“Made in Germany” is more than a marketing claim in machine tool building — it’s a quality standard recognized worldwide for precision, longevity, and residual value. German CNC brands consistently achieve higher prices on the used market than comparable machines from Asia or the standard segment.
Buying German CNC brands is our core business: we buy used CNC machines from every major German premium manufacturer.
The leading German CNC brands
Hermle — very strong price-to-residual-value ratio in milling
Hermle (Gosheim, Baden-Württemberg) is one of the German builders with the highest value retention: a Hermle C 42 U dynamic loses noticeably less value over the years than comparable machines from other builders. That comes from the underlying mechanical quality (ball screws, rigid support structures), the excellent Heidenhain control system, and the worldwide service network.
Key lines: C 12, C 22, C 32, C 42, C 52, C 62 (5-axis), C 400, C 650 (large format). Plus the U-series (table machines) and the RS-series with robot integration.
Heller — specialist in horizontal machining centers
Heller (Nürtingen, Baden-Württemberg) is a builder of horizontal machining centers that are widespread in the automotive industry, among other fields. Its H, MCH, DCM, and FP series are deployed globally in FMS lines for engine blocks, transmission housings, and structural automotive parts.
Used market: very active among automotive suppliers worldwide, high individual prices for well-preserved FMS lines.
Grob — precision for automotive series production
Grob-Werke (Mindelheim, Bavaria) builds machining centers for series production: the G350/G550/G750 are high-performance 5-axis centers for complex series parts, the BZ600/BZ800 for high-volume production.
Grob has an excellent reputation among automotive manufacturers (OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers) worldwide. Used Grob machines are well known among automotive buyers worldwide.
Chiron — high productivity in small-part production
Chiron (Tuttlingen, Baden-Württemberg) builds vertical machining centers focused on high productivity for small to medium parts: the FZ 08, FZ 12, FZ 16 S lines. Very short chip-to-chip times, high spindle speeds (up to 40,000 min⁻¹), automation-ready.
In demand among automotive suppliers and in the aerospace supply chain.
Spinner — high precision for small parts
Spinner (Sauerlach, Bavaria) builds CNC turning centers and machining centers for the highest precision: the TC series for turned parts, VC for vertical milling centers. Customers: Swiss watchmaking, precision engineering, medical technology, electronics. Very stable used price, a specific buyer market.
Index-Traub — multi-spindle lathes and CNC turning centers
Index-Traub (Esslingen, Baden-Württemberg) is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of CNC lathes. The range includes multi-spindle lathes (MS series) for high-volume turned parts and CNC turning centers (V160) for single-part and small-batch production.
Multi-spindle lathes have a selective but stable used market with high individual prices.
Deckel Maho and the early DMG era
Deckel (Munich) and Maho (Pfronten) merged in the 1990s to form Deckel Maho — today DMG MORI. Early Deckel Maho universal milling machines (FP3, FP4, FP5) are classics of German milling-machine building: mechanically excellent, Heidenhain control, very durable.
Hedelius — travelling-column construction from the Emsland
Hedelius (Meppen, Lower Saxony; founded 1967 in Bünde) builds machining centers on a travelling-column layout: the column moves along a fixed table, so dynamics stay independent of workpiece weight and table load capacity is high. On the long-bed Tiltenta and Forte series a modular partition wall splits the work area into two closed zones — machining on one side, setting up on the other.
Buyers come mainly from fixture making and tool and mould making. One thing stands out: Hedelius machines are listed on the marketplaces almost without exception with no price shown, so a seller has little chance of finding a reliable benchmark alone. Details and market ranges by series: Sell Hedelius.
Price finding for German brands (as of October 2026)
For Heller, Grob, Chiron, Spinner, Index-Traub, and Deckel Maho we do not quote a price range: for the common models of these brands we have no reliable public data basis. The value is determined by build year, spindle hours, control version, equipment, and condition.
For Hedelius we do not quote a price range here; the publicly documented offers by series are in Sell Hedelius. Spindle hours, control version, and equipment significantly affect the value.
For Hermle we list no price range: used Hermle machines are mostly listed without a price, so we have no reliable public range. Value factors are in the Hermle brand hub.
German injection molding machine manufacturers
Besides the CNC brands, we also buy injection molding machines from German manufacturers. Different value factors apply here: clamping force, shot count, and control generation instead of spindle hours.
- KraussMaffei (Munich): CX, GX, and MX, from the compact hydraulic machine to the large machine for automotive parts.
- Arburg (Loßburg): Allrounder in hydraulic, hybrid, and all-electric versions.
- Sumitomo Demag (Schwaig near Nuremberg): El-Exis SP and Systec.
- Wittmann Battenfeld (Meinerzhagen): EcoPower, SmartPower, MacroPower, and older Battenfeld machines.
For the overview of all manufacturers, including from Austria, Switzerland, and Asia, see Sell Injection Molding Machines.
German saw manufacturers
Besides CNC and injection molding machines, we also buy saws from German manufacturers. Different value factors apply here: cutting range, degree of automation, and control generation instead of spindle hours.
- KASTO (Achern): over 180 years of company history — band saws, cold circular saws, and hacksaws.
- Behringer (Kirchardt): metal and aluminum band saws, plus Eisele as the circular-saw brand of the Behringer Group.
- Kaltenbach: over 135 years of know-how — band saws, circular saws, and the specialized saw-drill lines.
Why international buyers pay extra for German brands
In North America, precision shops often pay a noticeable premium for a Hermle or Heller over a Japanese machine of the same specification — because the service network and spare-parts supply give them a longer planning horizon. In Asia and Southeast Asia, “German” is a quality label that engineers and buyers explicitly ask for.
What that means for you: a well-preserved Hermle or Grob from Germany finds buyers worldwide — and the network we’ve built for that helps us place it.
“German brands like Hermle, Heller, and Grob stand for a mechanical quality that still shows up in residual value after many years of operation.”
— Marcel Brockmann, CEO and co-founder of Sell Your CNC Machine