Manufacturing costs for PCBs (printed circuit boards) have risen by as much as 50%, putting renewed pressure on motherboard makers to raise prices again. According to a report from the Chinese industry forum Board Channels, motherboard manufacturing costs have increased by at least 10%, while the retail price adjustments manufacturers implemented in August 2026 averaged only about 3%. Unless that gap closes, further price hikes appear to be a matter of time.
The 50% figure doesn't represent the price increase of the final product—it's the rise in the cost of PCB raw materials. But since this is pushing up overall manufacturing costs, it will eventually be passed on to consumer prices at some point. Whether that happens now or during the Q4 price revisions at year-end will depend on future demand trends.
What's happening with PCBs
There isn't just one reason PCB costs have spiked. Three key raw materials—copper, electronic-grade glass cloth (fiberglass fabric), and resin—are all in short supply at the same time.
Copper is a core material accounting for roughly 42% of CCL (copper-clad laminate) costs. In early 2026, international copper prices hit an all-time high of over $14,500 per ton. As of September 3, 2026, prices remained elevated at around $14,359, with power infrastructure buildout for AI data centers and electrification demand keeping prices high.
Electronic-grade glass cloth serves as the reinforcing material for CCL, which forms the backbone of PCBs. The shortage of this material is considered a structural problem expected to persist through 2027–2028. The primary driver of surging demand is AI servers. While older server PCBs used a 16–20 layer construction, the latest AI architectures require HDI (high-density interconnect) configurations of 32–40 layers or more. Material consumption has ballooned significantly compared to before, and new production capacity from Nitto Boseki, the leading manufacturer of high-grade fiberglass cloth, isn't expected to come fully online until mid-2027.
Kingboard, the largest CCL manufacturer, has continued a series of price increases throughout 2025–2026, with cumulative price hikes for FR-4 laminate exceeding 134%. While PCBs for AI servers are high-value-added products worth over $100,000 per rack, motherboards for general PCs occupy a far lower price tier. Demand from AI servers has reshaped suppliers' priorities, squeezing manufacturing capacity available for PC-oriented products.
AI server shipments in 2026 are projected to grow more than 28% year-over-year, and this demand expansion is transforming the entire PCB industry. As the overall PCB market heads toward the $100 billion threshold, high-margin AI-related products are drawing in manufacturing resources. Low-margin consumer products like motherboards tend to get pushed to the back of the line within the same supply chain.
Capacitors are surging too, and substitution strategies no longer work
The capacitor shortage is adding further complexity to the situation. According to the Board Channels report, costs for various capacitors have risen by about 50%.
The problem is that MLCCs and tantalum capacitors—two component types that normally serve as substitutes for each other—are both surging in price simultaneously. Traditionally, when one component became scarce, supply chain managers would switch to the other as a standard workaround. That option is currently unavailable.
MLCCs are such versatile passive components that they're sometimes called the "rice of electronic parts," but AI servers consume large quantities of high-capacitance, high-reliability variants compared to conventional servers. Major manufacturers Murata, Samsung, and Yageo have implemented price increases and allocation systems, with lead times extending to 26–40 weeks.
Tantalum capacitors have been directly hit by mining disruptions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Because the refining process is concentrated among a small number of global players, disruptions at the source directly affect prices across the entire market. Strong demand from AI servers is preventing prices from returning to normal levels, and availability remains constrained.
Add in a 10–20% price increase for Wi-Fi modules, and the pressure on overall motherboard component costs is coming from multiple directions at once.
What the gap between 3% and 10% reveals
The fact that manufacturers' August price increases averaged only 3% reflects weak demand. The DIY PC market continues to struggle, and a steep price hike risks further reducing sales volume. Absorb the cost to protect market share, or raise prices to preserve margins—this is the dilemma motherboard makers currently face.
But there are limits to how long they can keep absorbing costs. If manufacturing costs have risen by at least 10% while only a 3% price increase is feasible, the gap can only be closed by squeezing profit margins. MSI has already adjusted prices on several models, while ASUS and Gigabyte have responded mainly on their high-volume models. Since each company's response varies by model, there's been no uniform price increase.
What's worth noting is that this cost increase isn't a problem confined to motherboards alone. Every electronic product that uses PCBs is affected by this chain reaction. However, mainstream motherboards face tight price-tier constraints and have less capacity to absorb costs than other categories. As a result, the choice between delayed cost pass-through or a sudden sharp increase could end up influencing how product lineups are structured.
The procurement environment is also shifting. Lead times for advanced materials, including CCL, have stretched to as much as 3–5 months, and suppliers are beginning to introduce allocation systems. In a structure that prioritizes bulk buyers, the tendency for small-lot PC components to get pushed to the back of the queue may well continue.
Q4 could be the next turning point
At this point, no major manufacturer has officially announced further price increases. That said, industry forums like Board Channels serve as a venue where supply chain participants share early demand-supply information. While such forums aren't official manufacturer price announcements, they're sometimes referenced as leading indicators of market trends.
Going forward, there are two key factors to watch. One is the timing of Q4 price revisions ahead of the year-end shopping season, and whether official price lists from manufacturers will actually change. The other is whether AI server demand will continue to strain the supply chain. Since new supply of electronic-grade glass cloth isn't expected to increase until mid-2027, elevated PCB costs are likely to persist for the time being. Even if copper prices soften, constraints on glass cloth and resin would remain, meaning overall relief is likely to be delayed.
On the other hand, if demand in the PC market recovers, manufacturers will find it easier to pass along cost increases. For consumers planning to buy a motherboard before the end of the year, purchasing before Q4 price revisions take effect carries relatively lower risk. That said, this outlook is based on the Board Channels forum report, and how major manufacturers will officially decide remains undetermined at this point.