Best Chemicals and Materials Companies in United Kingdom
The 668 best Chemicals and Materials companies in United Kingdom in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Synthomer.
Ranked by disclosed equity funding and recent momentum, this directory maps 668 Chemicals and Materials companies across the United Kingdom, covering $1.6B in total disclosed funding. No unicorns here. What you get instead is a sector built on deep-tech materials science, specialty compounds, and the infrastructure chemicals that underpin everything from semiconductors to biodegradable inputs.
The funding distribution tells you where the conviction sits. IQE leads the directory at $175M, a figure that dwarfs most peers in this cohort. Alloyed follows at $60M, Helium One at $50M, and Versarien at $28M. I'd note that the median company in this space is raising far less, which makes those outliers genuinely instructive about where institutional capital, including backers like HSBC and Mercia, sees durable returns. Hot themes right now are urban sustainability, green infrastructure, and sustainable city planning, and app-layer signals confirm it: chemicals and building materials platforms are posting roughly 18% median install growth year-on-year across 32 tracked apps. So the demand signal isn't soft. The materials companies threading green infrastructure chemistry into their core offering are the ones attracting the most durable attention from funds like the EIC Fund and Europa.
Our analysis of 234 Chemicals and Materials companies
$21.9b in tracked funding; 57% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Chemicals and Materials companies in United Kingdom
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Market signals (1y) | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Synthomer Manufacturer of chemical polymers and ingredients for industrial market applications | $370M | 70 mo ago | 4,184 4,184 → 2,281 (-45%) | Michael Willome CEO | Apple iCloud MailSalesforceYouTube+12 | 5 signals ▼74% Earnings · Acquisition | 82 patents Waterborne polymer dispersions for elastomeric and self‑healing film applications | 1 award |
| 2 | Bacanora Lithium Producer of sonora lithium and boric acid | $188M | 84 mo ago | 15 | — | Microsoft ASP.NETBootstrapAmazon ALB+11 | — | — | — |
| 3 | LIBERTY Steel Group Producer of liquid steels | $176M | 37 mo ago | 34,500 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+22 | — | — | — |
| 4 | IQE Supplier of advanced semiconductor wafers | $175M | 1 mo ago | 246 | Alexandr B CEO | Apple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365Salesforce+14 | 5 signals ▼58% Earnings · Announcements · Funding | 316 patents Advanced semiconductor epitaxy and porous silicon photonic structures for stress‑reduced devices | — |
| 5 | Luxfer Manufacturer of engineered advanced materials and high-pressure gas cylinders | $150M | 105 mo ago | 1,352 | Alok Maskara CEO | ZohoSalesforceWindows Server+9 | 6 signals Earnings | 27 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 6 | Alloyed Provider of advanced metal component manufacturing, materials, and metallurgy solutions | $60M | 15 mo ago | 49 | David Crudden Co-Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+26 | — | 101 patents Developing high-performance nickel, stainless, and aluminium alloys and metal additive manufacturing processes. | — |
| 7 | Helium One Provider of helium assets | $50M | 10 mo ago | 5 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+22 | 3 signals ▼25% Contracts · Funding · Announcements | — | — |
| 8 | AS.G Provider of CNC milling & turning, grinding and supply chain management services | $41M | 78 mo ago | — | Simon Weston Managing Director | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Fine Industries Contract manufacturer of high-quality fine chemicals for use in the Crop Protection, Pharmaceutical and… | $41M | 151 mo ago | 220 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Versarien Developer of graphene products and manufacturer of tungsten carbide and plastics | $28M | 13 mo ago | 90 | Stephen Hodge Chief Executive Officer | Concrete CMSPHPBootstrap+10 | 12 signals ▼56% Acquisition · M&A · Regulatory | 9 patents Graphene synthesis and high‑performance composite/coating technologies for advanced materials | — |
| 11 | Hudson Technologies Refrigerants and refrigerant services | $28M | 167 mo ago | 232 | — | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+20 | 36 signals ▲38% Leadership · Earnings · Contracts | 6 patents PTFE extrusion processes and polymer feeding apparatus for material handling | — |
| 12 | iCOMAT Manufacturer of steered fiber composite parts for industrial structural applications 64Funding top 29%Tech top 29%Growth top 30%Talent top 38% All 9 signals ▾Fundingtop 29% Techtop 29% Growthtop 30% Talenttop 38% Innovationtop 39% Patentstop 39% Globalbottom 48% Marketbottom 36% Newsbottom 22% Funding: Raised $27.7M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 3 yrs (0.7/yr) Tech: 46 technologies across 4/8 capability areas · Cloud: Vercel rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 64/100 | $28M | 24 mo ago | 30 | Evangelos Zympeloudis Co-Founder & CEO | WordPress Block EditorWordPress Site EditorWordPress+19 | — | 9 patents Precise adhesive tape laying heads for automated manufacturing processes | 1 award |
| 13 | OXCCU Developer of sustainable fuels, chemicals, and plastics from CO2. 45Funding top 28%Growth top 28%Talent top 28%News top 46% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 28% Growthtop 28% Talenttop 28% Newstop 46% Techbottom 42% Globalbottom 38% Moatbottom 38% Marketbottom 22% Funding: Raised $22.7M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 3 yrs (1.7/yr) Growth: Web rank 50,000,000 → 10,000,000 YoY · Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 45/100 | $23M | 7 mo ago | 3 | Peter Edwards Co-Founder | Webflowcore-jsjQuery+9 | — | — | — |
| 14 | Leverton Lithium Manufacturer of lithium | $22M | 47 mo ago | 19 19 → 36 (+89%) | David Hicks CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+19 | — | — | — |
| 15 | GENERATION PHOENIX Manufacturer of textile leather materials | $18M | 11 mo ago | 143 143 → 115 (-20%) | — | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+23 | 5 signals ▲400% Funding · Leadership | 21 patents Recycling waste into composite sheets, fiber separation, and substrate coating technologies. | — |
| 16 | JBMI Group Manufacturer of aluminum alloys and non-ferrous scrap metals | $18M | 213 mo ago | 64 | Miles Brough CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Biomicrogel BMG | $17M | 19 mo ago | 120 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | AM Technology Manufacturer of continuous flow reactors | $15M | 101 mo ago | 16 | Imtiaz Makhani Founder | Wix eCommerceWixSentry+20 | — | — | — |
| 19 | Fluorok Provider of fluorochemicals research services | $14M | 20 mo ago | 11 | Gabriele Pupo Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+10 | — | 15 patents Fluorination chemistry and electrolyte precursor production for advanced battery materials | 2 job openings · 1 award |
| 20 | Opes International Supplier of chemicals & related raw material products for coatings, inks, textile, construction, and plastics… | $13M | 142 mo ago | 2 | Neil Dudman Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | Hi-Tech Steel Services Provider of steel processing services for mining and metal industries | $12M | 64 mo ago | 41 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Iofina Exploration and production of iodine and natural gas | $10M | 85 mo ago | 95 95 → 85 (-11%) | Tom Becker President/CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+13 | 8 signals ▲300% Announcements · Earnings | — | 1 partnership |
| 23 | Tirupati Graphite Producer and processor of graphite and graphene | $9M | 29 mo ago | 474 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+12 | 6 signals ▼57% Leadership · Earnings · Announcements | — | — |
| 24 | Less Common Metals Manufacturer & supplier of metals and rare earth elements | $9M | 61 mo ago | 32 | Ian Higgins Managing Director | WordPressMySQLPHP+19 | 6 signals ▲100% Contracts · M&A | — | — |
| 25 | Corcel Provider of battery metals exploration and development services | $7M | 11 mo ago | 1 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+23 | — | — | 2 launchs · 1 award |
| 26 | Bright Green Plastics Manufacturer of recycled pellets and compounds | $7M | 73 mo ago | 130 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Scotmas Provider of water treatment solutions 40Funding top 40%Tech top 41%Growth top 45%Patents bottom 49% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 40% Techtop 41% Growthtop 45% Patentsbottom 49% Moatbottom 49% Marketbottom 38% Innovationbottom 36% Globalbottom 36% Funding: Raised $5.6M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 8 yrs (0.4/yr) Tech: 33 technologies across 4/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Ses, Amazon Web Services rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 40/100 | $6M | 17 mo ago | 30 | — | WordPress Block EditorwpBakeryWordPress+30 | — | 8 patents Chlorine dioxide production technology for water disinfection and industrial bleaching | — |
| 28 | Sigmatex Develops and manufactures carbon fibre textile for application in composite materials. | $5M | 60 mo ago | 190 | Scott Tolson CEO | DudaTwitch PlayerNginx+15 | — | — | — |
| 29 | Tata Steel UK Manufacturer of steel products for construction and packaging 55Patents top 22%Innovation top 31%Market top 37%Fin. health top 41% All 10 signals ▾Patentstop 22% Innovationtop 31% Markettop 37% Fin. healthtop 41% Moattop 41% Techtop 47% Globaltop 50% Talentbottom 49% Fundingbottom 40% Growthbottom 38% Patents: 274 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 39 filings since 2022 vs 54 in 2017-21 Innovation: 274 patents (top 8% of patent-holders) · 39 filings since 2022 vs 54 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 55/100 | $5M | 68 mo ago | — | Rajesh N Chief Executive Officer | DrupalPHPVimeo+24 | — | 274 patents Patents concentrated in chemistry & materials | 1 award |
| 30 | Helio Display Materials Manufacturer of display materials | $5M | 51 mo ago | 18 | Richard Friend Co-Founder & Director | Webflow EcommerceWebflowcore-js+8 | — | — | — |
| 31 | Biological Preparations Manufacturer and distributor of cleaning products for waste and cleaning water | $4M | 45 mo ago | 25 | James Patterson Managing Director | HubSpot CMS HubGSAPSwiper+20 | — | 2 patents Grease separation equipment for wastewater treatment and oil recovery | — |
| 32 | RAB-Microfluidics Research and development of microfluidic technologies | $4M | 45 mo ago | 12 | Rotimi Alabi Founder & CEO | — | — | 9 patents Microfluidic-based oil condition monitoring sensors and analysis systems | — |
| 33 | IceMos Provider of thick film bonded SOI wafers, Si-Si bonded wafers, customized engineered substrate solutions, and… | $4M | 14 mo ago | 39 | — | JavaAnimate.cssBootstrap+10 | — | 73 patents High‑voltage superjunction power semiconductor devices with trench and buried‑contact architectures | — |
| 34 | Deepmatter Development and integration of sophisticated software tools association | $4M | 52 mo ago | 36 | Mark Warne CEO and Director | — | — | 8 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 35 | Rolatube Technology Manufacturer of unique structural composite products | $4M | 97 mo ago | 24 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+24 | — | 2 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | 2 launchs |
| 36 | Biome Technologies Developer and producer of biopolymers | $3M | 45 mo ago | — | Paul Mines Founder & CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Symphony Environmental Producer of oxo-biodegradable additives and anti-microbial plastic technologies | $3M | 39 mo ago | 36 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+18 | — | — | — |
| 38 | Stoli Chem Provider of continuous chemical reactors for seamless scalability and reliable manufacture of chemicals | $3M | 22 mo ago | 9 | Nikolay Cherkasov Co-Founder & Managing Director | WordPressMySQLPHP+16 | — | — | — |
| 39 | Alchemie Manufacturer of textile dyeing products | $3M | 25 mo ago | 37 | Simon Kew Managing Director | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | Evince Synthetic Diamond based electrical devices | $2M | 72 mo ago | 17 | — | — | — | 10 patents Diamond-based semiconductor switching devices with embedded catalytic materials. | — |
| 41 | Green Lithium Provider of mining and exploration services focused on lithium projects | $2M | 12 mo ago | 22 | Guy H. Head of Strategic Business Development & Co-Founder | Craft CMSPHPYii+14 | — | — | — |
| 42 | NetZeroNitrogen Provider of alternative synthetic nitrogen fertilizer solutions to reduce global warming 48Talent top 38%Funding bottom 44%Global bottom 36% All 3 signals ▾Talenttop 38% Fundingbottom 44% Globalbottom 36% Talent: 2 named leaders on record · 2 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $1.6M · 2 rounds over 3 yrs (0.7/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $2M | 10 mo ago | — | Alan Burbidge Co-Founder & COO | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Naturbeads Manufacturer of biodegradable cellulose microspheres as sustainable alternatives to plastic particles | $2M | 1 mo ago | 6 | Davide Mattia Co-Founder & CTO | WixSentryBootstrap+11 | 3 signals ▲50% Funding | 22 patents Manufacturing functionalized biopolymer and polysaccharide particles via membrane emulsification | 1 job opening · 1 award |
| 44 | Smile Plastics Manufacturer of plastic transforms polymers | $1M | 48 mo ago | 18 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+20 | — | — | 2 awards |
| 45 | Isobar Compression Developer of Isobar compression garments | $771K | 38 mo ago | 8 | Clive Gunther Chief Executive Officer | TurbopackSentryApple iCloud Mail+14 | — | — | 1 launch |
| 46 | Microbritt Manufacturer of microscale products using high-precision patented micromachining technology | $504K | 26 mo ago | 8 | Carl Dale Co-Founder & CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 47 | Graphene Trace Developer of smart fabric with continuous pressure monitoring for active prevention of pressure ulcers | $378K | 26 mo ago | — | Vicente Mercadillo Co-Founder | — | — | 2 patents Smart textile sensors integrating health monitoring and display functionality | — |
| 48 | Karas Plating Provider of electroplating, metal finishing, and surface coating services for industry | $312K | 27 mo ago | 36 | — | Cart FunctionalityWordPressPlesk+29 | — | — | — |
| 49 | DP Building Systems Provider of IT hardware distribution services | $254K | 24 mo ago | 17 17 → 21 (+24%) | David Lloyd Co-Founder | Cart FunctionalityWooCommerceWordPress+27 | — | — | — |
| 50 | Holdson Holdson Limited is a West Yorkshire-based electrochemical polishing machine tool supplier aiming to address… | $182K | 8 mo ago | — | Aaron Holt CEO | — | — | 7 patents Electrochemical polishing and machining systems with precise electrolyte flow control | — |
Top 12 Chemicals and Materials companies in United Kingdom
#1
Public · Cardiff, Wales · founded 1988 · 246 employees$174.8Mraised▾
Supplier of advanced semiconductor wafers
- Apr 2026Post IPO$109.7M
- May 2023Post IPO$37.4M
- Dec 2020Grant (prize money)$366K
- Sep 2019Grant (prize money)$152.3K
#2
Series B · Oxford, England · founded 2021 · 3 employees$22.7Mraised▾
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- Nov 2025Grant (prize money)$2.3M
- Sep 2025Series B$28M
- Nov 2023Grant (prize money)$3.5M
- Jun 2023Series A$22.7M
#3
Public · Tortola, British Virgin Islands · founded 2015 · 5 employees$50Mraised▾
Provider of helium assets
- Jul 2025Post IPO$13.4M
- Jun 2024Post IPO—
- Feb 2024Post IPO$5.9M
- Dec 2023Post IPO$7.7M
#4
Series B · Kidlington, England · founded 2017 · 49 employees$59.6Mraised▾
Provider of advanced metal component manufacturing, materials, and metallurgy solutions. The company delivers performance enhancements for metal components using technologies in materials, processes, and design. It offers alloy development and production for traditional and additive manufacturing. The company provides process optimisation and control, ensuring precision and efficiency. It also offers end-to-end part production, from material development to final part creation.
- Mar 2025Series B$47.9M
- Nov 2021Series B$30M
- Sep 2021Grant (prize money)$359.2K
- Aug 2021Grant (prize money)$98.3K
#5
Series A · Bath, England · founded 2018 · 6 employees$1.6Mraised▾
Manufacturer of biodegradable cellulose microspheres as sustainable alternatives to plastic particles. These particles serve as functional ingredients in various industrial and consumer applications, providing performance characteristics similar to synthetic materials while maintaining environmental compatibility. The production process transforms natural polymers into spherical particles with controlled size, porosity, and surface properties. These materials are utilized in formulations where plastic microparticles are traditionally required, offering a solution that degrades naturally after use. The technology supports the transition toward circular material usage by replacing persistent synthetic components with renewable, bio-based alternatives.
- Apr 2026Grant (prize money)$4.8M
- Nov 2024Series A$9.9M
- Jul 2022Seed$1.6M
- Dec 2021Grant (prize money)$565.3K
#6
Public · Cheltenham, England · founded 2010 · 90 employees$28.5Mraised▾
Developer of graphene products and manufacturer of tungsten carbide and plastics. The business creates engineering solutions for clients across diverse industries. It has multiple subsidiaries, including graphene manufacturing and development, plus plastics and tungsten carbide production. The group provides graphene-based nanomaterials and CVD graphene development. It also supplies vacuum-formed and injection-moulded plastic products.
- May 2025Post IPO$565.3K
- Oct 2024Post IPO$588.1K
- Jul 2024Post IPO$710.3K
- Jan 2024Post IPO$507.5K
#7
Series B · Peterborough, England · founded 2007 · 143 employees$18Mraised▾
Manufacturer of textile leather materials
#8
Public · London, England · founded 2004 · 1 employees$7.5Mraised▾
Provider of battery metals exploration and development services
- Jul 2025Post IPO$1.5M
- Sep 2024Post IPO$1.6M
- Apr 2024Post IPO$1.6M
- Jan 2019Post IPO$867.6K
#9
Series A · Oxford, England · founded 2013 · 120 employees$17Mraised▾
Biomicrogel
- Nov 2024Series A$4M
- 2022Series A—
- Apr 2021Angel$13M
- Dec 2016Grant (prize money)$52.7K
#10
Series E · Belfast, Northern Ireland · founded 2003 · 39 employees$4Mraised▾
Provider of thick film bonded SOI wafers, Si-Si bonded wafers, customized engineered substrate solutions, and wafer interconnect technology
- Apr 2025Series E$22M
- Jan 2024Series A—
- Feb 2011Seed$2M
- Jul 2009Seed$2M
#11
Series A · Kidlington, Oxfordshire · founded 2022 · 11 employees$14.1Mraised▾
Provider of fluorochemicals research services
- Sep 2024Series A$10.3M
- Jul 2023Seed$3.8M
#12
Acquired · London, England · founded 2017 · 22 employees$2.2Mraised▾
Provider of mining and exploration services focused on lithium projects
- 2025Grant (prize money)$2M
- Jun 2021Seed$2.2M
- Apr 2021Grant (prize money)$878.1K
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Chemicals and Materials coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Advanced Materials is moving in the United Kingdom
A read on the academic research around Advanced Materials — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 352 United Kingdom-affiliated papers.
- University of Bristol26
- Imperial College London26
- University of Cambridge18
- Nottingham Trent University17
- University of Southampton14
- Actuator3→15
- Smart material5→17
- Composite material1→12
- Soft robotics1→7
- Elastomer3→9
- 3D printing2→9
- Composite material6→11
- Shape-memory polymer2→7
- Structural engineering1→4
- Composite number1→4
- Smart material3→8
- Nanotechnology1→4
Where advanced materials is researched across United Kingdom
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing advanced materials patents in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom advanced materials patent filing is cooling — 6,927 filings from 5,682 assignees (2016–2025), led by Johnson Matthey, Nanoco Technologies, Rolls Royce; annual filings 741→538.
- Johnson Matthey496
- Nanoco Technologies469
- Rolls Royce452
- Cambridge Entpr268
- Element SIX UK259
- Halliburton Energy SERV204
- BPB195
- IBM UK171