Number of cranes in Australia increases

The number of cranes in Australia has increased 13 per cent in the last six months to reach a record of 813 cranes across the country at the end of Q1 2022, according to the RLB Crane Index. This is the highest number recorded since the first Crane Index, which was released in 2012. Overall, there was a net gain of 95 new cranes added since the end of Q3 2021.

Australian infrastructure growing despite COVID-19

Despite the hard lockdowns and border restrictions in Australia and COVID-19 causing population forecasts to be lower than pre-COVID estimates, the increased crane count suggests a resilient construction industry. Residential development leads the way in crane use Interestingly, the greatest share of crane usage is for residential development, with 62.2% of all cranes used on residential sites. This is followed by mixed use with a share of 10.6% and 9.8% for commercial sites.

As always, it is important to note that construction activity is affected by a host of factors including planning approval delays and construction cost inflation, which means that crane numbers tell only part of the story.

To learn more about how Australia is set to grow and what is needed to support this growing population, download the Australia Towards 2031 report today.