Composite is a light, stiff panel of fiber set in polymer, made in a Mixer. It is as hard as steel plate at a fraction of its density. The courier, clipper, picket, escort, fighter and bomber are built with it, and so are the Foundry, the foundry works, shielding, heavy frames and the compressed hold.
Composite comes at the end of a long chain: ice is melted into water, water is split into hydrogen, and hydrogen and carbon become polymer and fiber. Ice is richest in the Fade.