Manufacturing business valuation benchmarks for New Zealand
Manufacturing business valuation evidence for New Zealand, drawn from 1,267 verified manufacturing sales recorded by licensed NZ business brokers. Indexed price trends, median time-to-sell, recent comparables and a regional heatmap, covering ANZSIC Division C nationwide.
The state of the NZ manufacturing business sales market
Manufacturing (ANZSIC Division C) spans machinery and equipment makers, polymer and chemical producers, printers, and textile and metal-product manufacturers. Bizstats has recorded 1,267 manufacturing business sales. Auckland accounts for roughly 52% of transactions, with Canterbury a clear second as the South Island's industrial base.
Manufacturing is a smaller, more deliberate market than retail or hospitality: deals are larger, fewer in number and take longer to complete. Sale prices have risen meaningfully, with the indexed median reaching 152 by 2025, a 52% cumulative gain on the 2010 baseline.
The SDE multiple index sits at 86, slightly below its baseline. Manufacturing is asset-heavy and cyclical, and buyers weigh plant condition, customer concentration and working-capital needs carefully. Higher sale prices reflect larger businesses changing hands more than buyers paying a richer multiple per dollar of earnings.
Sale price and SDE multiple figures are indexed to 2010 = 100. The +% values show cumulative change since the 2010 baseline. The full dollar medians, by sub-category, are available in a Bizstats valuation report.
Indexed median manufacturing sale price
Median sale price for New Zealand manufacturing business transactions, indexed to 2010 = 100. The underlying dollar medians by sub-category are published in the Bizstats valuation report.
Commentary: The manufacturing price index reached 152 by 2025, a 52% cumulative rise, briefly touching 242 at its strongest. With relatively few recorded sales behind each year's median, the index is volatile year to year; the multi-year trend is a clear, substantial appreciation in headline sale prices.
Indexed median manufacturing SDE multiple
Median SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) multiple paid for New Zealand manufacturing businesses, indexed to 2010 = 100. The price index tracks what businesses sell for; the SDE multiple index tracks what buyers are paying per dollar of earnings. Actual multiples by sub-category are published in a Bizstats valuation report.
Commentary: The manufacturing SDE multiple has drifted in a 79-106 band and sits at 86 by 2025, modestly below the 2010 baseline. Buyers of asset-heavy, cyclical businesses stay disciplined on the multiple they pay per dollar of earnings, factoring in plant reinvestment and customer concentration risk.
What buyers pay for in a manufacturing business sale
The average split of the sale price into tangible assets, stock and intangibles (brand, customer base and other non-physical value) for NZ manufacturing business transactions, year by year. Each bar is a 100% view: it shows the mix, not the dollar value.
- Tangibles
- Stock
- Intangibles
| Year | Tangibles | Stock | Intangibles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 35% | 5% | 60% |
| 2011 | 45% | 12% | 43% |
| 2012 | 37% | 3% | 60% |
| 2013 | 40% | 6% | 54% |
| 2014 | 31% | 8% | 61% |
| 2015 | 30% | 7% | 63% |
| 2016 | 24% | 7% | 69% |
| 2017 | 22% | 7% | 71% |
| 2018 | 26% | 6% | 68% |
| 2019 | 22% | 6% | 72% |
| 2020 | 25% | 10% | 65% |
| 2021 | 18% | 6% | 76% |
| 2022 | 18% | 6% | 76% |
| 2023 | 16% | 8% | 76% |
| 2024 | 22% | 5% | 73% |
| 2025 | 32% | 9% | 59% |
Commentary: Manufacturing is the most tangible-heavy sector on the site: plant, machinery and tooling, plus raw material and finished-goods stock, anchor the deal. By 2025 the median sale split roughly 32% tangible assets, 9% stock and 59% intangibles. Even here the intangible share has moved from 60% in 2010 to 59% (-1 points), as buyers pay for established order books, processes and customer relationships.
Median time-to-sell for NZ manufacturing businesses
Median months from listing to unconditional sale for NZ manufacturing business transactions. A leading indicator of buyer demand. Tighter time-to-sell signals stronger competition for available stock.
Commentary: Time-to-sell has lengthened, from around 3 months in 2010 to 4 months by 2025, with a high of 6 months in 2024. Manufacturing deals involve plant inspections, lease and resource-consent checks and a narrower buyer pool, all of which extend the path from listing to unconditional sale.
Recent manufacturing business sales in NZ
A sample of recent anonymised manufacturing transactions. Each row shows ANZSIC sub-category, region, revenue, SDE and sale month, with revenue and SDE rounded to the nearest $100,000. Full anonymised comparables with exact sale prices and SDE multiples are in a Bizstats valuation report.
| ANZSIC | Region | Revenue | SDE | SDE X | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textile Finishing and Other Textile Product Manufacturing | Canterbury | $900,000 | $300,000 | ••• | Apr 2026 |
| Other Specialised Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | Bay of Plenty | $500,000 | $200,000 | ••• | Feb 2026 |
| Other Polymer Product Manufacturing | Bay of Plenty | $2,400,000 | $500,000 | ••• | Feb 2026 |
| Paint and Coatings Manufacturing | Auckland | $800,000 | $200,000 | ••• | Dec 2025 |
| Pesticide Manufacturing | Auckland | $700,000 | $500,000 | ••• | Oct 2025 |
| Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing | Auckland | $700,000 | $500,000 | ••• | Oct 2025 |
| Other Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | Wellington | $2,900,000 | $500,000 | ••• | Oct 2025 |
| Printing | Auckland | $500,000 | $100,000 | ••• | Oct 2025 |
| Leather Tanning, Fur Dressing and Leather Product Manufacturing | Manawatu | $1,100,000 | $100,000 | ••• | Oct 2025 |
| Metal Coating and Finishing | Waikato | $400,000 | $100,000 | ••• | Oct 2025 |
See what they actually sold for. A Bizstats valuation report unlocks exact sale prices, SDE multiples and time-to-sell for manufacturing businesses by ANZSIC sub-category.
Create a Bizstats report →Sample drawn from 1,267 verified manufacturing transactions, updated as new sales are recorded by our network of licensed NZ business brokers.
Manufacturing business sales by NZ region
Manufacturing transaction activity and median time-to-sell mapped across New Zealand's 16 regions. Auckland leads with 663 recorded sales, ahead of Canterbury and Bay of Plenty. Switch the metric to compare regional time-to-sell, and click any region for its manufacturing benchmarks.
| Region | Transactions | Median time-to-sell (months) |
|---|---|---|
| Northland | 15 | 5 |
| Auckland | 663 | 4 |
| Waikato | 59 | 4 |
| Bay of Plenty | 122 | 4 |
| Gisborne | 0 | Insufficient sample |
| Taranaki | 26 | 4 |
| Manawatu | 22 | 4 |
| Hawke's Bay | 12 | Insufficient sample |
| Wellington | 55 | 5 |
| Tasman | 9 | Insufficient sample |
| Nelson | 32 | 4 |
| Marlborough | 5 | Insufficient sample |
| West Coast | 0 | Insufficient sample |
| Canterbury | 205 | 4 |
| Otago | 35 | 5 |
| Southland | 7 | Insufficient sample |
Put these manufacturing benchmarks to work
Apply Bizstats manufacturing benchmarks to a specific business: your own, a target acquisition or a comparable you're researching. Three free tools, no signup, real insights.
Work out Seller's Discretionary Earnings for a manufacturing business, step by step.
Calculate SDEStart hereApply manufacturing industry multiples to your SDE and get a market value estimate in seconds.
Try for FreeCalculate the return on investment for a manufacturing business purchase.
Calculate ROIManufacturing business valuation FAQ
Bizstats has recorded 1,267 manufacturing business sales. It is a low-churn market: a modest number of larger, capital-intensive businesses change hands each year. Auckland accounts for about 52% of transactions, with Canterbury second as the South Island's industrial base.
Yes. Indexed to 2010 = 100, the median manufacturing sale price reached 152 by 2025, a 52% cumulative rise. The year-to-year path is volatile because each year's median rests on a modest number of larger deals, but the long-run direction is firmly upward.
SDE multiples for manufacturing vary widely with plant quality, customer concentration and how much owner involvement the business needs. The Bizstats index sits modestly below its 2010 baseline, reflecting buyer caution on asset-heavy, cyclical businesses. Several factors move a specific business off the category average; exact multiples by sub-category are in a Bizstats valuation report.
Median time-to-sell is around 4 months and has lengthened over the period. Manufacturing sales take longer than consumer-facing businesses: buyers need to inspect plant and equipment, review leases and resource consents, and the qualified buyer pool is narrower.
Auckland leads with 663 recorded sales, followed by Canterbury (205) and Bay of Plenty (122). Where a region has fewer than 15 recorded sales we do not publish a time-to-sell figure, since the sample is too thin to benchmark reliably.
The dataset is updated monthly as new transactions flow in from our network of licensed New Zealand business brokers. Recorded coverage reaches back well over a decade, and the indexed trends on this page are benchmarked from 2010.
About this page
The benchmark figures, charts and recent comparables above are drawn from 1,267 verified manufacturing business sales recorded by licensed NZ business brokers. The written analysis is generated from that data and reviewed by the Bizstats team, and is refreshed as new sales are recorded. These are indicative market benchmarks, not a formal valuation. See our Terms of Use.
Benchmarks last updated .
Learn more about business valuation
Guides that explain the metrics behind these manufacturing benchmarks: SDE, earnings multiples, the ANZSIC classification and how market-based valuation works.
Understanding the Role of SDE in Business Valuation
One of the most widely used methods for business valuation is the capitalisation of earnings. Learn why Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) is crucial for SME valuation.
Key Factors That Impact Earnings Multiples in Business Valuation
For small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs), Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) is the most relevant measure when valuing a business. This is particularly true in New Zealand, where 97% of businesses have fewer than 20 employees.
Principles and Methods of SME Valuation
Discover the principles and methods of SME valuation, covering key asset-based, income-based, and market comparison approaches for accurate business assessment.
Value Modifiers in Business Valuation
Learn about value modifiers in business valuation and how factors like customer concentration, brand, and operational efficiency affect the final price.
Understanding ANZSIC
ANZSIC codes classify business data, simplifying your search for accurate comparables on Bizstats.
Gathering Information for a Business Valuation
A business valuation is essentially an informed opinion of value, relying heavily on the quality of information available to the valuer.