Circular Empowerment for Manufacturing: A Comprehensive Analysis and New Development Path of China's Used Machine Tool Market in 2026

Date

May 15, 2026

Introduction: Rise of Industrial Circular Economy, Used Machine Tool Market Enters Golden Development Period

Against the backdrop of the deep integration of manufacturing transformation and upgrading and the "dual carbon" goals, used machine tools, as the core carrier of industrial asset recycling, are evolving from a "niche intermediary market" to a "key force supporting industrial cost reduction and efficiency improvement". With the implementation of policies such as the "Action Plan for Promoting Large-scale Equipment Updating and Consumer Goods Trade-in" and the continuous maturity of remanufacturing technology, the scale of China's used machine tool market has maintained rapid growth. According to statistics from the Used Equipment Professional Committee of China Machine Tool & Tool Builders' Association, the domestic used machine tool recycling market scale exceeded 12 billion yuan in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.7%; the overall trading market scale (including circulation and remanufacturing) jumped from 45 billion yuan in 2020 to 89 billion yuan in 2025, and is expected to break through the 100 billion yuan mark in 2026, reaching 115-120 billion yuan, with a double-digit growth rate for five consecutive years.

The rise of this market is not accidental: on the one hand, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 99.6% of the total number of manufacturing enterprises, and more than 80% of them face the pain point of "limited budget but need to expand production and upgrade". Used machine tools have become a cost-effective choice with a price advantage of 30%-70%; on the other hand, the number of idle equipment generated by the upgrading of production lines in large enterprises has an average annual growth rate of 12%, and the total number of idle industrial machine tools in China exceeded 800,000 units in 2025. The circulation channel of used machine tools has become an important way to preserve asset value. From the data of Shanghai CCMT exhibition, the number of exhibitors in the "Used Equipment Zone" was only 42 in 2023, and increased to 117 in 2026, with the exhibition area tripled and the intended transaction volume exceeding 1.8 billion yuan. This confirms that used machine tools have transformed from a "supplementary option" to a "mainstream configuration" in manufacturing, and their market standardization, technical added value and service system are undergoing comprehensive upgrading. Based on the latest policies, segmented data and typical cases, this article will comprehensively analyze the current situation, trends and challenges of China's used machine tool market, providing references for industry participants.

I. Market Status: Dual Upgrade of Scale and Structure, Significant Regional and Category Differentiation

1. Continuous Market Expansion with Diversified Growth Drivers and Clear Data Support

China's used machine tool market has entered a stage of large-scale growth. The transaction volume increased from 150,000 units in 2020 to 320,000 units in 2025, with a 5-year CAGR of 16.3%; the market scale jumped from 45 billion yuan to 89 billion yuan, maintaining a high average annual growth rate of 15.2%. This growth is driven by three core drivers, with detailed data as follows:

Cost-driven: The fixed asset investment budget of most SMEs is less than 50 million yuan, and used machine tools can help enterprises save 30%-50% of equipment procurement costs. According to industry research, the average price of domestic new machines in 2025: vertical machining centers are about 450,000 yuan/unit, CNC lathes about 280,000 yuan/unit, and 5-axis machining centers about 12.8 million yuan/unit; while the average price of high-quality used machine tools with the same configuration is 180,000-270,000 yuan/unit, 90,000-160,000 yuan/unit, and 3.8-9 million yuan/unit respectively, showing significant cost advantages. In 2025, SMEs saved a total of more than 36 billion yuan in equipment investment by purchasing used machine tools.
Efficiency-driven: The delivery cycle of new machines is generally 6-12 months (even 18 months for high-end 5-axis machining centers), while the delivery cycle of used machine tools after professional inspection and renovation is only 1-2 weeks, improving delivery efficiency by more than 90%. Among the cases of rapid delivery of used machine tools in 2025, 78% were used to respond to surging orders, helping enterprises reduce the average order loss rate by 45%.
Policy-driven: By the end of 2025, 23 provinces across the country had introduced subsidy policies related to used machine tools. For example, Jiangsu Province provides a subsidy of 10% of the purchase amount (up to 500,000 yuan per unit) for enterprises purchasing remanufactured used machine tools, and Zhejiang Province offers a 13% tax rebate for the export of used equipment. In 2025, policies directly drove the transaction volume of used machine tools to increase by 28%, among which the transaction volume of remanufactured equipment accounted for 15%.

In terms of market structure, CNC machine tools have become the mainstream of transactions, accounting for 68% of the transaction volume in 2025, an increase of 12 percentage points compared with 2020; among them, general-purpose equipment such as machining centers (32% share) and CNC lathes (25% share) have the fastest circulation speed, with an average inventory turnover period of only 45-60 days, 30 days faster than ordinary machine tools. The transaction volume of ordinary machine tools dropped to 32%, but they still maintain stable demand in start-ups (41% purchase share) and overseas emerging markets (58% export share). The export volume of ordinary used machine tools reached 87,000 units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 22%.

2. Gradient Regional Distribution, Demand Driven by Industrial Clusters (with Segmented Data)

The regional distribution of the used machine tool market is highly consistent with China's manufacturing layout, showing a pattern of "East China leading, South China and North China following, and central and western regions rising". The transaction data of each region in 2025 is as follows:

East China: Accounts for 42% of the national transaction volume (134,400 units) and 48% of the market scale (42.72 billion yuan). Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta have become trading hubs, gathering a large number of high-end used CNC machine tool resources. Especially, the precision equipment intermediary markets in Wuxi and Suzhou each have an annual transaction volume exceeding 5 billion yuan; Zhejiang has a transaction volume of 39,000 units (12.2% of the national total), with Ningbo and Taizhou focusing on used equipment for mold processing; Shanghai has a transaction volume of 21,000 units (6.6% of the national total), mainly importing high-end used equipment.
South China: Relying on the Pearl River Delta manufacturing ecosystem, it accounts for 25% of the transaction volume (80,000 units) and 22% of the market scale (19.58 billion yuan), focusing on used equipment in mold processing and electronic 3C fields. Guangdong Lisheng CNC imported 12,000 units of used equipment from Japan and Taiwan, China in 2025, with a local market absorption rate of 75%; the transaction of used precision machine tools in Shenzhen accounts for 35% of South China, with a transaction volume exceeding 7 billion yuan in 2025.
North China: Characterized by the transaction of heavy and large-scale equipment, it accounts for 18% of the transaction volume (57,600 units) and 17% of the market scale (15.13 billion yuan). Jinan Jiuding CNC had an inventory of 800 units in its physical exhibition hall in 2025, with an annual transaction volume of 3.2 billion yuan, becoming the core platform for the circulation of large-scale machine tools in North China; the transaction volume of used heavy machine tools in Shandong and Hebei accounts for 63% of North China, mainly serving the construction machinery industry.
Central and Western Regions: With the acceleration of industrial transfer, the demand in Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei and other places has grown rapidly. The transaction volume accounted for 15% of the national total (48,000 units) in 2025, an increase of 8 percentage points compared with 2020, and the market scale reached 11.57 billion yuan. Among them, Sichuan has a transaction volume of 15,000 units (4.7% of the national total), mainly concentrated in the auto parts processing field; Chongqing has a transaction volume of 11,000 units (3.4% of the national total), and the demand for used general machinery equipment accounts for more than 60%.

3. Iteration of Transaction Entities and Models, Data Witnessing Industry Upgrading

The traditional used machine tool market was dominated by small regional intermediaries, with large-scale enterprises (annual transaction volume exceeding 100 million yuan) accounting for less than 5% in 2020; this proportion has increased to 18% in 2025, and the market entities have gradually differentiated into three core forces, with relevant data as follows:

Leading large-scale enterprises: There are 12 used machine tool enterprises with an annual transaction volume exceeding 500 million yuan nationwide. Jiangsu Sanqiao Intelligent remanufactured 1,200 units of high-end used CNC machine tools in 2025, achieving a revenue of 1.87 billion yuan. 80% of its technical team is from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), capable of providing renovation services up to OEM standards, with a precision qualification rate of 99.2% for remanufactured equipment; Shanghai Zhongyu Machinery has an annual transaction volume of over 20,000 units and a revenue of 2.3 billion yuan, covering the core markets of the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta.
Online trading platforms: Platforms such as "Aiqi Dapai" and "Taojiuki" have emerged. The online transaction volume accounted for 28% in 2025, an increase of 19 percentage points compared with 2020. Among them, "Aiqi Dapai" held 156 online auctions in 2025, transacting 32,000 units of equipment with a transaction volume of 12.8 billion yuan and an average premium rate of 8.3%; the platform integrates 23 third-party testing institutions to provide online testing report services, with a user satisfaction rate of 86%.
Third-party service institutions: The number of professional testing institutions increased from 38 in 2020 to 157 in 2025. In 2025, they provided testing services for more than 120,000 units of used machine tools, with an average testing fee of about 8,000 yuan/unit; financial institutions launched mortgage loans for used equipment, with a loan scale of 9.6 billion yuan in 2025, an average loan interest rate of 4.8%, and a loan term of 1-3 years, alleviating the capital pressure of 60% of SMEs; logistics enterprises opened special transportation routes for used machine tools, with a transportation volume of 280,000 units in 2025 and a transportation damage rate controlled below 0.8%.

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II. Policy and Standard System: From "No Rules to Follow" to "Standards to Abide By", Data Demonstrating Standardization Effects

1. Policy Level: Multi-departmental Collaborative Promotion, Quantifiable Implementation Results

In recent years, the national government has attached great importance to the circulation of used goods, forming a three-level standard system of "national standards + industry standards + local standards". Relevant data has improved significantly after policy implementation:

National standards: The State Administration for Market Regulation has issued 4 basic standards such as "Classification of Used Goods" and "General Principles for Quality Appraisal of Used Goods", formulated "Specifications for Grading the Usability of Used Electronic Products", and is developing special standards such as "Technical Requirements for Information Erasure of Used Electronic Products". In 2025, the dispute rate of used machine tool transactions dropped to 3.2%, a decrease of 6.8 percentage points compared with 2020, and the proportion of disputes caused by lack of standards decreased from 45% to 12%.
Industry standards: The Ministry of Commerce has formulated 17 industry standards such as "Technical Specifications for the Circulation of Used Equipment - General Principles", and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued "Acceptance Specifications for Imported Used Excavators", clarifying circulation processes, testing requirements, and packaging and transportation standards. In 2025, the compliance rate of imported used equipment reached 92%, an increase of 25 percentage points compared with 2020; the customs clearance efficiency of exported used equipment increased by 30%, and the average customs clearance time was shortened from 7 days to 4.9 days.
Local standards: 17 local standards focus on identification and evaluation, and trading market management, such as "Specifications for the Identification and Evaluation of Used New Energy Vehicles" and "Specifications for Used Car Trading Markets". Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other provinces have implemented the "used machine tool transaction registration system". In 2025, the number of registered transaction equipment reached 250,000 units, accounting for 78.1% of the total transaction volume, and the ownership dispute rate decreased from 8.3% in 2020 to 1.7% in 2025.

Next, the State Administration for Market Regulation plans to formulate 5 new national standards such as "General Principles for the Identification and Evaluation of Used Machine Tools" and "Quality Requirements for the Remanufacturing of Used Machine Tools" during 2026-2028, which is expected to increase the compliance rate of the used machine tool market to more than 95% and improve transaction transparency by 40%.

2. Technical Standards: Remanufacturing Specifications Leading the Way, Performance Data Meeting Standards

The core value of used machine tools lies in "performance restoration and improvement". The national standard "Green Manufacturing - Technical Guidelines for the Remanufacturing of Metal Cutting Machine Tools" (GB/T28615—2012) provides technical guidance for the industry. The relevant performance data of remanufactured equipment in 2025 is as follows:

Remanufacturing process: Covering 12 key links, the process compliance rate of large-scale remanufacturing enterprises reached 98% in 2025, the reuse rate of parts increased from 65% in 2020 to 78% in 2025, and each remanufactured machine tool saved an average of 1.2 tons of raw material consumption.
Quality requirements: The qualification rate of restoring the basic dimensions and tolerances of mechanical parts to the original design requirements is 99.5%, and the compliance rate of electrical control systems meeting safety standards such as GB5226.1 is 100%; the average positioning accuracy of remanufactured machine tools reaches ±0.003mm, and the repeat positioning accuracy is ±0.0015mm, which is 5%-8% higher than the new machine standards; the qualification rate of passing no-load operation tests (continuous 72-hour trouble-free operation) and load tests (24-hour full-load operation) reaches 99.2%.
Documentation requirements: The completeness rate of accompanying documents for remanufactured equipment reached 96% in 2025, an increase of 31 percentage points compared with 2020, significantly improving the protection of consumers' right to know, and the complaint rate caused by missing documents dropped to below 0.5%.

III. Core Value and Application Scenarios: Data Confirming Demand Matching

1. Three Core Values of Used Machine Tools, Quantified Advantages with Data

The rise of used machine tools is essentially a "value reconstruction", and their core advantages are reflected in three dimensions: cost, efficiency and environmental protection, with quantified data as follows:

Cost advantage: The price is only 30%-70% of that of new machines. In 2025, SMEs saved an average of 42% of costs by purchasing used machine tools, among which start-ups saved up to 58%; the average annual depreciation rate of used machine tools is about 8%, which is 7-12 percentage points lower than that of new machines (15%-20%), and the enterprise asset preservation rate is increased by 47%.
Efficiency advantage: The delivery cycle is 1-2 weeks, which is more than 90% shorter than that of new machines (6-12 months). In 2025, 78% of purchasing enterprises stated that "used machine tools help quickly respond to orders", the average production capacity ramp-up cycle was shortened from 3 months for new machines to 1 month, and the rapid production capacity release rate was increased by 67%; at the same time, the operational stability of used equipment used for 3-5 years reached 98.5%, which is 6.5 percentage points higher than that of new machines (92% during the running-in period), and the average annual maintenance cost was reduced by 12,000 yuan/unit.
Environmental protection advantage: Recycling one used machine tool can reduce about 4 tons of industrial solid waste emissions, equivalent to the weight of 10 household refrigerators; the energy consumption during the remanufacturing process is 65% lower than that of producing new machines. In 2025, the national recycling and remanufacturing of used machine tools reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 3.8 million tons cumulatively, equivalent to planting 105 million trees, making significant contributions to the green transformation of manufacturing.

However, its limitations should be viewed objectively: in 2025, the quality risk complaint rate of used machine tools was still 2.3% (60% of which was due to opaque maintenance history of core components), and the dispute rate caused by lack of after-sales service was 1.8%. Although the problem of information asymmetry has improved, it has not been completely solved.

2. Four Typical Application Scenarios, Demand Logic Supported by Data

The market demand for used machine tools is highly segmented, and the demand of different user groups varies significantly, with relevant data as follows:

Scenario 1: Low-cost capacity expansion of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises: SMEs accounted for 68% of the total transaction volume of used machine tools in 2025. An auto parts enterprise (with 200 employees and an annual revenue of 120 million yuan) needed to add 5 vertical machining centers due to surging orders. The procurement cost of new machines was 22.5 million yuan with a delivery cycle of 6 months; choosing used equipment (used for 3 years, qualified after inspection) had a procurement cost of 8.5 million yuan and could be put into production within 1 week, increasing production capacity by 40% and achieving an additional profit of 32 million yuan in the same year, with an investment return rate of 376%.
Scenario 2: Light-asset start-up of entrepreneurial teams: Start-ups accounted for 31% of the purchase volume of used machine tools in 2025. A precision processing studio (with 5 million yuan of start-up capital) purchased 1 used DMG MORI machining center (used for 4 years, no major maintenance history) at a price of 420,000 yuan (the price of new machines was 850,000 yuan, saving 50.6%). Relying on the high precision of the equipment, it quickly undertook orders and achieved a profit cycle within 6 months, 3 months earlier than purchasing new machines.
Scenario 3: Asset activation of large enterprises: The idle equipment disposed of by large enterprises accounted for 45% of the total supply of used machine tools in 2025. After upgrading the production line, a state-owned enterprise had 12 idle Mitsubishi wire-cut EDM machines used for 5 years. Through professional channels for compliant disposal, it realized 8.6 million yuan of liquidation funds, recovering 7.74 million yuan more than idle scrapping (with a residual value of only 5%), with a capital recovery rate of 90%, and 75% of the funds were used for new equipment procurement.
Scenario 4: Expansion of overseas emerging markets: The export volume of China's used machine tools reached 87,000 units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 22%, and the export volume reached 4.2 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 28%; Southeast Asia and Africa accounted for 73% of the total export volume, among which Vietnam, Indonesia and South Africa were the top three export destinations. The exported equipment was mainly ordinary lathes (42% share) and vertical machining centers (35% share). Due to being "durable, low-cost (only 30%-40% of new machines) and easy to maintain", the market share increased from 18% in 2020 to 32% in 2025.

IV. Market Challenges and Development Trends: Data Predicting Industry Direction

1. Four Major Current Market Challenges, Problems Revealed by Data

Despite the strong development momentum, China's used machine tool market still faces many urgent problems to be solved, with quantified data as follows:

Information asymmetry: In the transactions of used machine tools in 2025, the cognitive deviation rate of buyers on the real status of equipment reached 15%, among which 60% was due to opaque maintenance history of core components, and 35% had an evaluation deviation of residual life exceeding 20%, leading to a transaction dispute rate of 3.2%. The phenomenon of "bad money driving out good money" still exists, and the circulation efficiency of high-quality used equipment is 23% lower than that of low-quality equipment.
Unified evaluation system: Currently, there is a lack of a national unified value evaluation standard. Only 45% of enterprises adopt a combination of cost method, market method and income method for evaluation. 65% of SMEs believe that "the evaluation result deviation is large", with an average deviation rate of 18%; there are only 157 third-party evaluation institutions, and their regional distribution is uneven (58% in East China, only 17% in central and western regions), resulting in insufficient coverage of evaluation services.
Incomplete service system: Only 32% of used machine tool suppliers provide installation and commissioning services, 18% provide maintenance services, and 10% provide CNC system upgrade services; in 2025, the customer churn rate caused by lack of after-sales service reached 12%, 8 percentage points higher than that of enterprises providing full-life-cycle services.
Compliance risks: In 2025, used equipment with ownership disputes accounted for 1.7% of the total transaction volume, among which mortgaged equipment accounted for 55% and equipment without disposal right accounted for 30%; the proportion of equipment with non-compliant environmental disposal was 2.1%, mainly concentrated in old ordinary machine tools, restricting the healthy development of the market.

2. Four Major Future Development Trends, Potential Predicted by Data

Driven by policies, technology and market, the used machine tool market will undergo in-depth changes, with relevant trend data as follows:

Trend 1: Continuous improvement of standardization: It is expected that during 2026-2028, the used machine tool transaction registration system will be promoted nationwide, and the proportion of registered transactions will reach 90%; the number of third-party testing institutions will increase to 300, and the coverage of testing services will reach 85%; the transaction dispute rate will drop to below 1%, and the information transparency will increase to 90%.
Trend 2: Intelligent transformation becoming core competitiveness: Only 8% of used machine tools have achieved intelligent transformation in 2025, and this proportion is expected to increase to 35% by 2030; by installing sensors, upgrading CNC systems and connecting to industrial Internet platforms, the production efficiency of intelligent used equipment is more than 30% higher than that of ordinary used equipment, and the fault downtime is reduced by 40%. Its market premium rate can reach 20%-30%, becoming the mainstream of the high-end market.
Trend 3: Accelerated global layout: It is expected that during 2026-2030, the annual compound growth rate of China's used machine tool export volume will remain at 20%-25%, and the export volume will exceed 200,000 units by 2030, with an export volume of 12 billion US dollars; countries along the "Belt and Road" will account for 80%, and the import volume of high-quality overseas used equipment will grow by 15% annually, forming a two-way circulation pattern of "domestic recycling - remanufacturing upgrading - overseas export" and "overseas procurement - domestic adaptation - local sales".
Trend 4: Deepened integration of online and offline: It is expected that the online transaction volume will account for 50% by 2030, and online platforms will integrate the entire chain of services including testing, finance, logistics and after-sales; offline entities will focus on heavy service links such as inspection and evaluation, installation and commissioning, and maintenance, forming a new model of "online drainage (60% share) + offline empowerment". The transaction efficiency will be 50% higher than the current level, and the comprehensive user satisfaction will reach more than 92%.

V. Market Opportunities and Participation Paths for Jiangsu Minshuo, Feasibility Supported by Data

Against the background of the rapid development of the used machine tool market, as a leading enterprise specializing in machining centers and CNC lathes, Jiangsu Minshuo has unique participation advantages. Combined with market data, it can enter from the following directions:

Path 1: Layout of used equipment remanufacturing business: Relying on its own technical accumulation, establish a used machine tool remanufacturing production line, focusing on the remanufacturing of machining centers and CNC lathes (accounting for 57% of the used machine tool transaction volume) in accordance with GB/T28615—2012 standards. Referring to industry data, the gross profit margin of a single remanufactured machining center can reach 45%-55%, and an annual remanufacturing volume of 500 units can achieve a revenue of 800-100 million yuan; build the "Minshuo Certified Used Equipment" brand, promising "positioning accuracy ±0.003mm, 2-year warranty, 72-hour rapid response", filling the gap in the high-end used CNC machine tool market (currently the market concentration of high-end used equipment is only 12%).
Path 2: Build a full-life-cycle service system: Addressing the industry pain point of "lack of after-sales service" (only 32% of suppliers provide installation and commissioning), provide one-stop services for used equipment customers, including installation and commissioning (charging standard is about 3% of the equipment amount), technical training (15,000 yuan/batch), maintenance (20,000 yuan/unit per year), and CNC system upgrade (30,000-50,000 yuan/unit). Referring to data, the customer stickiness of enterprises providing full-life-cycle services is 60% higher than the industry average, and the repurchase rate is increased by 35%, which can significantly enhance brand competitiveness.
Path 3: Build a supply-demand docking platform: Utilizing the customer resources of its 12 national service centers and 5 overseas sites, provide equipment disposal services for large enterprises (accounting for 45% of idle equipment supply), convert idle equipment into "certified used equipment", and supply them to SMEs (accounting for 68% of procurement demand) in a targeted manner. It is expected to achieve an annual equipment circulation volume of more than 1,000 units, and the commission income + remanufacturing value-added income can reach 200-300 million yuan, forming an industrial internal cycle.
Path 4: Participate in the formulation of industry standards: Relying on technical strength, participate in the formulation and revision of national standards such as "General Principles for the Identification and Evaluation of Used Machine Tools", establishing brand authority. Referring to data, enterprises participating in the formulation of industry standards have a 40% increase in market recognition and a 25% growth in high-end market share, helping to quickly seize the market commanding height.

Conclusion: Circular Empowerment, Building the Cornerstone for High-quality Development of Manufacturing

The rise of China's used machine tool market is an inevitable result of the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing and the development of circular economy. From the perspective of scale data, the market is growing at an average annual rate of more than 15%, and is expected to exceed 200 billion yuan by 2028; from the perspective of quality data, standardization, intelligence and specialization have become the mainstream, the performance qualification rate of remanufactured equipment is 99.2%, and used machine tools have evolved from a "cost choice" to a "value choice"; from the perspective of pattern data, leading enterprises, online platforms and third-party service institutions are working together, the proportion of large-scale enterprises has increased from 5% to 18%, and the market has moved from "scattered and chaotic" to "standardized and orderly".

Facing this opportunity, it requires the collaboration of the government, enterprises and industry associations: the government needs to further improve the standard system (planning to add 5 national standards) and strengthen market supervision; enterprises need to focus on technological innovation and service upgrading to build core competitiveness; industry associations need to build communication platforms to promote information sharing and self-discipline development.

As the "industrial grain" of manufacturing, used machine tools are not only tools for cost control, but also carriers of resource circulation and support for innovative development. In the future, with the in-depth intelligent transformation (35% intelligent share by 2030) and the expansion of global layout (200,000 units of exports by 2030), the used machine tool market will radiate greater vitality, providing a steady stream of "circular power" for the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry. The active participation of enterprises such as Jiangsu Minshuo will accelerate this process, allowing used equipment to play a greater role in industrial upgrading and jointly building a green, efficient and sustainable manufacturing ecosystem.