Across construction sites for farmland reconstruction, municipal construction, and landscaping, a group of flexible and efficient small excavators are becoming absolute workhorses, and most of them come from the same brand: Shanding.
Amid the strong recovery of the construction machinery industry in 2025, Shanding Group has captured market attention with its flagship small excavator product line. Shanding’s five models, the SD12E, SD12U, SD17E, SD25U, and SD30U, are the primary drivers of the company’s sales growth.
These products not only demonstrate Shanding’s technological expertise in the small excavator field but also respond to the current market trend toward environmentally friendly and multifunctional construction machinery.
Market Background: Strong Demand for Small Excavators Poised for Industry Recovery
The Chinese construction machinery industry is poised for a significant recovery in 2025. According to data from the China Construction Machinery Industry Association, domestic excavator sales reached 11,640 units in February 2025, a year-on-year increase of 99.4%.
Wen Zhigang, an expert in construction machinery leasing and operations management, optimistically projects that domestic excavator sales in 2025 could exceed 140,000 units, an increase of over 35%.
Shanding Group is a specialized manufacturer of small excavators integrating research and development, manufacturing, sales, and service. Focused on meticulously designed small excavators, it offers a product line of over ten models.
In recent years, the company has primarily focused on export trade, with products exported to over ten countries and regions, including Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
Star Product Lineup: Five Models Each Demonstrating Their Strengths
SD12E: A Pioneer in Pure Electric Mini Excavators
The SD12E is a pure electric small excavator from Shanding, designed for environmentally sensitive applications such as indoor construction and landscaping. Powered by a lithium battery system, it achieves zero emissions and low noise, meeting the requirements of urban environmentally friendly construction. Its operating range covers confined spaces such as interior decoration, greenhouses, and landscaping. It is a key product from Shanding that supports the country’s “low-carbon, environmentally friendly” policy.
The SD12U is a small excavator with a tailless swing design, providing greater flexibility when operating in confined spaces. This model is widely used in municipal engineering, agricultural water conservancy projects, and other applications. Equipped with an imported hydraulic system and engine, it ensures reliability and durability, making it an extremely cost-effective option among models of its tonnage.
The SD17 boasts a higher operating weight and greater digging force. Designed for more demanding applications such as orchard cultivation and small earthwork projects, the SD25U combines the advantages of traditional fuel and electric technologies. It features an intelligent power switching system that automatically selects the power mode based on different operating requirements, ensuring both power efficiency and energy conservation.
The SD30U is the flagship product in Shanding’s small excavator series. Featuring boom side shift and tailless swing, it can handle complex environments and achieve barrier-free construction. It is equipped with a Japanese Yanmar engine, a Nachi-Fujikoshi hydraulic piston pump and travel/swing motor, and a Nabtesco multi-way valve.
Product Features: Technological Innovation and Practical Functionality
The Shanding mini excavator series features a compact size, lightweight, and easy transportability, making it suitable for use in confined construction sites such as small earthwork projects, municipal engineering, landscaping, agricultural orchards, and indoor construction. These products utilize power and hydraulic systems from renowned brands. Production processes are strictly adhered to national and corporate standards, along with a quality control and assurance system, ensuring product quality meets or exceeds relevant standards. These models can be equipped with a variety of operating devices, including hydraulic breakers, wood grabs, scarifiers, rakes, and augers, achieving multi-functional versatility.
In the domestic market, Shanding mini excavators, with their high cost-effectiveness and diverse functionality, have secured significant orders in fields such as farmland irrigation and municipal engineering. Overseas, Shanding’s products, with quality and performance that meet international standards, have seen continued growth in exports. In recent years, the company has primarily focused on exporting, with products exported to over ten countries and regions, including Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
As the nation’s large-scale equipment replacement policy takes hold, and machinery increasingly replaces manual labor, Shanding Group’s small excavator product line is experiencing unprecedented market opportunities.
