The production of novel products from combustion ash poses great technical challenges. Nevertheless, significant progress has been made in this area in recent years, and a number of novel products are at an advanced stage in the laboratory, or even at the pilot-scale stage, en route to the marketplace. This paper sets out the issues that impact on the passage of novel products from research stage, through pilot stage, to the commercial marketplace. The importance of product standards is presented and discussed, and important legislation on health and safety and environmental matters considered. The roles of national and local taxation on the commercial prospects for new materials from ash are considered, and the barriers that can impede successful marketing of the products (eg customer perception) set out. The paper concludes with comments on how the market for ash products is developing and what remains to be done in the future.