Why Spain in 2026
Three kinds of project are filling Spanish duct shops' order books: data centres, hotels, and the ordinary commercial and industrial building that never stops. The first is new and large; the second is steady and repeat; the third is the base load most shops live on.
Data centres in Madrid and Aragón
Madrid is now one of the larger data centre markets in Europe. Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 market comparison puts its total market capacity at 538 MW and says it could reach 1,105 MW by 2030. Construction is visible on the ground: Global Switch has started its second Madrid facility on Calle Yécora, about 24,000 m² and 56 MW, due to open in 2029.
Aragón is the other pole. In March 2026 Amazon Web Services announced a further 18,000 million euros on top of the 15,700 million it committed in 2024, a total of 33,700 million euros for data centres in Aragón, with new sites in Huesca, Zaragoza and, for the first time, Teruel. Microsoft announced a 6,690 million euro data centre investment in the region in 2024, and its campus at Villamayor de Gállego was declared an investment of general interest by the regional government. Blackstone has filed plans for a large campus at Calatorao in Zaragoza province, with a first phase of 7,500 million euros and a possible second phase on top. These are multi-year programmes that depend on demand and grid connections, so treat them as a pipeline, not a fixed schedule.
Be realistic about what a data hall needs. White space is often cooled by room or in-row units with little ductwork, but electrical rooms, battery rooms, generator halls, offices and smoke extract all need sheet metal, and much of it is large rectangular duct. Our data centre duct manufacturing guide covers the details.
Hotel refurbishment and repositioning
Spain's hotel market keeps changing hands and being rebuilt. Cushman & Wakefield recorded about 4,200 million euros of hotel investment in 2025, the highest since 2019, and 2,660 million euros in the first half of 2026, up 34% on a year earlier. By location, Madrid took 21% of first-half volume, the Balearic Islands 20%, the Canary Islands 18% and Málaga 11%, and investors are concentrating on prime assets and repositioning. CBRE expects about 270 hotels to open by 2028, around a third of them five-star or grand luxury.
For a duct shop, a hotel refurbishment means stripping and replacing ductwork in occupied or seasonal buildings to a tight programme, with many short runs, transitions and fittings. Shops that can turn drawings into finished rectangular duct in days, not weeks, win this work.
Commercial, logistics and industrial
Offices, retail, logistics warehouses, food plants and factories around Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Seville and Bilbao make up the everyday work of most Spanish duct shops. It is mostly galvanised rectangular duct, which is why the machine advice below starts there.
Standards and codes for ductwork in Spain
Spain builds ductwork to European standards adopted as UNE-EN, inside a national regulatory framework set by RITE and the CTE. In practice the project specification names the documents, and the installer and duct maker have to show compliance at commissioning.
- RITE (Reglamento de Instalaciones Térmicas en los Edificios): Royal Decree 1027/2007, amended several times, including a major update by Royal Decree 178/2021. Instruction IT 1.3.4.2.10 says metal ducts must meet UNE-EN 12237 and non-metallic ducts UNE-EN 13403, that duct interiors must withstand the cleaning required by UNE 100012, and that flexible connections to terminal units are limited to 1.5 m and must meet UNE-EN 13180.
- Air tightness: RITE IT 1.2.4.2.3 defines duct tightness classes from ATC 7 to ATC 1 and requires class ATC 4 or better depending on the application. IT 2.2.5 requires strength and leakage tests before ducts are hidden by insulation or ceilings. Seams, joints and sealant matter; our air leakage classes guide explains the classes.
- UNE-EN 1505 and UNE-EN 1506: dimensions of rectangular and circular sheet metal ducts and fittings.
- UNE-EN 1507: strength and leakage requirements for rectangular sheet metal ducts. The UNE catalogue lists it as current, with a European draft (prEN 18289) set to replace it, so check the edition named in your contract. UNE-EN 12237 covers the same for circular ducts.
- CTE (Código Técnico de la Edificación): DB HE sets energy performance, DB HS 3 indoor air quality in dwellings, and DB SI fire safety. Where ducts cross fire compartment walls they need matching fire resistance or fire dampers, tested to the UNE-EN 1366 series.
Two things are specific to Spanish practice. First, RITE covers both sheet metal and insulation ductboard, and insulation ductboard is a real alternative on many Spanish projects, so sheet metal shops compete on price and lead time as well as quality; see our pre-insulated vs sheet metal comparison. Second, the joint vocabulary. Spanish price databases describe galvanised rectangular duct with transverse joints made by a sliding bayoneta sleeve, and distributors sell galvanised slide-on flange profiles (perfil de brida) in 6 m bars, in 20, 30 and 40 mm heights, assembled with corner pieces. Internationally that slide-on system is called TDC; a flange rolled from the duct wall itself is called TDF. Longitudinal seams are usually Pittsburgh. Our TDF vs TDC guide compares the two flange systems.
Importing duct machinery into Spain
- CE marking: machinery placed on the Spanish market needs CE marking and an EU Declaration of Conformity. Until 19 January 2027 that is under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, transposed in Spain by Royal Decree 1644/2008. From 20 January 2027 the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies directly, with no transition period. Taokron machines are CE marked with a Declaration of Conformity, and we confirm which edition applies to your delivery date.
- Customs duty: machines from another EU country pay none. Machines from outside the EU pay the EU Common Customs Tariff. Duct forming, folding and shearing machines usually fall under HS heading 8462, where published tariff tables show low rates, typically 1.7% to 2.7% depending on the subheading. The exact rate depends on the 10-digit TARIC code and the origin, so ask your agente de aduanas to classify the machine before you budget.
- IVA: import IVA is 21% on the customs value plus duty and costs, and is recoverable for VAT-registered businesses. Companies that opt for deferred import VAT (IVA diferido) declare it in their periodic return instead of paying at the border; the option is made in advance, so check with your adviser.
- Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla: the Canaries apply IGIC instead of IVA, and Ceuta and Melilla have their own regime. Confirm the treatment with your broker for a shop on the islands.
Spain's main container ports include Valencia, Barcelona, Algeciras and Bilbao. Tell us the port nearest your workshop when you request a quotation. Our importing guide covers the general paperwork.
Power supply: 400 V three phase, 50 Hz
Spain uses the standard European supply: 230 V single phase and 400 V between phases on three phase, at 50 Hz. Taokron machines for Spain are wired for 400 V 50 Hz, so there is no frequency conversion to worry about. Measure the supply at your workshop anyway: some older installations still read close to 380 V, and a long cable run to the back of a building can drop the voltage at a PLC-controlled line. See duct machine voltage and frequency by country.
Typical Spanish shop set-ups and the machines that fit
Rectangular duct shop for contractors and fit-outs
Most Spanish duct shops make galvanised rectangular duct for offices, shops, hotels and housing. The core of a modern shop is a coil-fed line: the Rectangular Duct Line II SBAL-II (0.5 to 2.0 mm, 1250 or 1550 mm width) or the Auto Duct Line SBAL-III uncoils, levels, notches, shears and beads blanks to length, which replaces most of the manual marking and cutting. Add a Pittsburgh lockformer (SBLC series) for longitudinal seams, a pneumatic folder for the bends, and a flange former for the transverse joints.
For those joints you have two routes. A TDF flange forming machine (SBTDF) rolls the flange directly on the duct wall, with no separate profile to buy. A TDC flange profile roll former (SBTDC series) produces the slide-on profiles that Spanish shops otherwise buy in bars from distributors, so you control stock and cost. Corners for either system come from an auto corner making machine, and a pneumatic corner inserting machine fits them quickly.
Volume shop for data centres and hotel chains
Shops chasing data centre packages or a hotel group's refurbishment programme need output and consistent quality over thousands of square metres. The Auto Duct Line SBAL-V is a U-shape line from coil to finished panel for TDF, angle flange and drive cleat duct, and our SBAL-V vs SBAL-III comparison helps you choose. A Duct Zipper SBHF-1.5×1500TDF closes seams automatically on 0.8 to 1.5 mm duct, a Plasma Cutter SBPC1550 cuts transitions, offsets and elbows from nested drawings, and a hydraulic folder handles heavier gauges and long bends.
Round duct
Spiral duct suits exposed ceilings, car parks, warehouses and industrial extract. The Spiral Tubeformer SBTF-1500 or SBTF-1602 forms round duct, and the Spiral Duct Flanging Machine SBFB-1600 turns flanges on round duct ends. For a real example, see Kavanagh Industries in Sydney, which added an SBTF-1602 in October 2026.
Labour and space
Spain's minimum wage (SMI) for 2026 is 1,221 euros a month in 14 payments, or 17,094 euros a year, set by Royal Decree 126/2026 with a 3.1% increase backdated to 1 January. Sheet metal workers and machine operators are paid above that under the metal sector collective agreements (convenios del metal), which vary by province, and social security contributions come on top. The practical argument for automation in Spain is less about the wage floor and more about finding and keeping skilled hands: a coil-fed line lets a small crew produce what used to take several fitters marking and cutting by hand.
On space, the auto duct line is the longest item, with coil racks at one end and a run-out table at the other. Ask us for a layout drawing based on your building before you sign a lease, and leave room for coil deliveries, finished duct storage and truck loading. Location follows the work: the industrial belts around Madrid for the Madrid data centre cluster, the Zaragoza area for Aragón, and the coasts and islands for hotel work. Our factory layout guide has worked examples.
Working with Taokron from Spain
- Machines built since 1994 and supplied to 100+ countries, with 60+ patents, from an ISO 9001:2015 factory
- CE marked with a Declaration of Conformity
- Wired for 400 V 50 Hz three phase
- Installation and commissioning quoted per engineer-day
- Replies within 12 hours by email at [email protected] or on WhatsApp at +61 435 074 994
Get a Spain-ready Taokron quotation →
FAQ
Which standards apply to ductwork in Spain?
The main regulation is RITE, the Reglamento de Instalaciones Térmicas en los Edificios (Royal Decree 1027/2007, amended several times, including a major update by Royal Decree 178/2021). Its instruction IT 1.3.4.2.10 requires metal ducts to meet UNE-EN 12237 and non-metallic ducts to meet UNE-EN 13403, and IT 1.2.4.2.3 requires duct networks to reach air tightness class ATC 4 or better depending on the application. Shops also work to UNE-EN 1505 and UNE-EN 1506 for rectangular and circular dimensions and UNE-EN 1507 for the strength and leakage of rectangular ducts. The Código Técnico de la Edificación (CTE) adds energy, indoor air quality and fire requirements, including fire resistance or fire dampers where ducts cross fire compartment walls. Always build to the documents named in the project specification.
Do duct machines need CE marking in Spain?
Yes. Machinery placed on the Spanish market must carry CE marking with an EU Declaration of Conformity. Until 19 January 2027 that is under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, transposed in Spain by Royal Decree 1644/2008. From 20 January 2027 the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies directly, with no transition period, so machines placed on the market from that date must conform to the Regulation. Taokron machines are CE marked with a Declaration of Conformity; ask us which edition applies to your delivery date.
What import duty and IVA apply to duct machinery in Spain?
Machines bought from another EU country pay no customs duty. Machines from outside the EU pay the EU Common Customs Tariff on the customs value. Most duct forming, folding and shearing machines fall under HS heading 8462, where published tariff tables show low rates, typically 1.7% to 2.7% depending on the subheading, but the rate depends on the exact 10-digit TARIC code and origin, so have your agente de aduanas confirm it. Import IVA is charged at 21% and is recoverable for VAT-registered businesses; companies that opt for deferred import VAT (IVA diferido) declare it in their periodic VAT return instead of paying at the border. The Canary Islands use IGIC instead of IVA, and Ceuta and Melilla have their own regime.
What voltage and frequency do duct machines need in Spain?
Spain uses 230 V single phase and 400 V three phase at 50 Hz, the standard European supply. Taokron machines for Spain are wired for 400 V 50 Hz three phase. Measure the supply at your workshop and tell us if it differs, for example an older 220/380 V installation or a long cable run that drops the voltage.
Where is ductwork demand in Spain coming from in 2026?
The largest new source is data centres: Madrid, with 538 MW of total market capacity and a forecast of about 1,105 MW by 2030 according to Cushman and Wakefield, and Aragón, where AWS has raised its planned investment to 33,700 million euros and Microsoft and Blackstone have announced campuses. Hotel investment and repositioning is the second steady source, with 2.66 billion euros of hotel transactions in the first half of 2026. Offices, retail, logistics and industrial buildings make up the everyday work.
Which machines should a Spanish rectangular duct shop start with?
A contractor shop making galvanised rectangular duct usually starts with a rectangular duct line or auto duct line, a Pittsburgh lockformer, a flange former (TDF for integral flanges or TDC for slide-on profiles), a folder and a corner machine. Add a duct zipper and plasma table as volume grows, and a spiral tubeformer when round duct becomes regular work. Send your duct sizes, gauges and monthly output and a Taokron engineer will propose a machine set within 12 hours.
