Prefabricated Concrete Houses

Prefabricated concrete houses are a form of construction that involves the industrial production of building components and their assembly on-site, offering advantages such as shortened construction periods and reduced pollution.

Definition and Types

Prefabricated concrete houses, also known as prefabricated assembled buildings, are produced through industrial methods for building components such as beams, slabs, walls, and columns, which are then assembled on-site. The main types include panel-assembled, box-assembled, and frame-assembled structures. Panel-assembled structures use prefabricated wall panels and floor slabs as core components, allowing for expanded usable area but with limited design flexibility. Box-assembled structures combine prefabricated functional units, increasing construction speed by 50%-70%, but requiring higher standards for transportation and lifting equipment. Modular buildings represent an even more integrated model.

Technological Development History

China's prefabricated concrete technology began in the 1950s, initially applied in factory and residential construction. In the 1970s, driven by the policy of 'industrialization, standardization, and mechanization' in construction, technical systems such as large-panel structures and box structures were formed. By the mid-1980s, the technology stagnated due to cost and quality issues but saw a resurgence in the 21st century due to its production efficiency and environmental advantages. Companies like Vanke Group have developed assembled shear wall residential structural systems and applied prefabricated frame technology in projects, such as the Nanjing Jindi Yufang project, which adopted a prestressed prefabricated concrete assembled integral frame structural system.

Pricing and Market

Prices for components related to prefabricated concrete houses vary among manufacturers and specifications. For example, the price of a prefabricated steel-framed concrete lightweight floor slab for residential roofs from Zhuozhou Penglei Trading Co., Ltd. is 480.0 yuan; the price of a reinforced concrete prefabricated house with an integrated assembled structure from Zhuozhou Yuezhuo Building Materials Business is 450.0 yuan. Chinese-made prefabricated houses are popular overseas, with customs data showing that in the first four months of 2026, Guangzhou Customs exported 1.4 billion yuan worth of mobile houses, a year-on-year increase of 38.1%; in the first quarter of this year, China's prefabricated building exports grew by 45%. However, these prefabricated houses have not become widespread in rural China, often serving as temporary solutions, and are more commonly found on construction sites.