Composites In Oil and Gas Industry Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2027 - 2032)

Market Trends and Insights

Corrosion Reduction and Lifecycle-Cost Advantages

Corrosion creates repeated maintenance demands in offshore systems, while composites offer resistance within the material rather than through recurring coatings or repairs. Composite piping systems can exceed 50 years of service life and can reduce maintenance requirements by up to 60% compared with carbon steel alternatives. Their lower weight can also reduce the structural work needed during brownfield retrofits. Future Pipe Industries received a January 2025 award to supply Wavistrong glass-reinforced epoxy pipelines for 520 recovery wells in Dubai. That project shows how mature fields are replacing legacy steel specifications where corrosion and maintenance costs are persistent. Research on accelerated degradation testing for nonmetallic downhole pipes is also strengthening the long-service evidence that operators require before extending qualification periods.

Expansion of Offshore and Deepwater Oil and Gas Production

Deepwater projects increase the need for materials that can operate under corrosive conditions while reducing load on offshore infrastructure. China’s Deep Sea No. 1 Phase 2 reached its designed annual production capacity of 4.5 billion cubic meters in June 2025, at water depths exceeding 1,500 meters^[1]. The project illustrates how deeper developments place greater emphasis on material performance in flowline and related infrastructure. In India, Cairn oil and gas and TechnipFMC formed a March 2025 alliance to support future deepwater work at water depths of 500 to 2,500 meters. As water depth rises, the weight-to-tension advantage of composite systems becomes more relevant. This makes deepwater investment a change in material requirements, not only an increase in equipment volumes.

Lightweighting of Offshore and Deepwater Infrastructure

Topside weight limits the design flexibility of floating production platforms and shapes equipment selection. A 2025 study found that optimized fiber-reinforced polymer risers had unit mass equal to 27.0% of comparable metal risers. Lower suspended weight can reduce top-tension requirements and reduce dependence on the highest-capacity installation vessels. Baker Hughes Company and Strohm signed a May 2026 memorandum of understanding to develop a hybrid flexible pipe for ultra-deepwater risers and flowlines. The proposed system is expected to be 50% lighter than conventional flexible pipe and to lower total suspended weight by 40% at water depths above 3,000 meters. This can widen the set of vessels able to install deepwater systems without major modification.

Qualification of Thermoplastic Composite Pipe for Ultra-Deepwater Applications

Thermoplastic composite pipe adoption depends on successful testing under conditions that closely match field use. Strohm completed deepwater field trials with Petrobras in the Campos Basin in July 2025 at water depths near 1,500 meters. The work included crushing, deep-immersion, and vertical-connection testing under methods Petrobras uses for conventional flexible pipe. Petrobras, Shell plc, and Strohm also completed a program for a 6-inch carbon fiber and polyamide 12 pipe for water-alternating-gas injection in pre-salt conditions. The program included more than 50,000 test hours, equivalent to 6 calendar years of continuous service, under DNV-ST-F119. The Dutch NEN 3650-6 standard, published in June 2025, also provided a formal framework for thermoplastic composite pipe in onshore applications.

High Initial Cost and Specialized Installation Requirements

Composite piping can cost 20% to 40% more than carbon steel at the initial purchase stage for comparable configurations. The difference grows when systems require specialized connectors, electrofusion couplers, field-termination equipment, and trained installation crews. This remains difficult in markets where capital budgets receive greater weight than later maintenance savings. Skilled crews for thermoplastic composite pipe terminations are concentrated among a limited number of contractors. Strohm used a local Saudi workforce for pipe termination on the Aramco Fadhili gas plant project, supporting in-country capability development. However, less developed local supply chains can still leave installed costs higher in the Middle East and Southeast Asia than in established European supply centers.

Long Qualification Cycles for Critical Pressure-Bearing Components

Critical pressure-bearing components require extensive design verification, material characterization, and field testing before operators approve them for production service. This process is especially demanding for risers, production flowlines, and high-pressure downhole tubulars. TechnipFMC plc and Petrobras began a Hybrid Flexible Pipe technology program in May 2025 that uses carbon fiber and polyether ether ketone thermoplastic composite materials. The program is targeted for commercial availability from 2028, which demonstrates the extended timing associated with deepwater qualification. While test programs are under way, operators can delay major commitments until field performance data is available. Joint industry projects can spread these costs, but they also require operators to work within shared technical programs.

*Our forecasts treat driver/restraint impacts as directional, not additive. The impact forecasts reflect baseline growth, mix effects, and variable interactions.

Composites In Oil and Gas Industry Market Segment Analysis

Epoxy held 38.12% of the composites in oil and gas industry market share in 2026 and is projected to advance at a 6.34% CAGR through 2032. Its chemical resistance supports use in systems exposed to hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and brine. Glass-reinforced epoxy pipe is used for production headers, injection lines, and gathering systems in sour-service environments. A 2025 Society of Petroleum Engineers paper described glass-reinforced epoxy tubulars as a cost-effective option for sour or corrosive producer wells. It reported supply lead times of 7 months for glass-reinforced epoxy tubulars, compared with 12 to 13 months for corrosion-resistant alloy tubulars.

Polyester resins serve lower-pressure and lower-temperature uses, including water injection, firewater, and produced-water reinjection. Phenolic resins remain important in fire-rated gratings, handrails, and structural profiles used on offshore installations. These systems need fire performance suited to applicable marine and offshore requirements. Vinyl ester and thermoplastic matrices, including polyamide 12 and polyether ether ketone, are gaining relevance as thermoplastic composite pipe use expands. ISO 14692 remains a key compliance factor for glass-reinforced plastics piping qualification, which favors resin systems supported by established records. The resulting qualification advantage helps epoxy retain a strong position in the composites in oil and gas industry market.

Glass fiber held 56.34% of the composites in oil and gas industry market share in 2026 because it has an extensive field record and established manufacturing capacity. It remains the common reinforcement in glass-reinforced plastic pipe, tanks, topside structures, and downhole liners. Its cost-to-performance balance is suitable for moderate-pressure applications that handle corrosive fluids. Manufacturers in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and South America have built large-volume capacity for glass fiber composite pipe. That scale supports replacement programs where users compare composite solutions with steel. Carbon fiber is projected to advance at a 6.78% CAGR through 2032, supported by demand for dynamic, high-pressure, and weight-sensitive deepwater systems.

Carbon fiber offers high specific strength, fatigue resistance, and corrosion resistance that are particularly useful in thermoplastic composite pipe applications. Its use is more aligned with demanding risers, flowlines, and subsea connections than with standard static piping. Glass fiber and carbon fiber therefore serve different operating requirements rather than directly replacing each other. Aramid fiber has value where impact and blast resistance are important. Basalt fiber remains relevant for cost-sensitive corrosion-resistant pipe applications in developing markets.

Pipes and piping systems held 44.91% of the composites in oil and gas industry market share in 2026 and are projected to advance at a 7.37% CAGR through 2032. The segment includes glass-reinforced plastic gathering lines, glass-reinforced epoxy production headers, reinforced thermoplastic pipe for onshore gathering, and thermoplastic composite pipe for offshore subsea applications. This breadth links demand for both replacement of aging steel infrastructure and new deepwater development. NOV reported record annual composite revenue in 2025, with stronger composite pipe demand from the Middle East and floating production, storage, and offloading vessels. Its fourth-quarter bookings also reached their highest level in 3 years, according to the company’s 2025 results discussion. 

Tanks and vessels are used for chemical storage, produced-water handling, and fuel containment, where corrosion resistance supports longer operating life. Topside products such as gratings, structural shapes, stair treads, handrails, and cable trays are widely used on offshore platforms where weight and maintenance matter. Pumps, compressors, and downhole uses remain less mature because their service conditions require more qualification evidence. Other uses include composite centralizers, wellhead protection systems, and subsea structural components. The application mix allows suppliers to combine pipe sales with installation, design, inspection, and monitoring services.

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific held 32.67% of the composites in oil and gas industry market share in 2026 and is projected to advance at a 6.66% CAGR through 2032. The region combines deepwater development, energy-security investment, and replacement needs for aging onshore and shallow-water steel pipelines. China’s Deep Sea No. 1 Phase 2 operated at its designed capacity from June 2025, with water depths above 1,500 meters and conditions that increase the need for corrosion-resistant systems. India’s deepwater alliance between Cairn oil and gas and TechnipFMC also covers prospective work from 500 to 2,500 meters of water depth. In Malaysia, Strohm received an August 2025 order for four large-bore carbon fiber and polyamide 12 thermoplastic composite pipe jumpers for gas service at water depths of up to 1,500 meters. These developments show a wider move from standard pipe replacement to deepwater systems that need proven material performance.

North America

North America has demand tied to unconventional drilling, aging Gulf of America assets, and replacement of underground fuel-storage systems. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued its American Energy Dominance blueprint in 2026, supporting a more streamlined approach to offshore energy production^[2]. Regulatory influence remains important because nonmetallic offshore systems require credible qualification evidence before broad deployment. Composite frac plugs are an established use in multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, including products rated to 12,000 pounds per square inch and 250 °F. The underground storage tank replacement cycle also supports demand for fiber-reinforced plastic systems through Mattr’s Xerxes business. This creates an end market that is less directly tied to short-term upstream spending. Suppliers can therefore balance offshore innovation with established onshore replacement demand.

Europe, Middle East, Africa, and South America

Europe’s North Sea and Norwegian Continental Shelf remain demanding settings for offshore pipe qualification, and successful deployments can influence adoption elsewhere. Strohm delivered more than 11 kilometers of thermoplastic composite pipe to the Wilhelmshaven 2 Green Gas Terminal in Germany in 2025, marking the first delivery of gas to Europe through newly installed thermoplastic composite pipe subsea infrastructure. In the Middle East, Future Pipe Industries signed a November 2025 memorandum of understanding with Saudi Aramco to strengthen local composite manufacturing and testing capability. Strohm’s Fadhili project involves 33 kilometers of thermoplastic composite pipe and an entirely nonmetallic electrofusion coupler, which supports the shift from pilot work to larger deployment. Brazil’s pre-salt activity continues to support joint qualification work among Petrobras, Shell, TechnipFMC, NOV, and Strohm. The composites in oil and gas industry market size in these mixed geographies is shaped by differing regulatory and local-content conditions, but high-carbon dioxide deepwater service gives all of them a clear need for durable material systems.