Where is the ceiling for forklift sales? This question is unlikely to be answered in the short term! Since the second half of 2023, breaking monthly sales records for forklifts has become the norm!
In September 2025, a total of 130,380 forklifts were sold, a significant year-on-year increase of 23%, exceeding the same period last year by more than 24,000 units, unsurprisingly setting another new monthly record.
Looking back at the 30 months from April 2023 to September 2025, forklift sales growth was negative in only two months: -34.25% in February 2024 and -15.40% in January 2025. All other months saw positive growth, with 21 months exceeding 10% growth; and in the nine months since the beginning of this year, seven months have seen growth exceeding 10%. Except for January, when sales fell short of the same period last year, all other months broke their monthly sales records.
Exports are particularly strong!
Using the period from April 2023 to September 2025 as a sample, monthly forklift exports only saw a year-on-year decline in February 2024, with a year-on-year growth rate exceeding 10% for as many as 26 months! Looking at historical monthly export data, this represents a record high for 19 consecutive months!
It's clear that the recovery of global manufacturing is driving demand for forklifts. The development of the logistics industry and the advancement of warehouse automation have also led to a continuous increase in forklift demand. Furthermore, accelerated industrialization and project cluster construction in overseas countries have created incremental space for my country's forklift exports. At the same time, Chinese forklifts, based on product quality and diversified designs, offer high cost-effectiveness, meeting the needs of different markets and customers. This cost-effectiveness advantage is particularly prominent in emerging markets, thus contributing to the continued growth in export sales.
Compared to exports, the performance of the Chinese domestic market is slightly weaker. From January to September, cumulative forklift exports reached 409,031 units, a year-on-year increase of 15.5%, while cumulative domestic sales in China reached 697,375 units, a year-on-year increase of 13.1%. However, in the past four months, the Chinese domestic forklift market has seen very strong growth momentum, with year-on-year growth rates reaching 27.97%, 14.35%, 19.28%, and 29.26% respectively, surpassing exports in terms of growth rate.
In short, whether in China or overseas, forklift sales are on a strong upward trend. Combined with the consistently rising sales trend in recent years, it's easy to conclude that the forklift market is still in a phase of growth, presenting a vast blue ocean with immense opportunities and potential!
