In 2026, China’s forklift and manual hydraulic pallet truck industry enters a critical upgrading stage, focusing on electrification, digitalization and eco-friendliness, with steady growth and optimized structure.
The 2026 forklift market is expected to reach RMB 51.71 billion, up 7.2% YoY. Electric forklift penetration exceeds 70%, lithium-battery models account for over 60%, and hydrogen fuel cell forklifts are in small-batch commercial use. XCMG and BYD launch rapid battery-swapping and low-temperature sodium-ion forklifts. Intelligent forklifts come with AGV and remote monitoring as standard, pushing up unit prices by 9.7%. Jan-Feb exports hit 90,200 units (22% YoY), with Southeast Asia and the Middle East as key markets. TSG 08-2026 regulations, effective May, tighten forklift safety management.
The manual hydraulic pallet truck market will reach RMB 12.85 billion in 2026, up 12.4% YoY. Products upgrade to lightweight, silent and explosion-proof, with ceramic pump cores, NFC chips and overload warnings as standard. GB/T 27542-2025 mandates annual inspections; units without electronic tags are banned from large logistics parks since March. CR5 is expected to exceed 45%, led by Nolif, Hangcha and Heli. Eco-materials and low-carbon production bring 5%-12% export premium.
The industry accelerates transformation to electrification, digitalization, eco-friendliness and scenario-specific use. Specialized forklifts and intelligent handling equipment become mainstream, with compliance and service as core competitiveness.