Trade fair calendar · K, Plastics · 717 days to go

K Düsseldorf: the plastics industry shows its investment plans.

Injection molding, extrusion, compounding, tool making. K is the global showcase of plastics processing, and therefore a dense list of companies investing in new equipment and tools.

18 to 25 October 2028 · Düsseldorf · K Düsseldorf, World's Leading Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber

Is K, Plastics worth it for me?

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Good to know

The first K in 1952 was called “Miracles of Plastics” and open to all.

Source: Messe Düsseldorf, 70 years of K

At a glance

Venue
Düsseldorf
Date
18 to 25 October 2028
Cycle
every 3 years
Organiser
Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Opening hours
Daily 10 am to 6:30 pm
Source · 2028
Fairground
Messe Düsseldorf
Stockumer Kirchstraße 61, 40474 Düsseldorf
Fair website
www.k-online.de

Who is K, Plastics for?

Based on what the organiser publishes about exhibitors and visitors. Honest, even when the answer is "probably not".

Go if …

  • you want to compare injection moulding, extrusion or rubber machinery: machinery and equipment is one of the four main product groups
  • you buy plastic raw materials, semi-finished products or technical parts and want to see the world market at once
  • you are looking for international suppliers or partners: 73 percent of visitors in 2025 came from abroad
  • you have to decide on recycling and the circular economy: it was the first of three guiding themes in 2025

Exhibit if …

  • you offer machinery, tooling, raw materials or services to plastics and rubber processors and need a global audience: visitors in 2025 came from 157 countries
  • you are a young company: K has its own Start-up Zone

Probably not if …

  • you only buy regionally or invest at short notice: K takes place only every three years and fills 17 halls, KUTENO is far more compact
  • you are looking for metalworking machinery: AMB or EMO are the right fairs

Source: Messe Düsseldorf, K visitor overview and review of K 2025

K, Plastics since 1952.

  1. 1952First K in Düsseldorf from 11 to 19 October as “Miracles of Plastics”: 270 exhibitors, all from Germany, and 165,000 visitorsSource
  2. 1963K becomes a trade-only fair; until 1959 any interested person could attendSource
  3. 1971Move to the Düsseldorf exhibition grounds in Stockum, still the venue todaySource
  4. 2019More than 220,000 trade visitors from almost 170 nationsSource
  5. 20253,246 exhibitors from 65 countries and 168,660 visitors from 157 countriesSource

Quirks

The fair in numbers.

Figures from the organiser for the last edition, each with its source. What the organiser has not published is not here.

What is already set for K 2028

Not much has been published yet, but the date, the start of registration and the advisory board are fixed.

  • Registration from January 2027K 2028 runs from 18 to 25 October 2028 in Düsseldorf. Exhibitor registration opens in January 2027. The exhibitor list will therefore only fill from 2027.Source: Messe Düsseldorf, press release 28 May 2026
  • New chair of the exhibitor advisory boardDr Axel von Wiedersperg (Brückner Group) chairs the K 2028 advisory board. He succeeds Ulrich Reifenhäuser, who led it since 2004. The board advises on focus topics and programme.Source: Messe Düsseldorf, press release 28 May 2026
  • Guiding themes of the last KK 2025 ran under "Shaping the Circular Economy", "Embracing Digitalisation" and "Caring about People". Conversations centred on recycling, automation and efficiency. The themes for 2028 are not yet known.Source: Messe Düsseldorf, press release 16 Oct 2025

Who should you meet there?

Tell us your target customer in one sentence. Kodo matches it against the exhibitor list and tells you within 24 hours who to talk to: 10 exhibitors with occasion, contact and source. Free, no subscription.

We only use your details for the trial list and any follow-up question about it. Privacy

Your fair schedule.

How a sales team uses the fair with Kodo. The dates are calculated from the fair date.

  1. by 6 Sep Target picture Who do you want to meet? Target customer, competitors, existing customers excluded.
  2. by 20 Sep Conversation list Kodo tells you who to talk to: the fitting exhibitors with occasion and contact.
  3. by 11 Oct Appointments Call opening with the source, arrange a meeting at the stand.
  4. 18 Oct to 25 Oct Fair Conversations at the stand, notes per company.
  5. by 8 Nov Follow-up Second contact referring to the conversation, handover to the CRM.

The Kodo angle

Investment cycle on a 3-year beat

K takes place only every three years, which makes it all the more powerful as an investment pacemaker. Around the fair, processors announce new lines, tools and sites. Kodo captures these announcements and turns the trade-show environment into a list of evidenced hot leads.

  • 013-year cycle visibly concentrates investment decisions
  • 02Injection molding/compounding/recycling = clear equipment and tool buyers
  • 03Kodo backs every signal with a source, no list lottery

K as an investment pacemaker

K in Düsseldorf is the largest trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry worldwide and takes place only every three years. This rhythm makes it a strong signal generator: processors often time investments in new injection-molding or extrusion lines, tools and sites around the fair.

Exhibitor context + public signals

Kodo combines the trade-show context with processors' public buying signals: line announcements, tool awards, new halls, hiring. Every match is checked against your target profile and backed by a source, so your sales team starts with a concrete reason instead of a cold address.

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Who should you talk to at this fair?

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