Introduction: A Month of Robust Recovery
The latest sales figures for November confirm a significant and broad-based recovery within China's construction machinery sector. After a period of adjustment, multiple key product categories have returned to strong growth trajectories, signaling renewed vitality in both domestic infrastructure activity and global demand for Chinese manufacturing.

Solid Growth in Core Earthmoving Equipment
The industry's mainstay products—excavators and loaders—led the upturn with dependable performance. Excavator sales increased by 13.9% year-on-year, while loaders experienced a more pronounced surge of 32.1%. Notably, vibratory rollers displayed exceptional strength, with sales soaring 39.3%. A consistent theme across these segments was the outperformance of export markets compared to domestic sales, underscoring the global competitiveness of Chinese machinery. Roller exports, in particular, skyrocketed by 48%, highlighting strong international demand for road construction equipment.

Divergent Trends within the Lifting Sector
The crane segment presented a picture of contrasting fortunes. Crawler cranes and truck-mounted cranes emerged as clear leaders, boasting staggering growth rates of 66.2% and 44.6%, respectively. Domestic sales for crawler cranes more than doubled (up 102%), likely fueled by specific mega-projects in energy and heavy industry. Conversely, tower cranes continued to face headwinds, with November sales falling 31.8%, driven by a sharp 49% drop in domestic demand. However, a silver lining was found in exports, which grew 3.23% for the month and are up 26.1% year-to-date, helping to mitigate domestic pressures.

Mixed Signals from Aerial and Material Handling Equipment
The market for aerial work platforms remained in negative territory, though the rate of decline improved. Sales in November were down 22.4%. Interestingly, the domestic market for this equipment showed its first positive growth in nearly two years, rising over 20%, while exports fell sharply by nearly 40%. In contrast, aerial work trucks recorded an explosive 133% surge in November exports. For industrial vehicles—the sector's largest segment by volume—sales reached 119,749 units in November, up 14.1%. Strong domestic demand, rising 23.9%, significantly outpaced modest export growth (0.7%), reflecting solid activity in manufacturing and logistics.

Market Analysis: Evolving Drivers of Demand
The cumulative data from January to November 2025 paints a picture of a stabilizing industry. Domestically, the growth engine is shifting. Demand is no longer broadly driven by massive, blanket investment but is increasingly concentrated in specific areas like new energy infrastructure, major industrial projects, and urban maintenance. This is evidenced by the high growth of crawler cranes, motor graders, and aerial work trucks.
Exports continue to be a critical pillar of growth, showcasing the enduring cost and supply chain advantages of "Made in China." However, the export landscape is maturing; it is no longer uniformly prosperous. Performance is now highly dependent on product type, the economic conditions of target markets, and geopolitical factors, presenting a complex mix of risks and opportunities.

Conclusion: On a Steady Path Forward
Overall, China's engineering machinery industry is firmly on a track of steady recovery. The November data provides compelling evidence of this turnaround. Strong domestic demand in targeted sectors, combined with resilient export performance for many products, is effectively balancing out weaknesses in specific categories like tower cranes. This diversified growth, coupled with the industry's ongoing technological and product evolution, lays a solid foundation for sustained and stable development in the period ahead.