Global Chainsaws

Report Overview

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This study examines the global market for chainsaws.

Regional Trends

Global demand for chainsaws is projected to increase 3.4% per year to $3.1 billion in 2025.

• The Asia/Pacific region will account for the greatest share of growth, with China marking the largest sales increases of any country worldwide.
• Latin America and the Africa/Mideast region will also achieve rapid gains due to forestry industry expansion and a rebound in construction activity.

Demand for chainsaws is equally distributed between developed and developing countries. This is due to the dominance of the forestry industry in the global chainsaw market:

• Chainsaws are most widely employed in forestry sectors in developing countries with low mechanization rates.
• In contrast, forestry industries in developed countries that use more sophisticated logging methods tend to employ higher value, better performing forestry equipment than chainsaws, which are relatively basic pieces of equipment that do not see significant innovation.

In addition, chainsaws find intensive use in applications outside of forestry, the most significant of which include:

• lawn and garden care (both professional and consumer)
• clearing land for construction
• roadside maintenance
• arborist work

As a result, use of chainsaws is not heavily contingent on cultural factors, and demand levels tend to be more closely linked to a country’s general economic size, with forestry industries representing the most significant other determinant of demand.

Demand by Power Source

Engine-driven chainsaws accounted for 67% of chainsaw demand in 2020, with battery-powered models comprising 22%. Gas-powered products remain the dominant option in the forestry industry, where high performance requirements are coupled with operating environments that do not provide convenient opportunities for battery charging.

Battery-powered chainsaws are expected to achieve rapid growth through 2025, with strong gains in the consumer market and an increasing presence in commercial applications. Battery-powered chainsaw sales will be driven by:

• continued improvement to battery power and run time
• greater ease of use compared to engine-driven types
• a fair degree of user familiarity with corded electric models, whose weight and controls are similar to those of battery-powered types
• greater portability than corded electric models

Market share for electric chainsaws will remain much higher in the consumer market than in the commercial market. Commercial prospects for electric chainsaws will be relatively strong in applications like municipal maintenance and construction, while adoption in forestry markets will continue to lag.

Engine-driven products will remain the leading type in 2025, but growth will be limited as they lose market share to battery-powered models. Sales of corded electric chainsaws will also be negatively impacted, and producers are expected to phase out these models in favor of lower end battery products.

Demand by Market

Global demand for chainsaws is forecast to rise 3.4% per year to $3.1 billion in 2025:

• At the global level, the commercial market accounts for the majority of chainsaw demand, supported primarily by the forestry segment, which alone comprised 45% of total demand in 2020:
  • Forestry industries in developing countries represent key markets for chainsaws, as low-cost basic chainsaws are popular options in markets with lower mechanization rates and fewer environmental regulations.
  • In mature, highly developed forestry sectors, more sophisticated machinery (e.g., harvesters) is often preferred over chainsaws due to their performance advantages, which make operations more efficient.
  • Professional lawn and garden care services also represent a significant commercial market for chainsaws, particularly in developed countries such as the US and France, where high incomes and cultural predilections for landscaped yards promote lawn and garden care revenues. However, markets also exist among affluent populations in developing countries.
  • Other commercial applications for chainsaws include tree and shrub landscaping, clearing land for construction sites, arborist work, and roadside maintenance.
• While the size of the consumer market is restrained by low incomes and minimal lawn and garden cultures throughout much of the world, large consumer markets do exist in high-income countries in the US, Canada, and Western Europe, where DIY lawn care is a popular activity.
• Additionally, sizable consumer markets also exist in certain developing countries, such as China, where there is some consumer demand among rural users.

Demand is presented by power source (engine-driven, battery-powered equipment, and corded electric) and by market (forestry, other commercial, and consumer).

Market segments include:

• forestry
• other commercial markets (e.g., tree and shrub landscapers, clearing land for construction, and arborist work
• consumer

Excluded from the scope of this study are pruners and pole saws that use chain-type blades, as well as separately sold parts and attachments.

Historical data for 2010, 2015, and 2020 and forecasts for 2025 and 2030 for manufacturers’ shipments, demand, and net exports are provided in current dollar terms (which are not adjusted for inflation).

Global demand for chainsaws is forecast to rise 3.4% annually to $3.1 billion in 2025, as global economic conditions improve in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and international trade and foreign investment recover. Advances will be supported by:

• an increase in forestry activity to support expanding construction and manufacturing industries
• rising incomes and standards of living worldwide, increasing demand for landscaped yards for homes and for nonresidential buildings
• cultural predilections for DIY lawn and garden maintenance in the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, and similar countries
• a growing shift away from manual logging techniques to chainsaws – including higher-end professional models – in many developing nations, aided by improved access to financing and inflows of foreign capital

Rising Forestry Activity to Boost Global Chainsaw Market

Particularly in the short-term, global chainsaw sales will be boosted by an anticipated rebound in forestry activity from pauses that occurred during the pandemic. Factors contributing to this boost include:

• a recovery in wood and wood product prices from the 2020 lows in many parts of the world (with the notable exception of the US)
• increases in international trade in lumber and wood products

Chainsaw sales in the forestry market will continue to be bolstered by the high replacement needs for these products. Because forestry chainsaws are used very intensively (often in harsh environments), they typically need to be replaced every 6 months to two years – much more frequently than other types of forestry machines and than consumer and other commercial chainsaws.

Led by China, Countries with Developing Chainsaw Markets to Drive Global Demand Growth

With market maturity hindering faster growth in the US, Western Europe, and other affluent countries, the best opportunities will continue to be found in developing countries. The Asia/Pacific region is projected to account for the greatest share of global market growth, with China marking the largest sales increases of any country worldwide. Latin America and the Africa/Mideast region will also achieve rapid gains due to forestry industry expansion and a rebound in construction activity.

Battery-Powered Units Continue to Gain Share of Global Chainsaw Market

Battery-powered chainsaws are expected to achieve rapid growth and continue to gain market share from engine-driven units, with strong gains in the consumer market and an increasing presence in commercial applications. Among the factors driving battery-powered chainsaw sales will be:

• continued improvement to battery power and run time
• greater ease of use compared to engine-driven types
• greater portability than corded electric models