Comprehensive Snapshot for Australia Forklift Rental Market, Including State/Territory and Segment Analysis in Brief.
Industry: Industrial Automation
Format: PPT*, PDF, EXCEL
ID: PMRREP35452
Last Updated: 27 June 2025
Number of Pages: 148
The Australia forklift rental market size is likely to be valued at US$ 126.7 Mn in 2025 and is expected to reach US$ 185.6 Mn by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% in the forecast period between 2025 and 2032.
In the evolving landscape of logistics, manufacturing, and construction, the Australia forklift rental market is considered a strategic enabler of operational agility. As supply chains stretch across broad geographies and project timelines shrink, businesses are shifting toward flexible, scalable equipment models that help keep up with real-time demands. Forklift rental in Australia is being transformed by sector-specific dynamics- from the mining corridors of Queensland to the e-commerce warehouses of New South Wales. With a huge emphasis on short-term contracts, electrification, and telematics integration, the market has become highly competitive.
Key Industry Highlights
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Market Attribute |
Key Insights |
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Australia Forklift Rental Market Size (2025E) |
US$126.7 Mn |
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Market Value Forecast (2032F) |
US$185.6 Mn |
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Projected Growth (CAGR 2025 to 2032) |
5.6% |
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Historical Market Growth (CAGR 2019 to 2024) |
4.8% |
The financial advantages of rental over ownership are a key driver behind the Australia forklift rental market growth, finds Persistence Market Research. It is particularly evident among small and medium-sized enterprises and industries experiencing volatile demand. Purchasing a forklift requires significant upfront capital investments, which tie up funds that could be better allocated toward core business operations. Rental converts a large capital expense into a more manageable operational expense, making it ideal for businesses seeking to preserve liquidity and improve cash flow predictability.
One of the most notable financial benefits is the elimination of maintenance and repair costs. Rental agreements in Australia typically include full-service maintenance packages, meaning the rental company is responsible for servicing, breakdowns, and even replacing faulty units. This lowers the financial risk for businesses, particularly when dealing with high-usage equipment in industries, including warehousing, construction, and logistics. Depreciation is another hidden cost of ownership that rentals help avoid.
Despite the rising preference for rental solutions in Australia, limited customization options remain a key constraint, primarily for businesses with highly specific operational requirements. Several rental providers still rely on standardized fleets, which often fail to cater to the specific requirements of heavy-duty construction or cold storage sectors. Specialized attachments, including telescopic forks or carton clamps, for instance, are usually not readily available on short notice from rental fleets. This tends to compel businesses either to compromise on efficiency or invest in owned solutions that offer better customization.
Availability bottlenecks are also hampering rental adoption, particularly during peak demand cycles such as the end-of-year retail surge or infrastructure project rollouts. Data from Australia’s National Transport Commission (NTC) and recent logistics property reports suggest warehouse and logistics activity is anticipated to surge by more than 30% by 2027. As demand for forklift attachments spikes in tandem, small-scale rental providers struggle to meet short lead times or supply sufficient units with the required specifications.
Australia’s booming e-commerce logistics sector is creating new opportunities for forklift rental service providers. It is mainly due to the rapid and continuous expansion of warehouse infrastructure and order fulfilment operations. As online retail continues its strong trajectory, logistics operators are increasingly under pressure to scale their operations quickly. Renting forklifts offers an immediate and cost-effective solution to meet these fluctuating warehouse demands without the long lead times or capital expenditure required for purchasing equipment.
The demand is further propelled by the ongoing development of logistics real estate. Cushman & Wakefield estimated gross warehouse take-up of around 3.0 to 3.2 Mn square meters in 2024, with even more expected for 2025. These new facilities, often designed with high-density storage and rapid throughput in mind, require material handling equipment from the outset. Rather than investing in owned fleets, developers and early-stage tenants are turning to rental providers to furnish facilities with electric forklifts, order pickers, and reach trucks.
Based on tonnage capacity, the market is trifurcated into below 5 tons, 6 to 30 tons, and above 30 tons. Out of these, below 5 tons are predicted to account for approximately 50.1% of the Australia forklift rental market share in 2025 as this capacity is associated with the operational requirements of the country’s most forklift-dependent sectors. Warehousing, retail, e-commerce, and light manufacturing sectors typically handle palletized goods and boxed inventory that rarely exceed 2 to 3 tons per lift, making small capacity forklifts ideal. For example, electric counterbalance forklifts in the 1.5 to 3-ton range are commonly used in high-throughput fulfilment centers due to their ability to easily navigate narrow aisles.
The 6 to 30 tons segment is poised to witness a steady CAGR from 2025 to 2032 due to increasing use in heavy industries, including large-scale construction, port logistics, steel, and mining. These industries require material handling equipment capable of lifting oversized and high-weight loads such as prefabricated construction modules and steel coils. In Queensland and Western Australia, where mining and resource extraction are key economic drivers, companies are preferring high-capacity forklifts to manage short-term project requirements. Port and container terminals also contribute significantly to demand in this segment.
By end-use, the market is divided into construction, automotive, aerospace and defense, and warehouse and logistics. Among these, the warehouse and logistics segment will likely hold around 37.8% of share in 2025 due to the sector’s constant expansion, pushed by e-commerce, retail distribution, and third-party logistics operations. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), as of 2024, online retail sales accounted for over 11% of total retail turnover in the country. This is further encouraging both e-commerce platforms and conventional retailers to extend their warehousing footprints. The surge has skyrocketed demand for flexible, short-term access to forklifts that can support high-volume material handling.
The construction segment, on the other hand, is envisioned to showcase considerable growth through 2032 amid the sector’s reliance on short-term, high-capacity material handling during dynamic project phases. High-capacity forklifts are frequently rented for transporting heavy prefabricated units, steel components, concrete barriers, and large spools of wiring or piping. These tasks are typical in large infrastructure builds, where temporary logistics yards and staging zones require material handling without committing to permanent equipment fleets. Rental providers have responded by extending their inventories of rough-terrain forklifts and telehandlers specifically to serve this segment.
Queensland’s dominant mining industry fuels a steady demand for mid- to high-tonnage forklifts, especially on project sites and remote operations. The state is considered one of the most prominent markets for forklift rental in Australia, reflecting this sectoral intensity. As e-commerce spreads beyond metro hubs, Queensland’s inland logistics nodes, specifically around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, have witnessed a surge in warehouse demand.
National reports highlight a shift toward electric and telematics-equipped models in the state. Queensland rental fleets are following suit, offering modern, low-emission counterbalance and forklift trucks, mainly in Brisbane's industrial zones, to meet stringent emissions standards. The state’s economy features pronounced seasonal cycles, including event logistics, tourism-related storage, and harvest processing. Hence, rentals are providing companies with the ability to scale up during harvest peaks or festival seasons and downsize afterward without incurring ownership costs.
In 2025, New South Wales is expected to account for a share of nearly 25.7% with its evolving logistics landscape, infrastructure investments, and sizeable industrial base. The state also dominates the construction equipment rental market, propelled by ongoing transport, housing, and public infrastructure projects. Forklift rentals are integral in this mix, providing short-term, site-based capacity for loading materials and managing logistics across multiple active projects.
As the economic engine of Australia, New South Wales naturally supports high-density logistics operations. Rental providers, including Forklogic and United Equipment, report fast delivery in metro zones and steady demand for electric, LPG, diesel, and rough-terrain models across key logistics nodes in Sydney and the Central Coast. Rental demand in the state ranges from urban logistics to heavy industrial applications such as container facilities and construction yards.
Unlike coastal powerhouses, South Australia’s industrial backbone relies heavily on manufacturing and agribusiness. As per Jobs and Skills Australia, in 2024, manufacturing and agriculture comprised a combined 58 to 62% of the workforce in regional areas such as Mid?North and Murray/South?East. This augmented demand for below 5-ton counterbalance forklifts on factory floors, processing facilities, and grain storage sites, creating stable rental niche even outside metro Adelaide.
Adelaide's industrial zones, including Adelaide North and South Employment Regions with over 750,000 workers, host key sectors such as logistics, construction, retail, and manufacturing. Forklift rental in Adelaide depends heavily on small to mid-capacity units that support light manufacturing, construction fit outs, and warehouse operations. Rental fleets, including forklift truck safety solutions, in the state often skew small to mid-capacity due to relatively low local demand volumes.
The Australia forklift rental market is moderately fragmented, with a mix of national players and region-specific operators competing across industrial hubs. Leading national companies are leveraging extensive fleets, flexible rental terms, and bundled service packages that include maintenance and operator training. They are catering to large-scale mining, construction, and warehousing projects, mainly in resource-rich states. Competition, however, is intensifying in metro regions, including Brisbane and Sydney, where several mid-sized and local rental firms are providing customized rental durations, niche models, and quick turnaround times.
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Report Attribute |
Details |
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Historical Data/Actuals |
2019 - 2024 |
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Forecast Period |
2025 - 2032 |
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Market Analysis Units |
Value: US$ Bn/Mn, Volume: As Applicable |
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Geographical Coverage |
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Segmental Coverage |
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Competitive Analysis |
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Report Highlights |
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Customization and Pricing |
Available upon request |
By Equipment Type
By Tonnage Capacity
By Power Source
By End-use
By State/Territory
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The Australia forklift rental market is projected to reach US$ 126.7 Mn in 2025.
Booming e-commerce sector and large-scale mining projects are the key market drivers.
The Australia forklift rental market is poised to witness a CAGR of 5.6% from 2025 to 2032.
Emergence of just-in-time inventory models and the boom of pallet-based logistics are the key market opportunities.
Clark Material Handling Company, Crown Equipment Corporation, and Jungheinrich AG are a few key market players.
