Celtest Company

What Celtest Company does

Celtest Company Limited is a UK-based construction materials testing firm founded in 1980 and headquartered at a 35,000-square-foot UKAS ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory in Bangor, North Wales. The company operates as part of Phenna Group's Infrastructure Division following its 2023 acquisition. It provides accredited laboratory and on-site testing services across aggregates, asphalt and bitumen, concrete, soils, chemistry (including EN 1744-1), thermal resistivity, and airfield pavement testing — over 200 UKAS-accredited testing activities in total. Celtest also operates a mobile laboratory capability that brings real-time testing directly to project sites, supporting clients on UK highways, bridges, runways (Birmingham, East Midlands, Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, plus RAF bases and Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands), and international mining/quarrying projects such as the Tonkolili iron ore operations in Sierra Leone.

The company generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts at custom pricing (quote-based, with multi-year contract cadence), delivered via direct field/enterprise sales to construction contractors, civil engineering firms, government transportation agencies (e.g., North & Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent), airport operators, and quarrying/mining operators. Customer engagements range from short-duration compliance testing to multi-year enterprise frameworks (e.g., the three-year rolling Tonkolili contract, deployment of 25 Celtest staff on the East Midlands Airport runway resurfacing). The go-to-market combines a UKAS-accredited central lab, on-site testing teams, mobile laboratory deployment, and quote-based engagement channeled through website enquiry, phone, email, and referral networks; marketing is concentrated on the company website, SEO/SEM, LinkedIn, and email newsletter distribution.

Celtest's principal defensible assets are its UKAS accreditation, 40-plus years of operating history, multi-disciplinary testing scale (16+ frost heave units, 300mm shear box, 50 triaxial permeability units, specialist chemistry lab), an experienced technician workforce with Lean Six Sigma certification, and pre-qualification credentials including Constructionline Gold (2024) and CHAS Standard (2025). The firm employs 51–100 people, and its named customer base spans tier-1 contractors (Colas), national infrastructure owners, and government agencies. Revenue is not disclosed.

Name

Celtest Company

Legal name

Celtest Company Limited

Website

https://celtest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Celtest Company Limited is a UKAS ISO/IEC 17025 accredited construction materials testing firm, founded 1980 in Bangor, North Wales, providing laboratory, on-site, and mobile laboratory testing across aggregates, asphalt, concrete, soils, chemistry, and airfield pavement works to UK and international construction, civil engineering, government, airport, and mining clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Menai Bridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: Construction materials testing services performed in UKAS-accredited laboratory facilities including aggregate, asphalt, bitumen, concrete, soil, and chemical composition testing. Services provided to construction, civil engineering, infrastructure, and quarrying projects of various scales.
2. Site Testing Services: On-site construction materials testing services delivered by experienced teams providing site construction materials testing, compaction control, pavement investigation, and density testing. Includes mobile laboratory services brought to project sites.
3. Specialist Testing Services: Specialized testing including thermal resistivity testing, slag expansion testing, shear box testing, frost heave testing, polished stone value testing, permeability testing, and EN 1744-1 chemical testing for specific client requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Celtest Company provides accredited construction materials testing through a 35,000 sq ft UKAS ISO 17025 laboratory in Bangor, North Wales, complemented by on-site testing teams and mobile laboratory deployment. Services cover aggregate, asphalt, bitumen, chemistry, concrete, soils, thermal resistivity, and airfield pavement testing for civil engineering, infrastructure, and aviation clients.

Product overview

Celtest is a construction materials testing company offering a unified suite of laboratory and onsite testing services. The company operates from a 35,000-square-foot facility in Bangor, North Wales, providing testing across aggregate, asphalt, bitumen, concrete, soils, and chemistry disciplines. Services include the Aggregate Laboratory (with SHW Series 600, frost heave, permeability, and PSV testing), Asphalt and Bitumen Laboratory, Chemistry Testing Services, Concrete Laboratory, Soils Laboratory (geotechnical and clay liner testing), Thermal Resistivity Testing, and Site Testing Services (including airfield, pavement, and earthworks testing). The Mobile Laboratory brings testing capabilities directly to project sites. All services are delivered under UKAS ISO 17025 accreditation with over 200 testing activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Laboratory Materials Testing UKAS ISO 17025 accredited laboratory testing of aggregate, asphalt, bitumen, chemistry, concrete, soils, and thermal resistivity samples delivered from the 35,000 sq ft laboratory in Bangor, North Wales, for UK and international construction projects.
• Site Materials Testing On-site materials testing delivered by deployed Celtest teams for live construction projects, supporting compliance, quality assurance, and progress sign-off for the client.
• Mobile Laboratory Testing Fully equipped mobile laboratory brought directly to client sites, including airfields and remote infrastructure projects, delivering accredited testing on location.
• Airfield and Airport Testing Specialist testing for airport runways, taxiways, and airfield pavements, combining mobile laboratory and on-site testing to serve airport operators and aviation authorities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years of successful operation serving construction industry
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Phenna GroupcoreOthersCeltest became part of Phenna Group Infrastructure Division in 2023. Phenna Group is a global Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance (TICC) business operating through subsidiary companies globally. Celtest operates as part of the Infrastructure Division alongside Built Environment, Industrials, Certification and Compliance, and Food and Life Sciences divisions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RSK Group: UK-based environmental, geotechnical, and construction services group that includes Structural Soils and similar testing laboratories. Competes directly with Celtest on geotechnical, soil, and site-based construction materials testing.
• SOCOTEC UK: UK arm of French TICC group SOCOTEC; operates UKAS-accredited construction materials testing laboratories (aggregates, asphalt, concrete, soils) and on-site services. Closest like-for-like competitor to Celtest in the UK infrastructure materials testing market.
• Testconsult: UK-based construction testing and inspection firm providing materials testing, structural investigation, and site services. Directly comparable to Celtest in scope, customer base (contractors and infrastructure owners), and delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec UK: International engineering and infrastructure consultancy with a UK geotechnical and construction services practice. Comparable in customer base (airports, highways, government agencies) though testing is a smaller part of its overall offering.
• WSP UK: Global engineering consultancy with significant UK infrastructure practice that includes materials testing, pavement design, and construction supervision. Overlaps with Celtest on airport and highway projects but is design-led rather than lab-led.
• Intertek UK: Global TICC operator with UK construction and infrastructure testing services including materials, soil, and asphalt testing. Overlaps with Celtest on regulated testing work for major contractors but addresses far broader end-markets.
• Bureau Veritas UK: UK subsidiary of global TICC giant Bureau Veritas; offers construction materials testing, site services, and certification across multiple sectors. Competes with Celtest on large infrastructure tenders and airport/airfield work, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• SGS UK: UK arm of Swiss-based SGS, one of the world's largest testing, inspection, and certification companies. Provides overlapping construction materials testing, geotechnical, and infrastructure compliance services alongside much wider industrial and consumer testing offerings.

Others

• Phenna Group (Built Environment / Certification divisions): Celtest's own parent group, whose other Infrastructure Division subsidiaries and adjacent divisions (Built Environment, Certification & Compliance) provide complementary TICC services. Relevant as the platform Celtest can cross-sell into and as a benchmark for platform valuation.

Emerging players

• Concept Engineering Consultants: Smaller UK consultancy offering geotechnical and construction materials testing services. Competes for similar mid-sized infrastructure projects but lacks Celtest's UKAS scale and Phenna Group backing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CeltestLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/celtest

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Celtest Company