Chongqing - Chinese-made prefabricated homes gained fresh attention last month after Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning shared a video of one on overseas social media.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning posts a video on an overseas social media platform featuring a prefabricated home made in China. (Photo/People's Daily)
From smartphones to home appliances, Chinese products are expanding their global reach. Prefabricated homes are the latest growth area, with Shenzhen’s portable building exports rising 19.6 percent year on year to 1.68 billion yuan (approx. 233 million U.S. dollars) in the first four months of 2026.
They are now sold in more than 150 countries and regions and are used in overseas hotels, senior living facilities, offices and modular data centers.
So, what are prefabricated homes? Simply put, they are modular buildings, with more than 90 percent of the construction completed in factories before the modules are transported to their destinations and assembled on site like building blocks.
The growing popularity of Chinese prefabricated homes overseas reflects three advantages: lower costs enabled by China's manufacturing supply chain, improved quality through technological upgrades, and easier access to overseas buyers through e-commerce and digital marketing.
Housing shortages and high construction costs challenge many countries. In Western countries, particularly developed economies, traditional construction can be especially expensive.
Chinese prefabricated homes offer a potential solution. An unboxing video posted by an American couple on YouTube recently went viral after they bought a 70-square-meter foldable, fully furnished home from China online for 15,800 U.S. dollars. The total cost, including delivery and installation, was less than 29,000 U.S. dollars.
Backed by China's well-developed manufacturing supply chain, prefabricated homes benefit from standardized procurement at scale, covering everything from building materials to kitchen equipment and helping reduce construction costs. This factory-based model also significantly shortens on-site construction time.
Early prefabricated buildings were often criticized for poor soundproofing, inadequate insulation and monotonous designs. Today's Chinese prefabricated homes, however, have undergone a major transformation.
High-performance building materials are widely used to improve insulation, fire and moisture resistance, seismic performance and soundproofing, helping the homes meet or even exceed conventional building standards. Designs can be customized to suit different climates, cultures and uses, from Nordic-style pitched-roof cabins to open, well-ventilated verandas suited to tropical climates.
Online platforms have also helped Chinese prefabricated homes gain traction overseas. On B2B platforms including Alibaba.com and Made-in-China.com, Chinese suppliers provide transparent pricing, detailed specifications and factory videos, making it easier for overseas buyers to contact suppliers. On social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, many videos documenting factory visits, installation processes and purchasing experiences have garnered millions of views, helping spread awareness of the products.
Prefabricated homes are not a new concept in China, where government plans and policies have long supported prefabricated construction. The global modular construction market is projected to reach $142.8 billion by 2030, according to market research.
In Shenzhen’s Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone, China Construction Integrated Building Intelligent Manufacturing operates an automated production line that completes steel framing, interior decoration, utility installation and even furniture fitting before the modules leave the factory.
Located about 20 kilometers from Xiaomo International Logistics Port, the facility combines Shenzhen-based research and development, local manufacturing and direct port access. Since the beginning of 2026, completed modules have been shipped in several chartered batches to markets including Australia and Papua New Guinea.
In 2024, a prefabricated-home manufacturer in Chongqing’s Tongliang District exported 10 units to Uganda through Cuntan-Guoyuan Port and later shipped another five to Thailand, where it established a local agency to expand sales, linking Chongqing-based production with international transport and overseas distribution.
Deep integration across the industrial chain is key to strengthening the global competitiveness of Chinese manufacturing. Behind prefabricated homes is a network of upstream and downstream industries, including steel, cement, glass, furniture, appliances and logistics.
This integrated supply chain allows manufacturers to source materials at scale, produce efficiently and coordinate cross-border logistics, enabling them to deliver faster and at lower cost than many overseas competitors.
Chinese builders are exporting prefabricated homes to markets around the world. (Photo/CCTV Finance)
Chinese prefabricated homes still face challenges overseas, particularly differences in building codes, technical standards and after-sales services.
The EU requires European Conformity (CE) marking under its Construction Products Regulation, while the United States uses International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) evaluations and Australia follows the National Construction Code (NCC). Chinese companies need to adapt products to local requirements and strengthen quality control to build trust in overseas markets.
Compliance, however, is only the first step. To move beyond price competition, Chinese manufacturers are investing in technology. Chinese prefabricated-home makers still have room to improve in structural systems, energy-efficient materials and smart integration, including AI-assisted design.
Unlike ordinary consumer goods, prefabricated homes require installation, maintenance and after-sales support. Chinese companies also need to develop local logistics, installation and service networks and work with local partners in key markets.
Going global is no longer simply about making homes cheaply. For Chinese prefabricated homes, competing overseas increasingly means delivering better products, meeting local standards and providing reliable services.
(Li Jiayan, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)
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