Prefabricated building imports lift to record $326 million
Australia’s imports of prefabricated and modular buildings lifted to a record AUDFob326.4 million year-ended November 2025.
Although imports were up for the three categories recorded by the ABS, the big lift was recorded for steel and other non-wood prefabricated buildings. This largest import category saw imports rise AUD51 million or 28.9% year-on-year, to a record AUDFob227.3 million.
Australian Imports of Prefabricated Buildings: Jan ’18 – Nov ’25 (AUD Million)
Source: ABS & IndustryEdge
Importantly, the import data does not distinguish between industrial and commercial buildings and dwellings. The short version of the formal descriptors can be found here, on the Border Force website, under the 9406 Prefabricated Buildings classifications, and the longer versions are contained in the monthly ABS data series.
Examination of the types of buildings reported under the largest category – 9406.90.00.04 – ‘Prefab. – Steel & Other (Except Wood) or ‘Other’ shows a diverse range of commercial and industrial buildings being imported. There is no information on the value of dwelling imports contained in this category.
The identifiable types of Steel & Other prefab building imports include:
- Cold rooms
- Spray Booths
- Operating Theatres
- Carports
- Greenhouses
- Interpreter Booths
- ‘Pod’ Offices
- Observatory Domes
- Vaults
- Laundries
- Showers
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Workshops
Inevitably, most interest will be in the relatively small category of prefabricated wooden building imports.
The value of Prefabricated Wooden building imports lifted AUD5.5 million or 31.0% to AUDFob23.3 million over the year-ended November 2025.
As the table below shows, imports are spread across the States, reasonably consistently with population size.
Australian Imports of Wooden Prefabricated Buildings by State: YE Nov ’23 – YE Nov ’25 (AUD & %)
Source: ABS & IndustryEdge
Mainland China dominates total imports of prefabricated buildings, accounting for 66.1% or AUDFob215.9 million year-ended November 2025. However, as the table below demonstrates, imports from China supplied 43.0% of the value of imported wooden prefabricated buildings, able supported by Estonia (20.7%) and Latvia (9.5%)
Australian Imports of Wooden Prefabricated Buildings by Country: YE Nov ’23 – YE Nov ’25 (AUD & %)
Source: ABS & IndustryEdge
There is significant interest in imports of building materials and buildings to Australia. This data indicates that while there have been increases in imports of prefabricated buildings over the last year, most of that appears to be in industrial and commercial building types.
Most significantly, at least for now, the value of prefabricated wooden building imports remains relatively low.
