Plastic recycling, bag and pipe making machine prices across Africa
The bands by machine family
| Family | 2026 band (ex-China) | The honest note |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic recycling wash line | US$120,000–350,000 (300–1,000 kg/h) | 500 kg/h fibre-grade typically US$150–200k; pelletizing section +US$80–120k. A crusher alone isn't a recycling plant. |
| Bag making machine | US$8,000 basic → US$40,000+ servo | Film extrusion and printing are separate machines in the same project |
| Pipe extrusion line | US$20,000 single-screw → US$200,000+ multi-layer | Dies, haul-off, cutting, socketing belong in the quote |
| Injection moulding (preforms, chairs, crates) | US$30,000–75,000 (150–300t); 400–500t from US$100,000+ | Preform economics = machine + mould (often the same order of money) — full detail in the tonnage guide |
Inside every band the same three things carry the money: output rate, automation level, and the unglamorous auxiliaries — chillers, compressors, material handling — that single-machine quotes conveniently omit. A quote without auxiliaries isn't cheaper; it's incomplete.
The honest map by market
- Nigeria: the continent's biggest recycling feedstock story — our research file shows 500 kg/h lines landing at US$130,000–260,000 all-in, which brackets the ex-China band plus the Lagos corridor factor. Bag and preform demand ride the same industrial belt; import mechanics in the Nigeria import guide.
- Ghana & Tanzania: packaging conversion (bags, preforms) leads; recycling follows municipal collection reality, which varies by city more than by country — see Ghana and Tanzania.
- Zambia, Zimbabwe & Mozambique: pipe extrusion tracks construction and irrigation demand; landlocked landed factors ×1.45–1.60 for Zambia and Zimbabwe make the auxiliaries-included quote discipline matter even more — see the plastics & packaging industry page.
One boundary worth naming: several markets are tightening single-use plastic bag rules (Rwanda's ban is the famous one). A bag project in 2026 should be quoted against the regulatory direction of its specific market — woven PP and paper bag machinery are the adjacent families when thin-film bags are restricted.
Machines or a plant?
A recycling plant is a wash line plus feedstock logistics; a bag plant is extrusion, printing and bag making in one flow; a pipe plant is an extrusion line plus dies and testing. In every family the viable business is the integrated flow, not the headline machine — which is why we quote landed-and-commissioned scope with installation, commissioning and training included, and why the cheapest machine on a listing site is rarely the cheapest plant.
What buyers across our markets ask
Complete PET wash lines at 300–1,000 kg/h run US$120,000–350,000 ex-China (500 kg/h fibre-grade typically US$150–200k); pelletizing adds US$80–120k. In Nigeria we've seen 500 kg/h lines land at US$130,000–260,000 all-in.
Basic machines from about US$8,000; fully automatic servo machines US$40,000+. Film extrusion and printing are separate machines in the same project budget — and check your market's bag regulations before you buy.
Single-screw lines from about US$20,000; multi-layer co-extrusion US$200,000+. Insist the quote includes dies, haul-off, cutting and socketing — an extruder alone is not a pipe line.
Building a plastics business somewhere in Africa?
Tell us the product, the output and the market. We'll tell you the machine family you're actually shopping in — and the landed number for your corridor.