The market for light-emitting materials used in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is increasingly being influenced by Chinese display panel corporations. In particular, in the first quarter of this year, it was revealed for the first time that the sales of light-emitting materials from Chinese OLED panel companies surpassed those of Korean companies.
According to market research firm Ubi Research on the 4th, the OLED light-emitting material market achieved $490 million in the first quarter of this year. The light-emitting material market is expected to reach $2.86 billion by 2025. The OLED light-emitting material market is projected to form a market of $3.72 billion by 2029, with an average annual growth rate of 6.7%.
Looking at it by country, due to the characteristics of Korean panel companies that are concentrated in the second half of the year, in the first quarter of 2025, for the first time, the sales of light-emitting materials for Chinese OLED panel companies exceeded the sales for Korean OLED panel companies. However, starting in the second quarter, with the full production of Apple iPhone 17 and iPad Pro panels beginning, it is expected that the sales of light-emitting materials for Korean panel companies will surpass those of China again.
By company, it is projected that Samsung Display will hold a market share of 39.8% in 2025, while LG Display will have 19.9% and BOE will account for 13.1%. The OLED material usage by Korean panel companies is expected to maintain a share of 55% until 2029.
Analyst Roh Chang-ho from Ubi Research noted, "While in the first quarter of 2025, the sales to Chinese panel companies temporarily exceeded those to Korean panel companies, the sales to Korean panel companies will soon recover," adding that "starting from 2025, there is a high possibility that the shipment volume of Korean panel companies will be surpassed by that of Chinese panel companies, but in terms of light-emitting material sales, Korean companies will continue to hold a higher market share for the time being."