Prefabricated Housing in China
Prefabricated housing in China has undergone rapid development through technological accumulation, policy promotion, and market expansion, becoming an important direction for building industrialization and export economy.
Mature Technology and Application System
The technology of prefabricated housing in China originated in the 1950s, initially used for factory and residential construction. In the 1970s, driven by the policy of building "three modernizations" (standardization, industrialization, and mechanization), technical systems such as large-panel structures and box structures were formed. After the 21st century, companies like Vanke developed prefabricated shear wall residential structural systems and applied prefabricated frame technology (e.g., the Nanjing Jindi Yufang project used prestressed prefabricated concrete assembled integral frames). Current technologies cover prefabricated concrete structures and steel structures, with components including prefabricated beams, slabs, walls, columns, and other products. These technologies offer advantages such as shortening construction periods by 30%-50%, reducing construction waste by over 70%, and lowering construction pollution. Panel-based prefabrication focuses on prefabricated wall panels and floor slabs, allowing for expanded usable area but limited design flexibility. Box-based prefabrication combines prefabricated functional units, increasing construction speed by 50%-70% but requiring higher transportation and lifting equipment. Modular construction, as a more integrated model, has been applied in high-end office buildings, hotels, and schools.
Collaborative Development of Policies and Industrial Bases
Regions like Fujian Province have established prefabricated housing industrial bases through policy support, reducing construction waste by over 70% and forming a collaborative model across the entire industrial chain of "design-production-construction." Policy priorities include standardized design, factory-based production, assembly-based construction, and information-based management. For example, the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Construction Industry" explicitly proposes that by 2025, prefabricated buildings should account for more than 30% of newly constructed buildings.
Continuously Expanding Export Scale
China's exports of prefabricated housing have shown high growth: In the first four months of 2026, the Guangzhou Customs District exported movable houses worth 1.4 billion yuan (a year-on-year increase of 38.1%), and the Shenzhen Port exported 1.68 billion yuan (a year-on-year increase of 19.6%), covering more than 150 countries and regions. The Shatian Port under Huangpu Customs exported modular houses worth 548 million yuan in the first seven months of 2026 (a year-on-year increase of 7.3 times). Guangdong CIMC Architectural Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has products covering more than 20 countries, with a delivery value of 59.772 million yuan in the first half of 2024, including projects such as office buildings in Cameroon and staff dormitories in Indonesia.
Broad Market Prospects
The global modular construction market is expected to exceed $142.8 billion by 2030. Leveraging its advantages across the entire industrial chain (from steel, cement, to smart home accessories) and cost competitiveness, China is transforming prefabricated housing into standardized industrial products for export, creating a new名片 ("China Construction") brand.
