China Additive Manufacturing Exports: Plastic vs Metal
Additive equipment customs data
Compare plastic/rubber and metal deposit equipment
Material-process scope, same-month values and complete cumulative windows matter.
Current published trade snapshot
Plastic/rubber deposit equipment · 2026-08 · GACC customs USD · Release 2026-09-21T093840Z
- Monthly export value
- $213.26M
- Same-month YoY
- +57.0%
- Observed trend window
- 2025-01 – 2026-08
| Product | Monthly USD | YoY | MoM | YTD YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic/rubber deposit equipment | $213.26M | +57.0% | -2.7% | +109.6% |
| Metal deposit equipment | $6.42M | -25.0% | -13.8% | +42.3% |
- Plastic/rubber deposit equipment · HS 84852000
- Metal deposit equipment · HS 84851000
View monthly values
| Month | Plastic/rubber deposit equipment (USD) | Metal deposit equipment (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-01 | 91,975,884 | 3,838,901 |
| 2025-02 | 63,363,527 | 4,114,870 |
| 2025-03 | 98,872,607 | 4,928,755 |
| 2025-04 | 123,236,301 | 3,198,546 |
| 2025-05 | 111,110,944 | 6,087,838 |
| 2025-06 | 105,476,462 | 4,285,295 |
| 2025-07 | 103,071,039 | 7,623,206 |
| 2025-08 | 135,794,930 | 8,554,334 |
| 2025-09 | 131,758,660 | 7,390,475 |
| 2025-10 | 134,851,006 | 9,207,925 |
| 2025-11 | 171,662,652 | 4,755,806 |
| 2025-12 | 194,241,271 | 11,537,506 |
| 2026-01 | 214,015,766 | 8,649,080 |
| 2026-02 | 182,777,869 | 8,514,512 |
| 2026-03 | 177,336,986 | 9,528,954 |
| 2026-04 | 252,342,448 | 5,376,368 |
| 2026-05 | 238,508,577 | 5,839,985 |
| 2026-06 | 248,237,503 | 8,895,699 |
| 2026-07 | 219,172,601 | 7,450,251 |
| 2026-08 | 213,257,600 | 6,419,265 |
Leading reported destinations · Plastic/rubber deposit equipment · 2026-08
| Partner | USD value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $110.00M | 51.6% |
| Germany | $57.82M | 27.1% |
| Canada | $8.48M | 4.0% |
| Japan | $3.96M | 1.9% |
| Mexico | $3.96M | 1.9% |
Leading reported destinations · Metal deposit equipment · 2026-08
| Partner | USD value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | $1.41M | 21.9% |
| Russia | $961,379 | 15.0% |
| United States | $899,593 | 14.0% |
| Türkiye | $443,950 | 6.9% |
| Canada | $427,648 | 6.7% |
Explore the industry hub and available chart CSV →
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The snapshot refreshes after a promoted release and site rebuild. The dated analysis below remains tied to its stated source period. USD values do not establish physical quantities or AI end use. Partner previews state their own month; an omitted partner is not zero.
China plastic or rubber additive-manufacturing equipment exports reached $213.26 million in August 2026, up 57.0% year on year. Metal-deposit equipment recorded $6.42 million, down 25.0%. Comparing material processes reveals an annual divergence that a single “China 3D printer exports” headline would conceal.
Both categories declined from July. Plastic/rubber equipment fell 2.7% month on month, while metal equipment fell 13.8%. The dated August comparison below complements the current published snapshot, which refreshes after later releases.
Use the customs definition before the search term
HS8 84852000 covers machines for additive manufacturing by plastic or rubber deposit. HS8 84851000 covers machines for additive manufacturing by metal deposit.
“3D printing equipment” is a useful explanation of the technology. It is not permission to describe all HS 84852000 exports as consumer desktop printers, nor to treat the selected two lines as every additive-manufacturing machine and spare part. The official definitions are narrower and better suited to repeatable customs research.
Latest month and year-to-date tell different stories
| Export measure | Plastic/rubber deposit | Metal deposit |
|---|---|---|
| HS8 code | 84852000 | 84851000 |
| August 2025, USD million | 135.79 | 8.55 |
| July 2026, USD million | 219.17 | 7.45 |
| August 2026, USD million | 213.26 | 6.42 |
| August YoY | +57.0% | −25.0% |
| August MoM | −2.7% | −13.8% |
| January–August 2026, USD million | 1,745.65 | 60.67 |
| January–August YoY | +109.6% | +42.3% |
The latest annual growth difference is 82.0 percentage points. However, metal equipment's year-to-date value was still higher than in the matching 2025 period. The evidence supports opposite August annual directions; it does not support a claim that metal equipment exports collapsed throughout 2026.
Plastic/rubber deposit exports were approximately 33.2 times metal-deposit exports by August dollar value. That is a comparison of market segments with different technologies, configurations and price distributions. It is not a machine-count ratio or a technology-performance ranking.
Plastic/rubber equipment destinations
| August 2026 reported destination | USD million | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 110.00 | 51.6% |
| Germany | 57.82 | 27.1% |
| Canada | 8.48 | 4.0% |
| Japan | 3.96 | 1.9% |
| Mexico | 3.96 | 1.9% |
The US and Germany accounted for 78.7% of the plastic/rubber line's August value. Metal-deposit equipment had a different ranking: Germany led at 21.9%, followed by Russia at 15.0% and the US at 14.0%. Using one category's country shares for the whole sector would hide that difference.
Claims about Brazil or Kazakhstan's cumulative growth require matching complete partner-month records. The latest top-five table offers a destination preview; it cannot verify those year-to-date rates or establish zero exports to countries omitted from the preview.
Quantities and implied value per unit
A quantity field exists in the published national-line payload. Turning it into “printers exported” requires verified unit metadata and a consistent classification. Primary machine counts and secondary weights have different meanings and must remain separate.
Even after unit verification, USD per unit is an implied customs ratio. A change in machine size, industrial configuration or destination mix can move that ratio without any like-for-like price increase. Comparing it across metal and polymer equipment therefore needs more context than dividing export dollars by a count.
How this fits advanced manufacturing
The advanced-manufacturing hub is the right discovery page for this research. A separate 3D-printing industry hub is unnecessary for two observed lines. The manufacturing overview connects equipment exports with output and capacity measures, while the CVD equipment study offers a separate example of product-specific machinery growth.
Use the current panel's monthly table and exact commodity pages for the underlying values. API documentation covers existing access. For a material-process study, specify both codes, export flow, destination countries and matching periods. Parts require their own verified product selection; do not merge a broad machinery-parts heading into the two equipment totals.
FAQ
Does HS 848520 represent all China 3D printer exports?
No. It covers additive-manufacturing machines using plastic or rubber deposit. Other material processes and separately classified parts need their own selections.
Were metal 3D-printing equipment exports down throughout 2026?
No. August value fell 25.0% year on year, but January–August value increased 42.3%. Both comparisons matter.
Source and coverage: GACC published R2 release 2026-09-21T093840Z; HS8 84852000 and 84851000 export values, January–August 2025/2026 and August 2026 reported destinations. Rounded presentation uses calculations from exact USD observations. Publication review: October 4, 2026.