Key numbers
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Earthmoving machinery imports (HS 8429, customs value) | CAD 5.17 billion | 2025 |
| New excavators, wheel loaders and track loaders imported | 33,072 units, CAD 3.60 billion | 2025 |
| Construction-machinery parts imports (parts for earthmoving and similar machinery, HS 8431.49.00.92 and 8431.49.00.99; may include some non-earthmoving parts) | CAD 1.75 billion | 2025 |
| New excavator and loader imports, year over year | +13.1% by value | January–July 2026 vs January–July 2025 |
All figures are Canadian imports at customs value, in current Canadian dollars, from Statistics Canada's trade data. They measure what crossed the border, not what dealers sold. The last section explains what that difference means.
Imports from 2015 to 2025
This page measures machinery under one tariff heading, HS 8429, which the Canadian Customs Tariff describes as "Self-propelled bulldozers, angledozers, graders, levellers, scrapers, mechanical shovels, excavators, shovel loaders, tamping machines and road rollers." HS 8429 is the scope chosen for this page; earthmoving equipment classified under other headings is not included. Inside HS 8429, this page also tracks a core group of new machines — new excavators, new wheel loaders and new track loaders.
Exact figures are in the table below.
| Year | All HS 8429 machinery (CAD billion) | New excavators and loaders (CAD billion) | New excavators and loaders (units) | Construction-machinery parts (CAD billion) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3.30 | 2.31 | 20,317 | 0.97 |
| 2016 | 2.71 | 1.96 | 16,229 | 0.89 |
| 2017 | 3.88 | 2.78 | 23,138 | 1.12 |
| 2018 | 4.76 | 3.36 | 28,774 | 1.38 |
| 2019 | 4.01 | 2.82 | 21,597 | 1.50 |
| 2020 | 3.08 | 2.11 | 16,121 | 1.23 |
| 2021 | 4.02 | 2.85 | 24,712 | 1.43 |
| 2022 | 5.28 | 3.74 | 29,424 | 1.78 |
| 2023 | 6.43 | 4.54 | 37,807 | 1.76 |
| 2024 | 5.38 | 3.66 | 34,129 | 1.64 |
| 2025 | 5.17 | 3.60 | 33,072 | 1.75 |
Earthmoving machinery imports rose 56.6% between 2015 and 2025, from CAD 3.30 billion to CAD 5.17 billion. The peak so far was 2023, at CAD 6.43 billion for all HS 8429 machinery and 37,807 new excavators and loaders. HS 8429 imports eased in 2024 and 2025 but stayed above every year before 2022. They also fell back in 2016 and 2020 before recovering.
Attachments are counted separately: buckets, shovels, grabs and grips (HS 8431.41) plus the 8431.49 lines for attachments for mounting on machinery, such as backhoe attachments, front-end loader attachments, and rippers and rooters, added another CAD 0.34 billion of imports in 2025. For the attachment side of the TorqueMax portfolio, see ArcPath in Canada.
Parts imports are growing faster than machine imports
"Construction-machinery parts" here means parts for earthmoving and similar machinery on two Canadian tariff lines within HS 8431.49, which holds parts of machinery of heading 84.26, 84.29 or 84.30: HS 8431.49.00.92, parts of backhoes, shovels, clamshells and draglines, and HS 8431.49.00.99, the catch-all line for the remaining parts. Because that subheading reaches beyond HS 8429, the second line can also include parts for some non-earthmoving equipment, so treat this as a broad construction-parts measure, not a count of earthmoving parts alone.
Parts imports grew 81.2% between 2015 and 2025, from CAD 0.97 billion to CAD 1.75 billion — faster than the 56.6% growth in earthmoving machinery over the same period. In 2025, Canada imported about CAD 34 of these parts for every CAD 100 of HS 8429 machinery. That ratio has moved between 27.4 (2023, when machine imports peaked) and 39.9 (2020, when they dipped), a pattern consistent with an installed fleet that keeps needing parts in years when fewer new machines arrive.
For a dealer, the steadier parts flow is the part of the business that does not wait for the next machine sale. It is also why parts stocking sits alongside Canadian inventory and coast-to-coast logistics in the support TorqueMax provides to its dealers — see how to become an equipment dealer in Canada.
A more diversified supply base
Measured by customs value of new excavators and loaders, the three leading countries of origin together supplied 85.3% of imports in 2015 and 75.7% in 2025. Supply is less concentrated than it was a decade ago.
On the parts side, China's share of construction-machinery parts imports went from 13.1% in 2015 to 21.9% in 2025.
Country of origin is where a machine was made, not the nationality of the brand on it. A Japanese-brand machine built in the United States counts as US origin. To see which countries supply each machine type, see TerraX's where Canada's excavators come from.
New versus used
Imports are overwhelmingly new machines. In 2025, used machines were 5.7% of excavator units, 4.6% of wheel loader units and 6.0% of track loader units.
These shares count only units on customs lines marked new or used, after dropping evidently mis-entered quantities. Wheel loaders imported on the separate line that does not state new or used are left out of both sides of the ratio.
| Machine type | Used share of new-or-used units, 2015 | 2020 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excavators | 9.8% | 8.8% | 5.7% |
| Wheel loaders | 3.6% | 7.0% | 4.6% |
| Track loaders | 7.4% | 7.8% | 6.0% |
When equipment arrives: seasonality
Averaged over 2015 to 2025, imports of new excavators and loaders by value were spread fairly evenly through the year, with the second quarter slightly ahead.
| Quarter | Average share of annual import value, 2015–2025 |
|---|---|
| Q1 | 23.7% |
| Q2 | 27.4% |
| Q3 | 24.0% |
| Q4 | 25.0% |
January (7.2%) and February (7.1%) were the slowest months; March and June (9.4% each) were the busiest. The gap between quarters is small. The data describe when machines cross the border, not when they reach a dealer's yard or a customer's site.
2026 so far
From January to July 2026, Canada imported CAD 2.32 billion of new excavators and loaders, 13.1% more by value than in January–July 2025 (CAD 2.05 billion). Units grew only 0.6%, from 19,395 to 19,516, so most of the increase came from a higher average value per imported machine rather than from more machines. Construction-machinery parts imports reached CAD 1.14 billion over the same seven months, up 9.1% on CAD 1.04 billion a year earlier. These 2026 figures are preliminary and may be revised.
How to read customs data
- Imports are not the market. The figures exclude machines made in Canada and include machines that were later re-exported. They show the import flow, not dealer sales or the number of machines working in Canada.
- Customs value is a declared border value. It is not what a dealer or an end customer pays.
- Province of clearance is not province of sale. In 2025, Ontario cleared 44.1% of new excavator and loader import value and Alberta 3.2% — a reflection of where shipments clear customs, not where machines are used. This page does not report provincial markets for that reason.
- Country of origin is not brand. Origin share cannot be read as brand share.
- Figures are revised. Statistics Canada revises the previous year's customs data with the January and February releases and quarterly, and the previous two years annually with the December reference month. Unit counts for new excavators and loaders leave out 97 customs records from 2015 to July 2026 whose quantity was evidently mis-entered, while keeping their value.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Canada's construction equipment import market? In 2025 Canada imported CAD 5.17 billion of earthmoving machinery (HS 8429) and CAD 1.75 billion of construction-machinery parts, at customs value, according to Statistics Canada trade data. These are import figures, not total market sales.
Are construction equipment imports to Canada growing? Yes, over the long run. Earthmoving machinery imports rose 56.6% from 2015 to 2025, with a peak in 2023, and January–July 2026 imports of new excavators and loaders were 13.1% higher by value than the same months of 2025.
How big is the construction equipment parts aftermarket in Canada? Imports of construction-machinery parts under HS 8431.49.00.92 and 8431.49.00.99 were CAD 1.75 billion in 2025, up 81.2% from 2015. That is about CAD 34 of parts for every CAD 100 of earthmoving machinery imported the same year.
Where does Canada's construction equipment come from? Mostly from a few countries, though less so than a decade ago: the three leading countries of origin supplied 75.7% of new excavator and loader imports by value in 2025, down from 85.3% in 2015. Country of origin is where a machine was built, not the brand's home country.
When do construction machines usually arrive in Canada? Averaged over 2015 to 2025, the second quarter carried 27.4% of annual import value for new excavators and loaders, and January and February were the slowest months. The differences between quarters are small.
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Sources and method
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application (catalogue 71-607-X), HS10 import detail (table ODPFN014), 2015–2026. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product. Licence: Statistics Canada Open Licence. Data retrieved 2026-10-03; 2026 covers January to July.
Data: Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application. Annual import files: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026. Tariff descriptions: Canada Border Services Agency, Customs Tariff, Chapter 84.
Method: Canadian imports at customs value in current Canadian dollars, by country of origin. "New excavators and loaders" is this page's own grouping: the HS10 lines for new machines under HS 8429.51 (front-end shovel loaders) and HS 8429.52 (excavators). Construction-machinery parts are HS 8431.49.00.92 and 8431.49.00.99. Values are rounded from the official totals.