Carbon Composites

What Carbon Composites does

Carbon Composites e.V. was a German industry-research network focused on fiber-based multimaterial lightweight construction. As of January 1, 2019, it merged with CFK Valley e.V. to form Composites United e.V. (CU), a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Berlin with additional established locations in Augsburg and Stade. The successor organization operates as one of the world's largest networks in its field, with approximately 400 member companies and research institutions, and is structured around regional clusters (CU Nord, West, Ost, BW, Austria, Switzerland, Bau), thematic clusters (MAI Carbon, Ceramic Composites, CU Leichtbau-Forschung), and international representations in Japan, South Korea, China, and India.

Composites United's core offering is not a product but a collaborative platform covering the full value chain from research to industrial application in fiber-based multimaterial lightweight construction. Member-facing services include joint R&D projects (e.g., MAI ReFiberTech, SASEM, ResC4EU, DigiPass, Verbundprojekt Japan Leichtbau), working groups, recurring events (Jour Fixe, Innovation Days, ITHEC, Carbon Korea, JEC Forum DACH), education programs (MINT4Future, syntral), and a multi-channel communications stack (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, monthly newsletter). The organization serves seven primary verticals: Automotive, Aviation/Aerospace, Wind Energy, Construction, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Technology, and Sports.

The business model is a membership-based, subscription-style association. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership fees from approximately 400 member companies and research institutions, supplemented by project-related public funding participation and event-related income. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. There is no parent company, no external investors, and no funding rounds, reflecting the organization's non-profit, member-governed structure typical of German registered associations.

Name

Carbon Composites

Legal name

Composites United e.V.

Website

https://carbon-composites.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Composites United e.V. is a German non-profit industry-research network, formed in 2019 from the merger of Carbon Composites e.V. and CFK Valley e.V., serving approximately 400 member companies and research institutions across fiber-based multimaterial lightweight construction in automotive, aerospace, wind energy, construction, mechanical engineering, medical technology, and sports sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Research Association

NAICS

Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522), Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (325220)

akta.pro primary industry

FRP/GRP & Composite Materials (Resins, Fibers, Core Materials) (IMAJAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Composite Reinforcement Textiles (Carbon/Glass/Aramid Fabrics & Preforms) (IMAOADAH), Composite Structures & Layup Manufacturing (IMABAEAB)

Keywords

• Fiber composite materials
• Lightweight construction
• Composites research network
• Industry research association
• Multimaterial lightweight design

Headquarters

HQ city

Augsburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Revenue generated through membership fees from approximately 400 member companies and research institutions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Composites United e.V. is a membership-based industry-research network that brings together approximately 400 member companies and research institutions to jointly develop fiber-based multi-material lightweight construction solutions. The organization coordinates collaborative research projects, regional industry clusters, and international representations to support members across the composites value chain in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, wind energy, construction, mechanical engineering, medical technology, and sports.

Product overview

Carbon Composites e.V. was a network/association focused on fiber-based multi-material lightweight construction. As of January 1, 2019, it merged with CFK Valley e.V. to form Composites United e.V. (CU), one of the world's largest networks for fiber-based multi-material lightweight construction, with approximately 400 members across the DACH region and international representations in Japan, South Korea, China, and India. The source content pertains primarily to Composites United e.V. as the successor organization, with no specific product offerings identified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Composites United Membership Membership in one of the world's largest networks for fiber-based multi-material lightweight construction, providing companies and research institutions with access to collaborative research projects, regional clusters, working groups, events, and international representations in Japan, South Korea, China, and India.
• Composites United Research Projects Coordination Coordination of collaborative research projects across the network's members, covering topics such as fiber-based composite recycling (e.g., MAI ReFiberTech, MAI Recycling), ceramic composites (e.g., GreenCeramic, FlechtCMC, CMC-Sandwich), sustainable sports equipment (SASEM), and digitalization of composites manufacturing.
• Composites United Industry Cluster Network Network of regional and thematic clusters (CU Nord, CU West, CU Bau, CU Austria, CU Ost, CU BW, CU Switzerland, MAI Carbon, Ceramic Composites, CU Leichtbau-Forschung) that provide localized industry-research collaboration and member engagement across the DACH region.
• Composites United International Representations International representation offices in Japan, South Korea, China, and India that extend the network's reach beyond the DACH region and support cross-border collaboration between members and international partners.
• Composites United Industry Events and Conferences Industry events, conferences, and networking meetings (including Jour Fixe meetings, Innovation Days, ITHEC, Carbon Korea, and JEC Forum DACH) that connect members and the broader composites industry for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Carbon Composites e.V. (predecessor)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon Composites e.V. merged with CFK Valley e.V. to form Composites United e.V. on January 1, 2019. This fusion created one of the world's largest networks for fiber-based multimaterial lightweight construction.
• CFK Valley e.V. (predecessor)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFK Valley e.V. merged with Carbon Composites e.V. to form Composites United e.V. on January 1, 2019. This fusion combined two established networks in the composite materials industry.
• CU Leichtbau-Forschung (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch cluster within Composites United focused on lightweight construction research, part of the regional cluster structure supporting the network's activities.
• CU Nord (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cluster in northern Germany contributing to the network's DACH-wide coverage and regional activities.
• CU West (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cluster in western Germany contributing to the network's regional representation.
• CU Bau (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cluster focused on construction industry applications within the Composites United network.
• CU Austria (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cluster in Austria extending the network's coverage across the DACH region.
• CU Ost (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cluster in eastern Germany part of the network structure.
• CU BW (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cluster in Baden-Württemberg contributing to the network's regional activities.
• CU Switzerland (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cluster in Switzerland extending the network's DACH region coverage.
• Ceramic Composites (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialized technical cluster focused on ceramic composite materials within the network.
• MAI Carbon (Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialized carbon fiber cluster within Composites United, part of the thematic network structure.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Teijin Limited: Japanese carbon fiber (Tenax) and composites manufacturer with strong automotive and aerospace presence. Comparable as an international composites incumbent whose end-markets (auto, aerospace, wind) overlap with CU's primary verticals.
• Hexcel Corporation: US-based aerospace composites manufacturer (carbon fiber, prepregs, honeycomb). Comparable as a global composites industry incumbent whose aerospace/wind focus aligns with two of CU's primary verticals.
• Toray Industries: Global leader in carbon fiber manufacturing (Torayca). Comparable as a major composites industry incumbent whose technology developments drive much of the research agenda that CU's member network addresses.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Group (Carbon Fiber Division): Major carbon fiber and composites producer (Pyrofil, Grafil). Comparable as a Japanese carbon fiber incumbent relevant to CU's Japan international representation and Asia member outreach.
• SGL Carbon: German carbon-based materials company (carbon fibers, composites, graphite). Comparable as a major DACH-based composites materials incumbent whose products and research interests overlap directly with CU's member ecosystem.

Direct peers

• AVK (Federation of Reinforced Plastics): German industry association for reinforced plastics and composites. Comparable as a domestic industry association serving composites manufacturers, with overlapping membership and similar advocacy/training missions.
• Carbon Fiber Recycling Center / CFK-Valley predecessor ecosystem: Stade-based composites network (predecessor CFK Valley merged into CU in 2019). Directly comparable as a regional composites cluster network with similar industry-research integration in northern Germany.
• JEC Group: Paris-headquartered composites industry association running JEC World and other global events. Directly comparable as a composites-focused association providing networking, events, and knowledge dissemination to industry members.
• AZL Aachen (Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production): German lightweight production cluster at RWTH Aachen, serving similar industry-research members in fiber-reinforced composites. Directly comparable as a regional DACH composites cluster with shared industry/research membership model.
• SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering): Global professional society and network for advanced materials and process engineering, including composites. Directly comparable as an industry-research association serving similar members with conferences, publications, and working groups.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJpi4-UY4UZFgTLXAgiPZ-A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/composites-united
• Instagraminstagram.com/compositesunited
• TikToktiktok.com/@cu_leichtbauheroes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carbon Composites