Prefabricated Building Panels and Houses

The prefabricated building sector mainly involves two forms: prefabricated panels and prefabricated houses (modular buildings).

Prefabricated Panels

• Definition and Production: Prefabricated panels were commonly used floor slabs in early 20th-century construction, classified as engineering modules or panels. They are processed and formed into concrete prefabricated components at a prefabrication yard and then directly transported to the construction site for installation. During production, a hollow mold is first made using wooden planks. After placing steel reinforcement bars in the hollow part of the mold, it is filled with cement. Once dry, the wooden planks are knocked off to obtain the finished product.
• Types and Uses: Prefabricated panels come in two types: solid and hollow. The hollow structure achieves lightweighting by reducing the non-load-bearing concrete. They have a wide range of uses, such as covers for ditches beside roads and roof insulation layers. Residential buildings constructed in China before 1985 often used this type of structure for floor slabs and roof insulation layers.
• Current Status and Issues: With the development of construction technology, cast-in-place concrete and prefabricated buildings are gradually replacing traditional prefabricated panel houses. Existing prefabricated panel houses generally suffer from issues such as weak earthquake resistance and poor sound and heat insulation, with a service life of about 30 to 50 years. Since 2022, China has implemented renovation policies, focusing on repairing and upgrading prefabricated panel houses and only demolishing those that meet the criteria for dangerous buildings.

Prefabricated Houses (Modular Buildings)

• Definition and Production Process: Prefabricated houses break down a building into independent unit modules, which are prefabricated in a factory and then transported to the site for assembly. They are also known as mobile houses. The production process includes prefabricating ceilings, floors, water and electricity pipelines, etc., on a factory assembly line, and then assembling them on-site like building blocks. For example, the China State Construction HaiLong Intelligent Construction Industrial Park completes assembly through layered production and a final assembly platform, delivering 20,000 to 30,000 modules annually.
• Advantages:
  • Short Construction Period: Compared to traditional buildings, the construction period of modular buildings is shortened by more than 60%. For example, the completion and delivery period of a social housing project in Shanghai was reduced from 2.5 to 3 years to 1 year.
  • Controllable Quality: Each module has a detailed 'ID card', including the project name, product model, and production date. The design controls errors and precision in millimeters.
  • Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection: Most construction processes are completed in the factory, with on-site cast-in-place connections, significantly reducing noise, dust, construction waste, and traffic congestion that disturb residents.
  • Strong Adaptability: The products cover a diverse range of categories, including high-end office buildings, hotels, schools, and modular data centers.
• Market Situation: The recognition of domestically produced prefabricated houses in overseas markets continues to rise. In the first seven months of this year, the Shatian Customs under the Huangpu Customs District supervised the export of 23 batches of modular houses, with a value of 548 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.3 times. From January to April 2026, enterprises in the Guangzhou Customs District exported mobile houses worth 1.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38.1%. The Shenzhen Port exported mobile houses worth 1.68 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.6%. The market covers more than 20 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Australia.