More than half of China’s excavators now go abroad

Chinese manufacturers sold 22,717 excavators in September 2026, up 14.4% from a year earlier, the China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA) said on October 13. The domestic market took 9,911 units (+7.16%) and exports 12,806 (+20.7%).

From January to September, sales reached 214,274 excavators (+23.1%). Exports totalled 109,744 units (+30.4%), above the 104,530 sold in China (+16.3%). Electric excavators remain few: 629 domestically and 322 exported in the period.

For loaders, September saw 12,419 units (+17.9%), with 6,646 exported (+21.3%). Year to date, sales were 117,077 (+24.9%), with 58,717 exported (+34.2%). Domestically, 33,865 of the 58,360 loaders sold were electric, while exports included 3,229 electric units.

CSP take: exports have become the Chinese excavator industry’s largest market. For buyers, that means makers more willing to invest in dealers, parts and service; now is the time to get those commitments in writing. This reading is ours, not the CCMA’s.