Non-residential projects bolster crane activity in Australia

RLB’s latest Crane Index for Australia shows strength in the civils and infrastucture sector. Image: Rider Levett Bucknall

The number of cranes working on non-residential projects in Australia reached 370 units, out of a total of nearly 900 units, a new survey shows.

Rider Levett Bucknall’s Crane Index for the third quarter of 2024, its 25th quarterly edition, reports Sydney as the busiest area. The high number of cranes is bolstered by the large amount of civil and infrastructure projects impacting the construction industry.

Commenting on the figures Domenic Schiafone, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) Oceania director of research and development, said, “Construction crane numbers remain strong across Australia led by Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

“The Australian construction industry remains buoyant, with 863 cranes on sites nationally. The Q3 2024 RLB Crane Index has recorded the third highest count in the 25 editions of the index. The index has recorded more than 800 cranes nationally for the past six editions,” Schiafone added.

Running in line

RLB said its survey correlates with national construction activity. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed construction activity in Australia up 2.2 per cent (or AUD$ 3.3 billion) in the first six months of 2024, against the same period the year before. ABS showed residential activity across the country down slightly for the first six months of 2024 compared to H1 2023.

Sydney boasted 387 cranes out of the total, while 196 were in Melbourne, 66 in Brisbane, 62 on the Gold Coast, 46 in Perth, 30 in Canberra, 19 in Adelaide, 14 on the Sunshine Coast, 13 in Newcastle, 12 on the Central Coast, 11 in Wollongong, with 2 reported in Darwin and in Hobart.

Half (49.5 %) of Australia’s cranes were in New South Wales, while 22.8 % were in Melbourne, and South-East Queensland had 16.5 %.

While the 863 total is slightly down on an 882 high six months ago, crane numbers remain high across the country, RLB said.

Net reduction

New projects saw the addition of 257 new cranes in the last six months when 263 cranes were removed from projects nearing completion, in the same period.

Non-residential activity slightly exceeded 2023 results with the civil and engineering sector continuing its substantial growth. In the 2023 calendar year, engineering activity grew by 16% and has continued to grow by 6% for the first six months of 2024.

The 370 crane total on non-residential sites was an increase of 36 cranes in the last six months. Cranes on residential jobs around the country numbered 493, or 57 % of the total, down from 535 in the previous survey. Residential sites saw an addition of 134 cranes but 176 were removed. Having said that, the survey showed seven cities with more cranes than in the previous survey: Adelaide, Canberra, Central Coast, Darwin. Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Perth.

Rider Levett Bucknall regularly publishes its RLB Crane Index in many countries. “It was created as a simple insight into the construction sector’s health. RLB physically counts all fixed cranes on each city’s skyline twice yearly which provides the base information for the index.”