obtain.
• Revisit repeat orders and open quotations. Check current pricing and availability before relying on a previous quote or lead time.
• Consider ordering critical items early. Where demand is clear, buying selected materials ahead of the holiday or scheduling deliveries in stages may help keep production on track.

Plan your early 2027 builds with ACL

Whether you’re planning a repeat PCB assembly, introducing a new product or scheduling a full box build, share your expected quantities and required delivery dates with us. We can review material availability, check current pricing and lead times, and discuss how to schedule purchasing and deliveries around your production needs.

Contact the ACL team or call 0161 947 8000 to discuss your first-quarter requirements.

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