Manufacturing in the United Kingdom
This page gathers the figures we hold on manufacturing in the United Kingdom. Each section names its own source.
Each source groups industries its own way, so the edges of manufacturing differ a little from section to section.
- Median sale multiple8.0times EBITDA
- EBITDA margin13.3%share of sales, 2024
- Still trading after three years58.4%of businesses started in 2021
- Earnings change+3.2%the year to June 2026
What businesses sold for
- Manufacturing8.0 times EBITDA, middle half 6.5 to 10.5, 50+ deals
- Building materials6.5 times EBITDA, middle half 6.0 to 8.0, 10+ deals
- Food and beverage manufacturing10.5 times EBITDA, middle half 7.5 to 23.0, 10+ deals
- Industrial and engineered products8.5 times EBITDA, 5+ deals
Deal details
Manufacturing: median 8.0 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 6.5 to 10.5 times (50+ deals of £5.3 million to £263 million, announced 2010 to 2026).
Building materials: median 6.5 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 6.0 to 8.0 times (10+ deals of £5.3 million to £263 million, announced 2013 to 2026).
Food and beverage manufacturing: median 10.5 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 7.5 to 23.0 times (10+ deals of £5.3 million to £263 million, announced 2015 to 2025).
Industrial and engineered products: median 8.5 times EBITDA (5+ deals of £5.3 million to £263 million, announced 2010 to 2025).
Sizes are converted from our size range of A$10 million to A$500 million, at the fixed rate our database uses to place overseas deals: £1 = A$1.90. The rate stays fixed, so the range always describes the same deals.
What multiple will my business sell for?
In the United Kingdom, manufacturing businesses bought between 2010 and 2026 sold for a median of 8.0 times EBITDA, across 50+ deals.
See what UK businesses sell for, by sector.
These are deals for UK businesses in our database, not every deal in the market.
Source: deals in our database with a published value. Counts by onestepright.
Compare sale multiples across countries.
Margins
In 2024, what was left after bought-in costs and staff costs came to 13.3% of sales across the industry. The measure is close to EBITDA.
- Purchases68.3%
- Staff costs16.7%
- Other
- Close to EBITDA13.3%
Across every business in the industry added together.
What is the average profit margin in manufacturing?
Across every manufacturing business added together, sales less bought-in and staff costs came to 13.3% of sales in 2024. The measure is close to EBITDA.
Every business in the industry is added together, so the figures are not a typical business. The survey does not count owners' own pay as a cost, so the figure reads high where small businesses are many.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Business Survey, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratios computed by onestepright.
How many businesses are still trading
About 58 in every 100 were still trading three years later.
The ONS counts businesses registered for VAT or PAYE. The rate is our calculation from its counts.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Business Demography, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rates computed by onestepright.
Businesses that started and stopped
Each is a share of the businesses trading in 2024.
A business counts as stopped when it is no longer active on the ONS register of VAT and PAYE businesses. The rates are our calculation from ONS counts.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Business Demography, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rates computed by onestepright.
What costs did
What earnings and input prices did in this industry. Each comes from its own ONS series and grouping of industries. Earnings move with the mix of jobs and hours as well as with pay, so they are not a pay rate.
Each bar comes from its own ONS series, named below.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Average Weekly Earnings, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Producer Price Inflation, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Change computed by onestepright from the published index.
Each country measures these its own way. The figures sit side by side and do not compare exactly.
| Measure | United Kingdom (%) | Australia (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Input prices | 7.3 | 10.7 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Producer Price Indexes, Australia (6427.0). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes computed by onestepright.
Your own cost mix
Enter the share of your costs that go on inputs and on staff. The box works out what those two changes add to your total costs, if your costs moved with the industry. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
Your own suppliers' prices and pay rises are the better figures, if you have them.
Prices businesses expect to charge
For October 2026, 18.7% of manufacturing businesses expected to raise their prices. Across all businesses, 17.4% did.
The ONS asks trading businesses about the month ahead, before it begins. Each business counts once, whatever its size.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Business Insights and Conditions Survey, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
See manufacturing in Australia.
See manufacturing in New Zealand.
See manufacturing in the United States.
Who in your business can move a price, and by how much? The pricing check takes about ten minutes.