The number of 3D printers being produced in China is astounding.
We received some interesting data on Chinese 3D printer manufacturing statistics, which is usually pretty hard to come by. The information shows explosive growth in production.
For 2025, the data shows that the number of 3D printers produced in China was 5.03M, a 33% gain over 2024, which would have therefore been 3.8M, also a large number.
That’s on average 420K machines per month, over the entire year. However, the data also states that the month of December 2025 numbered 572K. This is normal, as sales always increase near the end of the year around the holiday season. However, almost 600K machines in a single month is astounding. It wasn’t that long ago when 10,000 machines per month was considered huge.
The data also speaks to the export value of these devices. According to the report, the export value of these machines was US$1.6B in 2025, with associated parts being worth even more at US$1.9B. That latter figure likely includes materials. The year-over-year export value increase was 39%, also quite notable.
Even more interesting was the breakdown of where these machines are headed when they leave China:
- USA 2.0M
- Germany 1.0M
- Brazil 0.2M
Many other countries were mentioned, but without figures, including: Canada, Australia, Netherlands, and Poland.
The fact that the US is the leading buyer of Chinese 3D printers is notable because there is gradually increasing sentiment to slow, block, or even ban China-produced 3D printers into that country. Already there are rules against using Chinese equipment, including 3D printers, for US government projects. That could take a chunk out of that 2M in annual shipments.
However, it’s likely that the shortfall of US sales will be taken up by other countries where growth will almost certainly continue.
The big question is, which US manufacturer would be able to fill the gap if Chinese 3D printers are blocked from sales in the US? There really aren’t that many companies producing 3D printers, and they tend to be less capable and more expensive.
If the US has been buying 2 million Chinese 3D printers annually, and that number drops significantly, then it follows that the amount of 3D printing will also fall.
