From Interact Analysis
The import and export markets of excavators and loaders in China both exhibit a clear export-oriented characteristic. According to the latest statistics from the General Administration of Customs, in 2025, the total import and export value of excavators in China reached nearly 78 billion yuan, and the total import and export value of loaders was nearly 32 billion yuan. Among them, the export amount of excavators and loaders accounted for more than 95% of the overall import and export. This article will focus on the export situation of excavators and loaders in China in 2025. Excavator
Russia leads the way, and two African countries rank among the top ten.
In 2025, the Chinese excavator export market showed a high growth trend. The exports covered more than 200 countries and regions around the world, with the total export amount approaching 77 billion yuan, and the year-on-year growth exceeded 30%. From the perspective of the export amount structure, the top five export destinations were Russia, Indonesia, Belgium, Guinea, and the Philippines, collectively accounting for nearly 35% of China's excavator export total amount. The market concentration slightly decreased compared to 2024.
From the change in regional distribution, in 2025, the export pattern showed a clear feature of being driven by emerging markets. With the continuous release of infrastructure construction and mining investment demands in the African region, the African countries Guinea and Mali both ranked among the top ten in export amount this year, respectively ranking fourth and seventh, replacing Ghana and Vietnam, which ranked seventh and tenth respectively in 2024. From the performance of individual countries, the Russian market showed particularly prominent growth. In 2025, China's excavator export to Russia increased by nearly 45% year-on-year, maintaining a strong growth momentum even on a high base, directly pushing Russia to become the country with the largest export amount of excavators to China.
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Loader
Russia and the United States lead the way but demand shows a pullback.
In 2025, China's loader exports witnessed a steady growth trend, with the export scope covering over 200 countries and regions worldwide. The total export amount approached 32 billion yuan, increasing by nearly 15% compared to the previous year. From the distribution of export amounts, Russia, the United States, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates ranked among the top five export destinations, accounting for nearly 30% of China's loader export. The market concentration had significantly decreased compared to the previous year.
From the perspective of market structure changes, in 2025, the export structure of China's loaders presented the characteristic of new markets filling the gap and some major markets under pressure. Among them, Germany replaced Mexico in the top ten export amounts this year. With the continuous positive impact of Germany's infrastructure investment policies, China's export to Germany increased by more than 50% compared to the previous year. From the performance of major single markets, although Russia and the United States still ranked first and second among China's loader export destinations, their export amounts to these two countries decreased by more than 30% compared to the previous year. Overall, loader exports maintained a total growth while the regional distribution was becoming more dispersed.
Final Remarks
In 2026, the Chinese construction machinery import and export market is expected to continue to follow an export-led pattern. Under the combined influence of the continuous release of global infrastructure construction demands, the accelerated urbanization process in emerging markets, and the deepening of the Belt and Road cooperation, the competitive advantages of Chinese excavators and loaders in the international market are expected to be further consolidated. Regions such as Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia may become important drivers for export growth. With the global trend of electric and intelligent construction machinery, green manufacturing is becoming the core competitiveness of enterprises. The export of Chinese construction machinery will continuously advance from scale expansion to quality improvement and brand building.
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