Search for Prefabricated Houses

Prefabricated houses are a form of construction where building components are industrially produced and assembled on-site, featuring various types, technical characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and market conditions.

Main Types

Prefabricated houses include panel-assembled, box-assembled, and frame-assembled types, with modular construction being a more highly integrated model.

Technology and Components

The technology covers prefabricated concrete structures and steel structures, with components including prefabricated products such as beams, slabs, walls, and columns.

Advantages

• Short Construction Period: The construction cycle is significantly shortened. For example, the construction period of the affordable housing project in Shenzhen, Guangdong, was reduced from 2.5 - 3 years to 1 year. Prefabricated buildings are 30% shorter than traditional methods, and modular buildings are more than 60% shorter.
• Good Environmental Performance: It can reduce pollution. For instance, the establishment of industrial bases in Fujian Province and other regions has reduced construction waste by more than 70%. The affordable housing project in Shenzhen has reduced noise, dust, and other disturbing factors.
• High Quality: Prefabricated components are produced in factories using computer-controlled molds, with errors measured in millimeters. The quality does not rely on the craftsmanship of workers. Regular prefabricated concrete or steel structures can withstand seismic intensities up to magnitude 8, and steel structures have more than 50% better seismic performance than brick-concrete structures.
• Low Cost: Although the initial cost is 10% - 30% higher than that of brick-concrete structures, the overall life-cycle cost is lower, considering factors such as construction period, labor, post-maintenance, and recycling value.

Disadvantages

• Limited Design Flexibility: Panel-assembled buildings are subject to this limitation.
• High Transportation and Hoisting Requirements: Box-assembled types have high requirements for transportation and hoisting equipment.
• Poor Residential Personalization: Standardized prefabricated houses have difficult-to-modify floor plans. Water and electricity pipelines are fixed, making it difficult to change wiring and add or remove points later. The decoration and assembly modes are fixed.

Market Conditions

Prefabricated houses made in China are selling well overseas. In the first four months of 2026, the export value of movable houses from the Guangzhou Customs area was 1.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38.1%; the export value from the Shenzhen port was 1.68 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.6%. According to market research institutions, the global modular construction market size is expected to exceed 142.8 billion US dollars by 2030.