Outlook on the Investment and Development Prospects of Small circular Knitting Machines from 2025 to 2030

In general, fabrics that require opening, shaping, and cutting processing should be selected with a large round machine; Small circular machines can be used to produce seamless knitted clothing fabrics or special specifications for cutting short pieces and reducing consumption. The fabrics produced by small circular machines have relatively complete sizes, do not require cutting, are basically cylindrical shaped, and are relatively economical for clothing factories to use. Some fabrics do not require cutting. Another thing is the material for the small round machine, which is relatively cheaper for the raw material. The production of seamless underwear and special door width fabrics requires the selection of a small circular machine model when comparing various costs. From 2000 to 2013, many fashionable underwear were produced using seamless fabrics, which were highly favored by domestic and foreign markets. For clothing production enterprises, cutting scraps is relatively rare, fabric utilization is high, and the motor power of the small round machine is small, which saves electricity and greatly reduces production costs. However, due to the need for specification matching in clothing production, it is also necessary to choose a matching small round machine when purchasing, as there are many units available for one-time purchase. It is best for knitting factories to choose small circular knitting machines that can replace the needle cylinder diameter. One machine can be used for multiple purposes, and weaving factories of the same scale can try to reduce the number of purchases as much as possible. In production, flexible adjustments can be made according to the order situation
Prospects for Investment and Development of Knitted Small Round Machines from 2025 to 2030
In the wave of global textile industry’s transformation towards high-end, intelligent, and green, knitting small circular knitting machines, as the core production equipment in segmented fields such as seamless underwear, sports socks, and medical high elastic fabrics, are facing dual opportunities of structural upgrading and market expansion. From 2025 to 2030, driven by multiple factors such as demand side upgrading, technological iteration, and policy guidance, the knitting small circular machine industry will present an investment and development pattern of “high-end expansion, intelligent leadership, and global layout”, with broad prospects and opportunities and challenges coexisting.
1、 Market demand upgrade: Expanding segmented tracks to open up growth space
（1） Structural explosion of terminal demand
The downstream application scenarios are extending from traditional clothing to high value-added fields, with seamless underwear (accounting for 38.7%), sports socks (accounting for 29.5%), and medical high elastic fabrics (accounting for 16.2%) becoming the core demand engines, driving equipment to upgrade towards high-speed, multi-channel control, and material compatibility. The pursuit of personalized and functional products by the consumer side has promoted the popularization of small batch and multi batch production models, and the demand for flexible knitting small round machines continues to rise. At the same time, the upgrading of domestic consumption resonates with the expansion of international markets. In 2024, the export volume of China’s small circular machines reached 49000 units, a year-on-year increase of 18.7%. Emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East have strong demand for economical fully automatic models, becoming a new pole of export growth.
（2） Steady growth in market size
Benefiting from the synergy of the industrial chain and the release of demand, the market size of the industry will continue to expand. Referring to industry development trends, the domestic market size is expected to reach approximately 7.2 billion yuan in 2024, and is expected to maintain a steady growth trend from 2025 to 2030. Under the benchmark scenario, the compound annual growth rate can reach 4.2%. If new materials and processes trigger a wave of replacement, the market size is expected to exceed 10 billion yuan. Among them, there is a significant supply-demand gap for fully automatic intelligent models, with a production capacity gap of 14000 units by 2024. The current situation of high-end supply relying on imports provides a broad space for domestic substitution.
2、 Technological iteration direction: Intelligence and localization become the core investment focus
（1） Intelligent transformation accelerates, product added value increases
The deep penetration of Industry 4.0 and intelligent manufacturing technology is driving the upgrading of knitting small circular knitting machines from “mechanical equipment” to “intelligent terminals”. In the next five years, AI process optimization, edge computing, digital twins and other technologies will be gradually implemented, and the equipment will have the functions of automatic temperature regulation, automatic deviation correction, predictive maintenance, etc., greatly improving production efficiency and product qualification rate. At present, the remote service coverage rate of domestic equipment has reached 78%, but it still lags behind German and Italian enterprises in the application of core intelligent systems. This technological gap has become a key breakthrough for investment upgrading.
（2） Localization of core components, breaking through technological bottlenecks
Domestic knitting small circular knitting machines have long faced the problem of high external dependence on core components. The localization rate of high-end components such as electronic needle selectors and servo spindle systems is only 58.3%, which restricts the reliability and energy efficiency performance of the equipment. But in recent years, with policy support and industrial chain coordination, the process of domestic substitution has accelerated, and it is expected that the localization rate of core components will exceed 65% by 2025. Investing in the research and development of core components such as high-precision syringes and intelligent electronic control systems, or laying out complete machine enterprises with independent intellectual property rights, will bring significant technological dividends and market competitiveness.
（3） Green transformation, in line with policy orientation
The tightening of environmental policies promotes the green upgrading of the industry. The “14th Five Year Plan” for the development of the textile industry clearly proposes to promote the green development of the textile industry, and energy conservation and consumption reduction have become one of the core competitiveness of equipment. In the future, knitting small circular knitting machines that use energy-saving and environmentally friendly materials and optimize energy consumption design will be more favored by the market. For example, the application of technologies such as solar powered models and low-energy servo systems will help enterprises reduce production costs while meeting environmental compliance requirements, becoming a hot investment direction.
3、 Evolution of Industrial Pattern: Optimization of Cluster and Global Layout
（1） The agglomeration effect of industrial clusters is highlighted
The domestic manufacturing of small circular knitting machines has formed three core clusters: the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang, contributing 89.7% of the country’s production capacity. The Yangtze River Delta dominates with the advantage of a complete industrial chain, while the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang have established advantages in the field of specialized machine models. Investing in core industrial clusters can rely on a comprehensive supporting system to reduce production costs, enhance R&D collaboration efficiency, and be close to downstream weaving enterprise clusters to quickly respond to market demand.
（2） Continuous release of export market potential
China has become the world’s largest producer and exporter of small circular knitting machines, accounting for 56.3% of global exports in 2024, far surpassing traditional powers such as Germany and Italy. In the future, with the deepening of the “the Belt and Road” initiative and the trend of offshore outsourcing, the demand for cost-effective equipment in Southeast Asia, Latin America and other regions will continue to grow, driving the export share of domestic equipment to further increase. Investing in the development of multilingual interfaces, remote operation and maintenance, international certification and other capabilities that are compatible with international standards will help enterprises seize global market share.
4、 Investment Opportunities and Risk Warning
（1） Core investment opportunities
1. High end intelligent model track: The utilization rate of the fully automatic intelligent model production line is as high as 89.6%, while the current market share is less than 25%. There is great room for technological upgrading and significant investment return potential.
2. Localization of core components: Focus on electronic needle selectors, high-precision syringes and other “bottleneck” components, layout research and development and production, in line with the trend of domestic substitution.
3. Specialized equipment for segmented scenarios: Develop customized equipment for high-end segmented fields such as medical fabrics and functional sportswear to avoid homogeneous competition.
4. Digital service ecosystem: Centered around the entire lifecycle of devices, we provide value-added services such as remote operation and maintenance, process optimization, and data services, creating a “hardware+service” model to enhance profitability resilience.
（2） Potential risk warning
1. Technological iteration risk: The industry’s technology updates rapidly, and if a company’s R&D investment is insufficient, it may face the risk of products falling behind the market.
2. Supply chain risk: Core components such as high-end electronic control systems still rely on imports, and geopolitical changes may lead to supply chain disruptions, affecting capacity release.
3. Market competition risk: Traditional models have overcapacity (with a utilization rate of only 52.3%), and price wars may compress profit margins, while the high-end market faces competition pressure from German and Italian enterprises.
4. Fluctuations in raw material prices: Fluctuations in the prices of raw materials such as steel and electronic components may affect production costs and profit stability.
5、 Outlook
From 2025 to 2030, the knitting small circular knitting machine industry is in a critical period of transformation from a “manufacturing power” to a “smart manufacturing power”, and intelligence, localization, and greening are irreversible development trends. For investors, seizing opportunities for high-end upgrading, focusing on breakthroughs in core technologies, and expanding into the global market will become the core logic for crossing industry cycles. Despite facing challenges such as technological gaps and supply chain resilience, enterprises with technological innovation capabilities and global layout will stand out under the multiple benefits of demand upgrading, policy support, and industry chain synergy, bringing sustained and stable returns to investors, and the overall investment prospects of the industry will improve in the long run.