UK Metals Expo

UK Metals Expo puts the metals supply chain in front of you over two days, as a trade exhibition with a free conference at NEC Birmingham, organised by Easyfairs. You can cover primary metal manufacturing, supply chain management, design and policy through metal processing, metalworking, fabrication, CNC machinery and surface finishing to recycling. The organiser describes it as the event that links metals suppliers with the engineering, manufacturing and construction industries.

Dates and the 2026 edition

Dates for the 2027 show have not been announced yet. You paid nothing for the exhibition, the conference or the networking in 2026, as entry was free with registration. The 2026 show ran on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 November 2026 in Hall 4, with doors open at 09:00 on both days, closing at 17:00 on the Wednesday and 16:00 on the Thursday. Every visitor must be 18 or over. The organiser says you can usually register on arrival, but it advises registering online beforehand. Once registered, you can use the Industrial Connect app to view suppliers and products and arrange meetings before the show.

Who visits and who exhibits

On the floor you can source materials from metal stockholders and distributors and compare machinery, automation, tooling and production technology. The organiser lists more than 300 exhibitors, more than 12 trade associations and over 20 media partners. It aims the show at anyone working with metals, from production to procurement, and encourages companies to send mixed teams from design, manufacturing, quality, procurement and R&D. The UK Metals Council and its member trade associations endorse the event. It sits within the manufacturing and engineering shows in our calendar.

Conference theatres

You can hear more than 40 sessions from over 100 speakers, the organiser says, across four show floor theatres, with Lord Rupert Redesdale chairing the conference:

• Theatre 1, The Big Issues: industrial strategy, best practice, manufacturing and engineering
• Theatre 2, Circular Economy: resources, recycling and net zero
• Theatre 3, Innovation and Technology: process, productivity and case studies
• Theatre 4, Supply Chain, Trade and Policy: local sourcing, logistics, risk, resilience and re-shoring

Named 2026 speakers included Rajesh Nair, CEO of Tata Steel UK, Gary Nutter of Sheffield Forgemasters, Claire O’Connor, Circular Supply Chain Manager at Jaguar Land Rover, Prof Claire Davis of the Advanced Steel Research Centre at WMG, University of Warwick, and Paul Sheerin, Chief Executive of Scottish Engineering. The show’s news pages also trailed a debate on reindustrialisation between the CEOs of Tata Steel UK, British Steel, 7 Steel UK and Sheffield Forgemasters.

Three shows on one badge

Your single badge also gets you into Advanced Engineering, which covers aerospace, automotive, space, rail, maritime, energy and electronics, and Lab Innovations for the laboratory sector. See our guide to what a co-located ticket covers.

Show size and results

The organiser’s figures give you a picture of the audience you would meet. It reports more than 5,000 unique visitors and over 7,000 visits across the two days, a visitor satisfaction score of 8.4 out of 10, and 86% of visitors saying they would recommend the show. It also cites average dwell time of 2 hours 38 minutes, up 27%, and 45% exhibitor growth from 2025.

Exhibiting

Getting a stand starts with one enquiry form on the show website, after which a member of the team gets in touch to discuss your exhibiting options. One exhibitor quoted by the organiser says the show was its first ever exhibition, so if you are new to exhibiting, our guide to choosing your first UK trade show is relevant. Other engineering events in the calendar include Southern Manufacturing & Electronics at Farnborough from 2 February 2027 and Subcon at the NEC from 9 June 2027.

Getting there

You can arrive by train straight into the venue, as Birmingham International station connects directly to the NEC, and Birmingham New Street is 15 minutes away. If you fly, take the free 90-second air-rail link from Terminal 1 of Birmingham Airport. Drivers should use the postcode B40 1NT, then take the free shuttle bus or walk from the car park. Parking is valid from 06:00 to 02:00, and you can choose overnight parking when pre-booking. Wheelchairs (£5) and scooters (£20) can be hired at the venue if booked in advance. Other trade shows in Birmingham are listed in our calendar.

Source: ukmetalsexpo.com, ukmetalsexpo.com/exhibit/who-exhibits, ukmetalsexpo.com/plan-your-visit, thenec.co.uk