XCMG vs Sany Mobile Cranes — Which to Buy in the UAE

QY50K vs STC500, parts availability in Sharjah and Dubai, resale value, operator preference, and the few situations where Sany actually wins.

If you're buying a mobile crane in the UAE, your choice almost always comes down to two Chinese majors: XCMG (Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group) and Sany. Together they take roughly nine out of ten new-and-used Chinese-sourced units that land at Jebel Ali. Liebherr, Tadano and Grove are present in the second-hand market too, but at price points that put them in a different conversation.

This guide is the version of the conversation we have on WhatsApp every week — what's actually different between the two brands at each capacity tier, and where each one wins. If you're still narrowing on a capacity rather than a brand, start with the year-by-year guide first.

The short answer

For 80% of UAE projects in the 25–100 ton range, XCMG is the safer default. Higher residual value, deeper UAE parts inventory (dealers in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi stock common XCMG service items off the shelf), and operators are more comfortable on QY-series controls because they've been on them for a decade.

Sany wins when (a) you can find a much fresher unit at the same price — a 2020 Sany STC500 sometimes lands AED 30,000–45,000 below an equivalent XCMG QY50K of the same year, because resale just isn't as strong; (b) you're at 100 tons or above where the STC1000 / STC1300 are genuinely competitive units; or (c) you have a Sany-trained workshop in-house and you'd prefer brand consistency.

Brand-by-brand at each capacity

25 ton — XCMG QY25K-II vs Sany STC250

This is the workhorse class for residential, factory steelwork, MEP install and most rental fleets. The QY25K-II is the most-resold mobile crane in the UAE, full stop. Operators learn it as their first crane, dealers stock filters and hydraulic seals locally, and a clean 2018–2020 unit moves the day it's listed. The Sany STC250 is mechanically very similar, but residual is roughly 8–12% softer at five years old. Buy a Sany at this size only if it's meaningfully cheaper for the same year and hours.

See: 25-ton mobile cranes in stock.

50 ton — XCMG QY50K / QY50KA vs Sany STC500

The 50-ton class is the most-quoted size we sell — perfect for tower-crane erection, precast handling on housing projects, and most general construction. The QY50K is built around a 6×4 chassis with a five-section boom, and the K / KA / KB variants have small but useful improvements (improved counterweight handling on the KA, stiffer turret on later builds). The STC500 has a slightly faster luffing speed and the cab interior on 2020+ units is genuinely nicer — but again, resale lags. We can usually find both for a 50T project, and we recommend whichever is fresher for the money in that week's market.

80 ton — XCMG QY80K vs Sany STC800

This is the size most commonly bought for tower-crane jumpsets, large precast lifts and on substations / large industrial sheds. Both brands are capable. The QY80K still has the edge on parts in the UAE, but the gap is narrower than at 25 / 50 tons. Factor in: at 80T, hours matter more than at 50T because the boom seal and jib pin wear show up earlier on hard-working units.

100–130 ton — XCMG QY100K-I / QY130K-I vs Sany STC1000 / STC1300

Here Sany closes the gap. The STC1000 in particular has been a strong seller globally and the parts pipeline through Sany Middle East is reasonable for this class. At 100T+ you're often looking at a project-by-project purchase rather than a fleet purchase, so the brand premium matters less — what matters is the specific unit's load chart, condition, and mobilisation cost.

130–220 ton all-terrain — XCMG SAC1600 / SAC2000 / SAC2200 / XCA220

Above 130T, XCMG dominates the Chinese-sourced market. The SAC and XCA series are all-terrain units (different format — see our all-terrain vs truck-mounted guide), and there's no Sany direct equivalent that's being landed in the UAE in any volume right now. Sany's bigger units exist on paper but are rarely in the second-hand market at GCC ports.

Parts & service in the UAE — the real differentiator

In the UAE, "buying a crane" is really "buying a maintenance schedule for the next ten years". The parts question is therefore the most important one, and where XCMG meaningfully wins:

• Filters (engine, hydraulic, return, fuel) — XCMG-OEM and quality aftermarket are stocked in Sharjah and Dubai. Sany-OEM often has to be brought in via the dealer with a 1–2 week lead time.
• Hydraulic seals — both brands are well-served by independent hydraulic shops in Industrial Area 13 and Sajaa, but XCMG kits are off-the-shelf.
• Cab electronics — this is where Sany has actually improved fastest in the last 3–4 years, and 2022+ Sany cabs are arguably ahead of XCMG in display and diagnostics. But replacement controllers are still much easier to source on XCMG.
• Wear items (slew bearing seals, boom rollers, turntable shims) — XCMG wins on availability across all sizes.

Resale value — the number that pays you back

From our own market data and what other Sharjah / Dubai dealers report, a clean XCMG holds value about 8–15% better than the equivalent Sany at five years old. That gap shrinks at the 100T+ end and can flip in narrow cases (a 2022 Sany STC1000 with low hours, sold to a Sany-aligned customer, is fine). For a fleet buyer expecting to rotate units every 4–6 years, the XCMG resale advantage is usually worth more than any upfront discount Sany offers.

Where Sany genuinely wins

1. Cab comfort post-2020. Operator feedback on the STC500 and STC1000 cabs is consistently positive — better A/C performance and cleaner displays.
2. Aggressive pricing on a fresh unit. If you're comparing a 2022 Sany to a 2020 XCMG at the same money, the Sany is often the better buy on hours alone.
3. Brand consistency for Sany-aligned fleets. If your other equipment is Sany excavators / dozers, having a single workshop knowledge base helps.

Our recommendation framework

Pricing today (April 2026)

• XCMG QY25K-II 2018–2020 used: from AED 285,000
• XCMG QY50K 2018–2020 used: from AED 470,000
• Sany STC500 2020–2022 used: from AED 415,000 (often the better-value 50T pick this quarter)
• XCMG QY80K 2018–2020 used: from AED 790,000
• XCMG QY100K-I 2020–2022 used: from AED 950,000
• Sany STC1000 2018–2020 used: from AED 880,000

Prices in AED, ex-Sajaa yard, exclusive of VAT, indicative, change with FX and freight. See current stock on the catalogue or configure a unit.