Global Chainsaw Markets Go Electric

Cleveland OH, December 17, 2021 – The growing push for electrification will bode well for the battery-powered chainsaw market, finds a new Freedonia Group analysis.

Through 2025, battery-powered chainsaws are forecast 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
• 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

Barriers Remain to Electric’s Penetration in the Commercial Chainsaw Market

For now, 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:

• Gas-powered products will 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.
• Nevertheless, growth for engine-driven chainsaws in the forestry market will be limited as they lose market share to battery-powered models, albeit at a slower pace than other commercial markets.

Sales of corded electric chainsaws will also be negatively impacted by the rising use of battery-powered chainsaws, and producers are expected to phase out these models in favor of lower end battery products.

Want to Learn More?

Global Chainsaws, now available from the Freedonia Group, examines the global market for chainsaws. 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).

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