Sandwich panels — cold-room walls, roofs, construction sheets
Polyurethane sandwich panels used for cold-room erection, pre-fabricated walls, and roofings. Three local manufacturers split a ~1.035 M m/yr market — Al-Qatami leads (525,000 m/yr · ~5,000 m/day), Al Hasawi is #2 (360,000 m/yr · 1,200–1,300 m/day actual on a 1,500 m/day PU-line capacity), Kuwait Polyurethane third (150,000 m/yr · ~600–700 m/day). The category has a brand-perception / certification problem: only 1 of the Top 5 cold-room installers (Reliance Technology) currently chooses Al Hasawi panels — the other four import from the UAE.
Market size as per government data
No top-down mapping for industrial panels — figures are field-research source-of-truth (market-volume-update-2026-05-07.json). 3-producer total reconciles to ~1.035 M m/yr.
Breakdown by unit type
What's included in this segment
Market size in terms installed by type
Downstream split — where the 1.035 M m/yr of panel output actually lands. Cold store erection is the dominant demand driver.
Where sandwich panel output is consumed
Market share as per the second phase
No Phase-2 workbook for sandwich panels — three-producer share is the same source as section 01. The certification gap below is the structural share gate (equivalent to MEW for AC) — 4 of 5 Top installers default to UAE imports on FM/EN fire-rating.
Three-producer share of the 1,035,000 m/yr Kuwait market
| Producer | Annual m | Share | Daily output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Qatami | 525,000 | 50.7% | ~5,000 m/day |
| Hasawi | 360,000 | 34.8% | 1,200–1,300 m/day actual · 1,500 capacity |
| Kuwait Polyurethane | 150,000 | 14.5% | ~600–700 m/day |
| Total | 1,035,000 | 100.0% | — |
Source: data/clients/al-hasawi/datasets/market-volume-update-2026-05-07.json (rows where category = “Sandwich Panels”). Daily-output figures from producer datasheets + 2026-04 field research.
Why UAE panels historically won
Kuwaiti-manufactured sandwich panels (Al Hasawi + Al-Qatami + Kuwait Polyurethane) meet local quality metrics but do NOT comply with international standards — critically on fire-resistance certification. Where a project references international fire-rated panels, the UAE-imported product was the default.
War & logistics disruption lifts Al Hasawi demand
Regional conflict has materially disrupted cross-border logistics — UAE imports have become slower, more expensive, and less reliable. Projects that previously defaulted to UAE-certified panels are now turning to local manufacturers by necessity, not preference. Al Hasawi is one of the direct beneficiaries: higher demand on the existing 1 M+ m/yr line, shorter delivery vs imported alternatives. The underlying certification gap has not closed — but the cost of waiting for UAE supply has risen enough to reshuffle project-level sourcing decisions.
Live brand × operator × country landscape
Each producer is its own operator (no agency split for industrial panels). Founded year, ownership, exports, ministry approvals, contact lines — sourced from the SANDWICH_PANEL_PRODUCERS dataset.
Kuwait Polyurethane Industry (KPI)
Al-Firdous Homes Real Estate Company (sandwichpanelkw.com)
Works & Building Co. (Al-Ashghal wal Bina') — Al-Qatami
AppendixSandwich Panels · supporting evidence▾ open / close
| Thickness | Al-Qatami | KPI |
|---|---|---|
| 5 cm | 7.500 | — |
| 7.5 cm | 8.000 | 7.500 |
| 10 cm | 9.250 | 9.500 |
Standard width: 1 m · custom lengths 2–12 m. Al Hasawi pricing not disclosed — positioned as competitive local alternative.
Works & Building (Al-Qatami) · market leader · 85+ years in-market. Founded 1940 by the late Yousef Al-Qatami; oldest and largest of the Kuwaiti panel manufacturers. Diversified industrial holding — sandwich panels is one factory inside a group that also distributes Atlas Copco, Hilti, Fronius, Festo. Claims broad ministry approvals and ~5,000 m/day capacity including exports. The benchmark that Al Hasawi and KPI are measured against.
Al Hasawi — #2 player, volume unknown but automated-line capacity is large. 1M+ m/year automated PU line at 40 kg/m³ density. Exact daily output not disclosed, but annualised capacity is in the same tier as Al-Qatami. Al Hasawi's challenge is less about capacity and more about closing the certification gap (international fire rating) and the installer-channel perception gap (where Top 5 cold-room installers default to UAE panels). The 2026 war/logistics disruption is currently doing some of that work for them — 4 of 5 Top installers still import UAE, but the window is narrowing.
Kuwait Polyurethane Industry (KPI) · 27 years old. Founded 1998; sandwich panels added in 2002. Tagged as “pioneer of rigid polyurethane foam systems in the Middle East”. GRACO authorised distributor for foam-systems trading. 600-700 m/day capacity (~1 m per piece), MENA export reach.
Al-Firdous Homes (sandwichpanelkw.com) — reseller only. Not a manufacturer. Warehouses panels sourced from a UAE factory partner and resells locally. Mentioned for completeness but not a significant competitive factor.
The 2026 demand uplift is a window, not a permanent shift. Al Hasawi is currently absorbing volume that would otherwise have gone to UAE importers, using existing capacity without requiring new investment. Two forward reads:
- Near-term: capture the disruption — prioritise on-time delivery and installer-satisfaction metrics, so installers who try Al Hasawi during import stress stay after UAE supply normalises.
- Mid-term: close the fire-certification gap. The disruption window gives Al Hasawi a cash-funded opportunity to upgrade the PU formulation / fire-rating to international specs without the revenue drag of doing it from a weak competitive position.
Field-research insights
Sourced from factory visits and operator interviews captured during the engagement. Figures may evolve as later interviews refine them.
Al Hasawi's sandwich panel factory has a production capacity of 1,500 meters per day. However, actual daily output is limited to around 1,200 to 1,300 meters based on operational demand.