UK Capex Project Snapshot – 2026
In this post, we use our CapexData analytics portal to analyse the broader UK capex project picture in 2026.
The UK has had a turbulent year by many measures. By looking at the detailed picture for the process manufacturing sectors (you can look back at our sector outlook posts on our blog), there are many headwinds affecting the capex outlook.
In this post, we wanted to analyse what the data says. By zooming out and using powerful aggregated data, we can see what the numbers say the UK has in store for 2026.
All of the charts and maps you can see supporting our analysis are available to generate on demand for subscribers of our CapexData analytics portal. Available as part of a flexible monthly or annual subscription which you can cancel anytime, many of our clients are using it to get a zoomed out picture of the capex outlook in their regions and sectors.
Capex Project Approval – 2026
The sentiment in the UK has definitely affected the rate of capex approval coming through the pipeline. In general, weak business confidence, high interest rates and soaring build costs have meant that approval has slowed compared to previous years.
You can see this broken down by sector in the bar chart below:
The chart shows the subdued approval rates at the end of 2025 for all sectors. It is no surprise that the gas sector dominates the approval value, with a large volume of high-value hydrogen projects reaching approval milestones in 2026.
For 2026 the outlook appears much stronger, with a very good pipeline for pharmaceutical, food and drink capex project activity. We would expect some of these projects to be delayed or experience aggressive value engineering, which may adjust the scope or eventual value of the schemes in question on a micro level.
However, the macro picture is looking positive for 2026, with rate cuts and easing inflation, coupled with a positive capex approval pipeline promising a better year for industrial suppliers of equipment and machinery.
Capex Project Implementation – 2026
The pipeline for capex implementation (projects already approved and moving to procurement / construction) was stronger at the end of 2025 than the approval pipeline. You can see this by looking at the chart below:
The 2025 implementation rates were relatively stable, though subdued compared to previous years in some of the process manufacturing sectors we cover.
Smaller-scale upgrades and modifications were more common in food, drink and pharmaceutical capex projects in 2025, due to cost pressures. However, the capex implementation value is expected to grow significantly as we progress through 2026. This provides ample opportunity for suppliers of capital equipment and associated services who can move quickly to address supplier challenges and priorities.
Many organisations are focusing still on sustainability, value engineering and improving technology in production processes. Relationship building will be key, as projects are moving through milestones swiftly once they progress to the implementation phases.
Capex Project Implementation – Regional Distribution UK 2026
The capex outlook for the UK in 2026 is recovering and improving according to the data. There are regional hotspots for this capex as you can see in the distribution map below:
The capex implementation activity in 2026 is well distributed within the UK, with the North East, South East and Scotland all particularly strong.
Are you curious how we prepared this executive summary? All the data is derived and aggregated from over 11,000 individual capex project reports, which are personally researched, checked and tracked by our team of industry experts.
Our CapexData portal then takes this dataset and outputs it in an easy-to-use analytics portal, which business development, marketing, managers and executives can use to quickly analyse and image capex trends across all of our regions and sectors.
This report was extremely quick and simple to produce, but provides valuable insight into the capex outlook for the UK in 2026. More granular and detailed analysis by individual sector or region is easily achieved using the built-in tools on the CapexData platform.
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