Shanghai, December 9–11, 2026 – The 5th Shanghai International Foam Material Technology Industrial Exhibition (Interfoam 2026) will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Organized by Huijietong Exhibition (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., the event is themed “New Dimension Foaming, Boundless Applications” and positioned around “Knowledge, Technology, Application, Transaction”. With an exhibition area of 11,500 sqm, the event is expected to bring together 300+ premier domestic and international exhibitors and attract 10,000+ professional visitors from around the world, setting a new record in scale.

Trillion-Level Track Accelerates, Multi-Sector Growth for Foam Materials

In 2026, the global foam material market continues its strong growth trajectory. The polymer foam market is projected to grow from $118.04 billion in 2025 to $125.26 billion in 2026, representing a CAGR of 6.1%. The global foam market is expected to grow from $1.73 billion to $1.85 billion at a CAGR of 6.6%, while the bio-based foam material market is forecast to rise from $1.42 billion to $1.53 billion.

The Chinese market is equally impressive. China’s foam plastics market maintained a stable CAGR of approximately 5.8% from 2021 to 2025, with the industry market size exceeding RMB 280 billion in 2025. Looking toward 2030, the polymer foam material market is expected to reach approximately RMB 150 billion, with a CAGR of about 8.5%.

Strong signals are also emerging from downstream demand. The global automotive foam market is expected to grow to $1.85 billion in 2026. The automotive lightweight foam material market recorded sales of $220 million in 2025 and is projected to reach $290 million by 2032. In the low-altitude economy sector, PMI foam is becoming a critical core material for achieving extreme lightweighting in eVTOL aircraft.

Three Major Trends Reshaping the Foam Material Industry Landscape

Trend 1: New Energy Vehicles and Low-Altitude Economy Drive Lightweighting Demand. The automotive industry’s electrification and lightweighting transformation is advancing rapidly. EPP, with its advantages of light weight, high cushioning, and recyclability, is rapidly penetrating battery pack protection, interior lightweighting, and crash structure applications. The刚性 demand for PMI foam and carbon fiber composite foam materials in eVTOL and other low-altitude aircraft is being released at scale. Interfoam 2026 will showcase cutting-edge products including flame-retardant foam gaskets for new energy batteries, foam buffer materials for low-altitude economy applications, and lightweight foam components for automotive.

Trend 2: Green, Low-Carbon and Bio-Based Foaming Emerge as New Industry Directions. The Ecological and Environmental Code of the People’s Republic of China came into effect on August 15, 2026, with a dedicated “Green Low-Carbon Development” chapter explicitly prohibiting and restricting non-degradable plastic bags and other single-use plastic products. National Standard GB/T 46256-2025 – “Bio-based Materials and Products – Requirements for Bio-based Content and Traceability Labeling” has been implemented since March 1, 2026. Polylactic acid foam materials have been included in the “15th Five-Year Plan” as a frontier material direction for accelerated research and application. Interfoam 2026 will highlight green technologies including fluorine-free foaming, bio-based foaming, and waste foam material recycling and regeneration.

Trend 3: From “Scale Expansion” to “Technological Innovation” and “Application Deepening.” The foam material industry is undergoing a critical transformation from extensive growth to technological innovation. This exhibition will gather the industry’s cutting-edge technological achievements to drive high-quality development.

Full Industry Chain Coverage, One-Stop Sourcing Across Four Core Sectors

The exhibition covers four core sectors:

Foam Raw Materials – Polyurethane, polyolefin, silicone rubber, bio-based/biodegradable, EPS, PVC, PET, PMI, and various foam materials, along with chemical foaming agents, industrial gases, and additives

Foam Production & Processing Equipment – Molding, autoclave, extrusion, injection molding foam technology equipment; supercritical elastomer foam materials (ETPU, TPE, TPEE, etc.); cutting equipment, deep processing equipment, and testing & analysis equipment

Foam Finished Products & Applications – Cushion packaging, automotive lightweight components, flame-retardant foam gaskets for new energy batteries, etc.

Testing Technology & Supporting Services – Die-cutting, lamination, precision cutting, hot pressing, reticulation and other deep processing products and services; recycling technology and environmental protection equipment

The exhibitor/visitor ratio is 60% foam material solutions and 40% foam technology solutions, precisely matching industry supply and demand.

Concurrent International Summit Forum, 100+ Sessions Leading Industry Trends

The exhibition will feature the 5th International Foam Materials and Applications Summit Forum, with over 100 topics covering physical foaming, sustainable raw materials, recycling technology, and other frontier issues. The forum discusses from three dimensions – knowledge, technology, and application – combined with the latest foaming technology directions and innovative applications.

In addition, the Poly-Foam Conference (PFC), founded by Dr. S.T. Lee in 2014, is dedicated to advancing foaming technology innovation and development, promoting international exchange and talent development in the foaming industry from the dimensions of “knowledge, technology, and business.” The Interfoam Golden Foam Award aims to promote foaming technology development and innovation, explore diverse application possibilities for foam materials, and empower high-quality industry development.

The exhibition also features the Interfoam Expert Database, with deep cooperation with multiple universities and research institutions, bringing together most of China’s authoritative experts in the foaming field and building a bridge between academia and industry. Additionally, the Industrial Database contains over 350,000 precise data points on end users and the foaming industry, utilizing email/SMS marketing, phone invitations, and targeted information flow advertising to attract professional visitors.

Precise Supply-Demand Matchmaking, 365-Day Brand Exposure

The organizer provides customized supply-demand matchmaking services for exhibitors, with exhibitor information simultaneously published on the online platform for year-round global display. The exhibition is expected to attract over 10,000 professional visitors from home and abroad, covering more than 30 application fields including automotive, power batteries, packaging, sports & leisure, building materials, aerospace, and more.

Leading Brands Gather, Industry Leaders Unite

Previous exhibitors include SGE, Xinyizhou, ZOTEFOAMS, LUCKY JOURNEY, JOYSUN, CARPENTER, WINFUN, DOSER, Werner Foam, Guangdong Huadong Intelligent Equipment, Eco Materia, Nouryon, Runyang Technology, Bochuang, FoamTech, MESTA POLY, Sansida, Zhiwei Technology, SHINCELL, Huitong, Huizhou Lituo, TSRC, sabic, and many other renowned domestic and international enterprises, covering the entire foam material industry chain.

Meet Us in Shanghai – The Annual Foam Materials Industry Event

From December 9 to 11, 2026, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Interfoam 2026 warmly welcomes foam material industry professionals from around the world to gather in Shanghai – connect with 10,000+ core decision-makers, discover the full spectrum of foam material industry trends, and seize the upgrade dividends of this trillion-level track!

Event at a Glance

Media Contact: Press Office of the Organizing Committee More Information: Please follow the official channels of Interfoam 2026 for the latest updates.

The information contained herein is sourced from publicly available official materials of the exhibition.For reference purposes only.