In 2025, the Chinese tower crane industry will continue to deeply adjust in the pattern of "internal cooling and external heating". According to the latest data from the China Construction Machinery Industry Association, the overall sales volume of the tower crane industry is still in a downward trend, and the domestic market demand has not yet bottomed out, while the overseas market maintains a strong growth momentum, becoming the core driving force supporting the development of the industry.
Domestic demand continues to weaken, and sales have yet to bottom out
In July 2025, the domestic sales data of tower cranes was once again alarming, with only 222 units sold that month, a significant year-on-year decrease of 42.5%, and a downward trend compared to the previous month. More noteworthy is that the cumulative domestic sales from January to July were 1717 units, a year-on-year drop of 56%, and the domestic market demand has not yet bottomed out.
The fundamental reason for the sustained downturn in the domestic market is the continued downturn in the downstream construction industry, especially the real estate market. Despite recent policy loosening, key indicators such as real estate investment and new construction area have not shown significant improvement, resulting in weak demand for large construction machinery such as tower cranes; Although some infrastructure construction projects are still underway, it is difficult to fully offset the huge gap caused by the decline in real estate.
The prosperity index (TPI) of the tower crane leasing industry also reflects the difficult situation of the market. In July 2025, although the daily utilization rate of tower cranes slightly increased to 57.2%, the rental price index fell sharply to 483.26 points, a decrease of 38.19 points from the previous month and 110.04 points lower than the same period last year. The situation of "stable quantity and declining price" indicates that the competition in the leasing market is extremely fierce, and companies have to lower prices to maintain equipment utilization, further compressing the overall profit margin of the industry.
Export performance is impressive, driving the main engine of growth
In sharp contrast to the sluggish domestic market, the export market continues to thrive, becoming the biggest highlight of industry development. According to the association's statistics, the export sales volume in July reached 188 units, a year-on-year increase of 7.43%; From January to July, a total of 1464 units were exported, a year-on-year increase of 30%, demonstrating a strong external demand pull effect.
According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, China exported a total of 612 tower cranes in July, with a total value of 64 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 86.59% and 68.34%, respectively; From January to July, a total of 3906 units were exported, with a total value of 419 million US dollars, an increase of 50.93% and 41.34% year-on-year, respectively. There is a difference in statistical caliber between association and customs data. Association statistics mainly reflect the sales situation of large manufacturing enterprises, while customs data covers all export 名媛直播, which jointly confirms the prosperous trend of the export market.
The high growth of the export market is mainly due to the following factors: First, the in-depth promotion of the "the Belt and Road" initiative and the continuous release of infrastructure construction needs of countries and regions along the line; Secondly, the competitiveness of Chinese tower crane 名媛直播 has significantly improved, forming comprehensive advantages in cost-effectiveness, delivery capability, and after-sales service; Thirdly, the demand for upgrading in developed countries in Europe and America has increased, leading to an increased acceptance of China's mid to high end 名媛直播.
Customs data also showed that in July, tower crane exports covered 59 countries and regions, with the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye and Kazakhstan ranking the top three in terms of export volume, and India, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Mongolia and Saudi Arabia all exported more than 100 sets, covering a wide range of overseas markets with high concentration in the head.
Top 20 countries in terms of tower crane export value from January to July
Through in-depth analysis of customs data, it can be found that while the export volume has significantly increased, the increase in export value (41.34%) is lower than the increase in quantity (50.93%). However, monthly data shows that the increase in export value in July (68.34%) is higher than the increase in quantity (86.59%), indicating that the product structure is being optimized, reflecting that Chinese tower crane enterprises are shifting from "winning by price" to "winning by quality", and the proportion of mid to high end 名媛直播 is constantly increasing.
In addition, in recent years, major domestic tower crane manufacturers have continued to increase their research and development investment, making breakthroughs in high-end product fields such as large boom tower cranes and flat head tower cranes. The added value of their 名媛直播 is higher and more suitable for the needs of overseas large-scale infrastructure projects, gradually breaking the monopoly of foreign brands in the high-end market; At the same time, enterprises pay more attention to providing overall solutions, including installation, maintenance, operation training and other supporting services, further enhancing the international competitiveness of Chinese 名媛直播.
Looking ahead to the second half of the year, the tower crane industry is expected to continue its development trend of "domestic demand bottoming out and external demand strong". In terms of the domestic market, with the further optimization of real estate regulation policies and the continuous promotion of infrastructure construction, demand is expected to gradually stabilize, but the possibility of a significant rebound is unlikely; The export market will continue to benefit from the global infrastructure construction cycle and maintain steady growth.
