Forging Machine Makers Gain Ground in China
Walk into any heavy equipment plant in Tianjin these days, and the noise is loud. Forging presses are running around the clock. Orders are piling up.
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China’s forging machine industry is having a busy 2026. Two major breakthroughs happened just this year.
In January, Tianjin Tianduan Press started up a giant new forging line. The company says it is the world’s largest. The press handles 22,000 tons of force. There is also a ring rolling machine that can handle 22-meter diameters. That is big enough for offshore wind tower parts.
Wang Wei, a production manager at the plant, told a local newspaper that the line took three years to build. “We had to figure out a lot of things on our own,” he said. “The cooling system alone took us eight months to get right.”
In April, Lanzhou LS Heavy Machinery hit another milestone. They tested a domestically made 6MN radial forging machine. That is about 600 tons of forging force. The machine runs at 310 strokes per minute. That is fast. Forging frequency at that speed means the metal stays hot and does not crack.
The company had already built smaller 1.6MN and 3.4MN radial forging machines. But the 6MN machine is different. It handles tougher materials. High-alloy steel. Titanium alloys. Superalloys for jet engines.
A technician at the Lanzhou plant said the precision is tight. “We are holding plus or minus 0.5 millimeters,” he said. “That matters for near-net shape forging. You do not need to cut as much metal afterward.”
These breakthroughs matter because China has long relied on imported forging equipment for big projects. German and Japanese machines dominated the high end. Now domestic makers are closing the gap.
Trade data shows the shift. Brazil imported $235 million worth of forging machines in 2025. China supplied $122 million of that. That is more than half.
One visitor from Mexico told me he was comparing Chinese and German press brakes. “The Chinese ones are about 35 percent cheaper,” he said. “For most of our work, the precision is enough.”
But not everything is solved. The Lanzhou plant still imports some bearings and controls. A sourcing manager there said lead times for Japanese bearings can stretch to four months.
Hot forging machines are a big part of the market. They are used to make bolts and structural parts for wind towers, bridges, and steel buildings. The global hot forging machine market was worth about $1.36 billion in 2025, according to industry tracking. It is expected to hit $1.78 billion by 2031.
Induction forging machines are a smaller but growing segment. They use electric coils to heat metal directly. The induction forging machine market was valued at $442 million in 2025 and is projected to reach $582 million by 2032.
The fastener industry is a major buyer. More than 90 percent of bolts and screws need to be drawn before forming. Hot forging handles the materials that cannot be cold-formed. The Fastener Expo Shanghai is set for June 2026. Organizers say forging machines will be a main attraction.
What about the global picture? The overall metal forging market, which includes equipment and services, was valued at $102.44 billion in 2025. It is expected to reach $111.72 billion in 2026. Growth is coming from automotive, aerospace, and renewable energy sectors.
The trend in forging is toward automation. New lines are using robots to load and unload parts. Sensors monitor temperature and force in real time. Some plants are starting to use predictive maintenance. The machine tells you when it needs service before it breaks down.
Energy efficiency is also a factor. Servo-driven presses use less electricity. One manufacturer at CCMT2026 said his servo press saves about 30 percent on power compared to a conventional hydraulic press.
Chinese makers still face a reputation gap. Some overseas buyers still think Chinese equipment is cheap but unreliable. That perception is changing slowly. A German buyer at the Shanghai show said he tested a Chinese servo press earlier this year. “It worked fine for six months,” he said. “We will see how it holds up at two years.”
For now, the industry is focused on proving itself. The Tianjin line is running. The Lanzhou machine is in testing. Orders are coming in from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The hard part is keeping up quality as volume grows. One factory manager in Jiangsu said his biggest problem is finding skilled operators. “The machines are good,” he said. “But you still need people who know what they are doing.”