The Italian construction equipment market recorded a marginal decline in 2025, with total sales reaching 21,740 units, down one per cent compared to 2024. This included 20,699 earth-moving machines, marking a one per cent drop, while road machinery sales increased by two per cent to 1,041 units. The data, based on manufacturers’ and importers’ sales, was released by Unacea during an online press conference held recently.

According to the latest Unacea–Cer foreign trade report, international trade also weakened. Between January and October 2025, exports of Italian construction equipment declined by 2.2 per cent year-on-year to €2.6 billion, while imports rose by 5.9 per cent to €1.8 billion. Despite an 18.7 per cent reduction compared to 2024, the trade balance remained positive, with a surplus of €721 million.

Luca Nutarelli, Managing Director of Unacea, said the global environment remains challenging due to trade conflicts, foreign tariffs and EU-specific restrictions linked to hyper-depreciation measures. He warned that limiting incentives to EU-produced equipment could shrink the Italian market by nearly a third, while a broader scope could have enabled growth of up to eight per cent.

Industry leaders highlighted persistent uncertainty affecting customer sentiment. Mario Michele Spinelli, CEO of Wirtgen Macchine, noted that road machinery volumes have remained largely stable over the past five years, but early 2026 appears stagnant due to delayed investment decisions.

David Bazzi, CEO of Komatsu Italia Manufacturing, said tax incentives typically encourage fleet renewal, but uncertainty around PNRR funding timelines has slowed market momentum. Gianluca Calì, Marketing Director of Cgt, added that 2026 could fall short of expectations as companies await regulatory clarity, potentially leading to a weak start to the year and subdued demand across segments.