In 2024, China's home appliance industry posted remarkable export results, shipping 4.48 billion units—a 20.8% jump compared to the previous year. Large appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines continued to anchor China's appliance exports.
In 2024, Chinese home appliance manufacturers maintained their innovative momentum, consistently boosting product quality and service standards, branching out into global markets, and reinforcing international collaboration—ensuring the industry's solid progress. In 2025, these companies will leverage smart, green, customizable, and cost-effective advantages to expand sales channels and speed up their overseas footprint.
In 2024, China's home appliance exports grew more varied than ever. Europe and North America remained the primary export destinations for Chinese home appliances, with strong demand providing ample market opportunities. Meanwhile, emerging markets in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East also saw rapidly increasing demand for Chinese household appliances.
At Ningbo Handian Electric Co., Ltd.'s production floor, injection molding machines roar and stamping presses clang in constant rhythm as assembly lines run nonstop. After pre-assembly, insulation foaming, final assembly, testing, and packaging, each refrigerator rolls off the line, awaiting shipment overseas.
"Five years ago, the EU was our primary market for refrigerators, making up 80% of our total export revenue," recalled Li Jianming, foreign trade manager at Ningbo Handian Electric Co., Ltd. "We realized we had to diversify to reduce market concentration risks. In the past five years, by participating in international exhibitions and conducting on-the-ground market research, we've invested significantly in R&D, developing products tailored for different regions. Customers have embraced these offerings, helping us expand into Africa, Asia, North America, and Australia—and driving a broad surge in our exports."
Refrigerators are one of Cixi City's top export products, ranking third in home appliance export value. Customs figures show that in 2024, the city's refrigerator exports totaled RMB 2.41 billion—an increase of 13.3% compared to the previous year.
In recent years, Cixi Customs—part of Ningbo Customs—has closely tracked developments in the refrigerator export sector. By intensifying technical analysis of overseas reports and returns, sharing research insights with exporters, and issuing timely technical trade measure alerts, they have helped companies strengthen self-inspection and control in critical production processes.
Recently, in the warehouse of Ririshun (Qingdao) International Supply Chain Service Co., Ltd., automated machinery and assembly-line workers operate in perfect sync, methodically packing air conditioners into crates. Valued at RMB 470,000, this shipment of home appliances is set to begin its overseas journey under the supervision of Qingdao Dagang Customs.
Chinese home appliance products have gained worldwide popularity for their superior performance and smart functionality, leading businesses to explore new markets. As the Belt and Road Initiative continues to progress, China's trade ties with Central Asia are growing stronger. In turn, Chinese appliance makers have seized this momentum with strategic market positioning, firmly establishing themselves in partner nations.
"Our appliances have seen explosive growth in Central Asian markets due to their affordability and broad coverage of daily consumer needs," explained Du Menglin, Customs Affairs Manager at Ririshun (Qingdao) International Supply Chain Service Co., Ltd. "By harnessing the Belt and Road Initiative’s potential, we’ve stepped up our market expansion efforts. As a result, our exports to partner countries rose by 35% in 2024."
Accelerating Global Brand Expansion
Today, Chinese home appliance brands stand out globally and forge a shining "Chinese business card," backed by robust product quality, cutting-edge innovation, and adept brand management. Intelligence, high-end design, and strong branding have become key drivers of export growth, and many major domestic players are investing heavily in technological advancements and core capabilities.
On January 14, in the warehouse of Wuxi Little Swan Electric Co., Ltd., workers were busy packing front-load washing machines valued at RMB 200,000, preparing to ship them by sea to Latin America.
Wuxi Little Swan Electric Co., Ltd. focuses on the R&D, production, and sales of household washers and dryers. One of China's oldest washing machine brands, it exports roughly 10 million appliances each year, spanning more than 160 countries and regions in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In 2024, Little Swan's washing machine exports totaled RMB 6.5 billion—a 15% year-on-year uptick.
"Following today's design trends, we introduced a fully integrated washer-dryer system that's both energy-efficient and aesthetically unified," explained Zhang Yan, the company’s Senior Logistics Manager. "We've also rolled out a carbon footprint accounting platform, meeting international consumers' growing demand for eco-friendly, low-carbon products."
To ensure the safety and quality of home appliance products and facilitate smooth customs clearance, Wuxi Customs under Nanjing Customs rigorously upholds quality standards. Targeting the specific needs of home appliance exports, it enhances quality and safety guidance, tracks international certifications, energy efficiency standards, and relevant regulations, while also promoting the Customs' Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) certification policy to businesses. Moreover, a range of facilitation measures such as "advanced declaration" and "two-step declaration" are implemented to match the rhythm of enterprise orders. For key imported components, including motors requiring inspection, expedited clearance measures like "reservation inspection, centralized inspection, and immediate release" are applied. These initiatives ensure smoother production operations, improve regulatory efficiency, and streamline the import-export logistics chain at the port.
Hisense International Marketing Co., Ltd. continues to invest heavily in technological innovation and product research and development, creating a range of personalized products tailored to the consumption habits of various countries. The company received over 50 awards at the 2025 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), with its products being sold in more than 160 countries and regions worldwide.
"We have recently developed a series of highly competitive new products, and the pre-sale response in overseas markets has been exceptionally positive, with order volumes steadily increasing. However, many of these new products contain precision electronic components, which have strict requirements for transportation and storage conditions. As our export volume grows rapidly, ensuring smooth and fast customs clearance has become a key challenge we must address," said Wu Tong, Customs Manager at Hisense International Marketing Co., Ltd.
To help businesses seize export opportunities and strengthen their presence in international markets within this highly competitive foreign trade sector, Qingdao Customs, under the Qingdao Port Customs, conducts risk assessments by collecting export return data, investigating causes, and more. This ensures that companies can access relevant policies and market information promptly. Qingdao Customs also plays a vital coordinating role, encouraging businesses to invest more in technological research and development and create their own brands. It has introduced measures such as "appointment-based customs clearance" and "immediate inspection upon arrival" to ensure maximum convenience for businesses, thus contributing to stable growth and quality enhancement in the home appliance industry and helping to establish new advantages for "Made in China."
In the next phase, Qingdao Port Customs will further assist home appliance companies in maximizing the benefits of customs facilitation measures, contributing to the rapid growth of exports of Chinese-owned brand home appliance products. According to statistics, in 2024, Qingdao Port Customs supervised the export of 46,000 batches, 19.06 million units, and a total value of RMB 16.1 billion in home appliances, marking year-on-year increases of 11.6%, 10.8%, and 21%, respectively.
Seizing New Export Opportunities
The competitive edge of Chinese home appliances in the international market is becoming increasingly apparent. Over the past year, Chinese home appliance companies have accelerated their expansion into overseas markets, broadening their product sales channels. To sustain long-term growth, these companies are focusing heavily on enhancing product quality, brand strength, and distribution capabilities.
Recently, under the supervision of customs officers at Zengcheng Customs, part of Huangpu Customs, workers at Zengcheng West Station loaded large home appliances, including refrigerators and televisions, into a container train heading to Almaty, Kazakhstan.
"Since 2024, domestically produced home appliances have gained considerable popularity overseas due to their solid quality and competitive pricing, demonstrating strong competitiveness in Europe, Central Asia, and beyond," said Li Siqiang, Head of Train Operations at Guangzhou Jiaotou International Freight Train Operation & Management Co., Ltd. "Our data show that the export value of large appliances—like dishwashers, refrigerators, and televisions—now ranks among the top ten outbound commodities at Zengcheng West Station. In 2024, the total value of exported large home appliances (including refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines) via Zengchengxi Station's international freight trains reached about RMB 1.87 billion, an increase of approximately 24% from the previous year."
Efficient logistics and streamlined customs clearance shorten delivery times, extend the overseas selling season for goods, and give businesses a better chance to expand their markets. To this end, Zengcheng Customs leverages the around-the-clock stability and minimal transport damage offered by international freight trains to meet the unique needs of large home appliances. The customs authority conducts in-depth research with foreign trade enterprises and has introduced measures such as priority inspections, "advance declaration," and expedited railway customs clearance. Dedicated personnel closely monitor and guide companies in organizing supply, planning train schedules, and aligning with loading and unloading processes. Through seamless coordination of document review, inspections, and release procedures, Zengcheng Customs has created an efficient and reliable export channel for freight trains.
Ningbo Langmu Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., a specialized exporter of household refrigerators, has upgraded three refrigerator production lines and its laboratory to boost its production capacity, achieving a combined annual output of four million refrigerators and freezers. Supported by robust production capabilities and advanced laboratory facilities, the company posted refrigerator export sales of RMB 650 million in 2024, reflecting an 8.2% increase over the previous year.
"In the second half of 2024, global demand for home appliances bounced back, especially in developed markets like Europe and North America, which entered a 'restocking cycle,' leading to a surge in foreign trade orders for our company," explained Zhang Lihua, Manager of the Foreign Trade Department at Ningbo Langmu Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. "This year has been phenomenal for our refrigerator exports, particularly in North America, where we've seen frequent order spikes. One long-standing client alone placed an order for more than 500,000 refrigerators."
To drive high-quality development in the refrigerator sector, Cixi Customs has ramped up its industry research and comparative data analysis, paying particular attention to foreign technical trade measures affecting major exports like refrigerators. It also collaborates closely with leading export enterprises, guiding them in the study and response to these measures. In light of Malaysia's proposed mandatory energy efficiency standards for freezers, Cixi Customs promptly gathered feedback from Ningbo Handian Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. and Ningbo Langmu Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. Incorporating their input, Cixi Customs jointly proposed a document titled Concerns on Malaysia's Freezer Energy Efficiency, giving voice to the reasonable demands of exporting companies.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of China Inspection and Quarantine Times. The China Inspection and Quarantine Times version shall prevail.