In 2025, the market of machinery and technologies for wood and wood-based materials reached a production value of 2.168 billion euro, down 10.4 percent from 2024.
Sales on the domestic market amounted to 710 million euro (minus 2 percent from the previous year); exports decreased (1.458 billion, minus 13.9 percent) and imports increased (240 million, plus 5.3 percent). Apparent consumption remained at 950 million euro, basically stable (down 0.3 percent) from 953 million euro in 2024, while the trade balance stopped at 1.218 billion euro, recording a 16.9 percent reduction compared to the previous twelve months.
These are the figures processed by the Studies Office of Acimall, the Confindustria member association that represents the Italian manufacturers of machinery, equipment and tools for the woodworking and furniture industry.
These preliminary data should be evaluated within the picture of a period affected by the effects of the pandemic period: while 2020, the “Covid year”, had reached 1.848 billion euro, with a reduction by 18.4 percent from 2019, the following years recorded a powerful rebound: 2.530 billion in 2021 (plus 37 percent), 2.646 billion in 2022 and 2.650 in 2023, an all-time record for the industry. Booming orders nurtured the industry for three years, supporting an unprecedented level of investment that resulted into a deep and widespread renovation of the machinery fleet.
So, inevitably, the following years went “back to normal”: 2024 closed with a production value of 2.420 billion euro (8.7 percent less than the 2023 record), and 2025, as we have seen, confirmed this trend.
“The exceptional wave of investments of recent years could only trigger a trend reversal in the current season”, said Acimall director Dario Corbetta. “Unfortunately, this reduction, that I would consider natural, was combined with other negative factors for our industry, first of all the “disappearing” of some markets (Russia, Belarus, and partly Ukraine) for the reasons we all sadly know. Meanwhile, Chinese production has basically covered the entire Asian continent and has also approached in South America, where Italian and European supplies are still maintaining their positions. Our industry is continuing its success in North America and in Europe, and it is looking with increasing attention to Africa, which remains the big challenge of the future”.
“In this situation, the Italian market remains a key destination, achieving a value close to one billion euro that makes it one of the most important regions in the global flows of wood technologies”, Corbetta added. “Our constant contacts with industry companies show positive signals, confirmed by the small decrease of reference values compared to the overall figure (from 725 million in 2024 to 710 in 2025, ed.). These signals will continue through 2026, as a result of the new incentives for “made in Italy” and “made in Europe” machines introduced by the Italian government.
This drive – concluded Dario Corbetta, Acimall director – will have a direct impact on Xylexpo, the exhibition of wood and furniture technology scheduled next 9 to 12 June, that will reaffirm its role of major showcase of Italian and international technology”.
