HVAC Duct Fabrication in Uzbekistan 2026: Market, Standards and Machines

Why Uzbekistan in 2026

Construction is one of the fastest-growing parts of the Uzbek economy. The national statistics committee reported construction work of UZS 313.9 trillion in 2025, 14.2% more than in 2024, and growth of 14.5% for January to May 2026 against the same months of 2025. For duct shops, what matters is that more of it is taller buildings, hotels and data centres in and around Tashkent, which carry far more ventilation and air conditioning than low-rise housing.

• Tashkent City. The 80-hectare business district, started in 2017-2018, holds Uzbekistan's tallest building (Nest One), a Hilton hotel and congress hall, and Tashkent City Mall, the country's largest shopping mall.
• A taller Tashkent. A Cabinet of Ministers resolution of 28 February 2026 revised the city master plan approved in December 2024. Several districts now allow 28 to 40 storeys, against 9 to 12 before in parts of Chilonzor, and the resolution lists 30 major real estate projects worth USD 14.5 billion across 1,500 hectares. Towers of that height need central air handling, stair pressurisation and smoke exhaust duct.
• New Tashkent. Construction of the new city was launched in March 2023 on about 19,700 hectares in the Yuqorichirchiq and Urtachirchiq districts. The government says the first stage covers around 6,000 hectares for about 600,000 residents, with development planned to 2045.
• Data centres. L&T announced an engineering, procurement and construction contract for a 10 MW AI-enabled data centre in Tashkent in January 2025, and in October 2025 construction started on a 12 MW data centre by the Saudi company DataVolt at Tashkent IT Park, with plans to grow the site toward 500 MW.
• Tourism and hospitality. The Silk Road Samarkand tourist centre opened in August 2022 with eight hotels and a congress centre.

Standards and codes for ductwork

Older Uzbek building norms carry the KMK prefix; newer ones are issued as ShNK (ShNQ in Uzbek, urban planning norms and rules). Both still appear on drawings.

• ShNK 2.04.05-22 Heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Approved by Order No. 01/2-39 of the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services on 5 August 2024, in force since 11 September 2024. This is the current norm for new projects.
• KMK 2.04.05-97. The earlier HVAC norm, still found in older specifications and designs.
• Duct leakage classes. ShNK 2.04.05-22 sets two classes: P (dense) and N (normal), with leakage coefficients of 0.004 and 0.012. Dense class is required, among other cases, for general exhaust and heating transit runs where fan static pressure exceeds 1400 Pa, for air conditioning transit runs, and for systems serving category A and B (explosion and fire hazard) rooms. In practice dense class means sealed seams and gasketed transverse joints, or welded duct.
• Sizes, thickness and materials. Appendix 19 of the norm gives standard external cross-section sizes and metal thicknesses for metal duct, and Appendix 18 lists permitted materials. Asbestos-cement duct is not allowed. Non-combustible duct is required for local exhaust from explosion or fire hazard areas, emergency systems, air at 80°C or more and general exhaust collectors.
• GOST and O'z DSt. The national standards agency maintains O'z DSt standards alongside interstate GOST standards, and Uzbekistan is part of the Euro-Asian Council for Standardization. ShNK 2.04.05-22 itself cites GOST 12.1.005-88 for working-zone air and GOST 31311-2022 for heating devices, and Russian SNiP and SP numbers still turn up in design briefs.
• International specifications. Foreign-funded hotels, offices and data centres are often designed to ASHRAE, SMACNA and NFPA alongside KMK and ShNK; Tashkent HVAC design job adverts list that mix.

So one shop must produce metric standard sizes for local projects and SMACNA-style pressure class duct for international ones: machines with quick size changes, TDF flanges for tight joints, and welded seams for dense-class runs.

Climate: cooling first, heating too

Tashkent summers are long, hot and dry. The average July high is around 36°C, July is usually the driest month, and the city's record is 44.6°C, set on 18 July 1997. Summer cooling therefore sizes most commercial air systems, although winters still need heating. For the duct shop this means large supply air volumes, more insulated supply duct and well-sealed joints, since ShNK 2.04.05-22 requires duct insulation to prevent condensation as well as heat loss.

Import duty, VAT and certification

Uzbekistan is not an EAEU member. It has been an observer since 11 December 2020, which allows attendance at Union meetings but no part in decisions, so it keeps its own customs tariff and conformity system.

• Certification. The EAEU's EAC mark is not the Uzbek system. Technical regulation and certification are run by the Uzbek Agency for Technical Regulation (O'zstandart). Ask your customs broker whether your machine's HS code (duct forming machines are often classed under 8462 or 8479) needs an Uzbek conformity certificate, and allow time for it before shipping. Taokron machines are CE marked with a Declaration of Conformity, which helps with documentation but does not replace a national certificate where one is required.
• VAT. The standard rate is 12% in 2026 and applies to imports at customs.
• Customs duty. Rates are set per HS code in the Uzbek tariff. Uzbekistan also exempts listed technological equipment that has no local equivalent from both customs duty and VAT. The main list came with Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 352 of 4 June 2021 (676 equipment types), with additions under Presidential Resolution PP-392 of October 2022 and Cabinet Resolution No. 482 of September 2023. Conditions apply: the equipment generally has to be new, and the relief is clawed back if it is sold or transferred within three years.
• Free economic and special industrial zones. Companies in zones such as Navoi, Angren and Jizzakh can import technological equipment not produced in Uzbekistan for their own production without customs payments, subject to the zone rules.
• WTO accession. Uzbekistan is negotiating WTO membership; the government reported 13 Working Party meetings by July 2026. The tariff could change once accession is complete.

Uzbekistan is doubly landlocked, so machines arrive by rail or road after the sea leg; route and transit time are confirmed in each quotation. Exemption lists change, so confirm duty treatment for your exact HS code with a licensed Uzbek customs broker before ordering.

Power: 50 Hz, 220 V and 380 V

Uzbekistan's grid runs at 50 Hz. Outlets are 220 V single-phase, and the low-voltage distribution network is 0.4 kV, the CIS convention usually written as 220/380 V three-phase (some international tables list it as 400 V). Taokron spiral tubeformers, auto duct lines, TDF flange machines, lockformers and plasma cutters are built for 380 V, 50 Hz, three-phase as standard, so no transformer or motor change is needed. Measure the real voltage at your workshop and send it with your enquiry. Connection capacity is arranged through your regional electric network enterprise. As a guide to connected load: the SBAL-V auto duct line is rated 40 kW, the SBAL-III 10.7 kW, the SBTF-1602 spiral tubeformer 11 kW on the main frame, and the SBPC1550 plasma cutter 12 kW.

Typical shop set-ups and which machines fit

Contractor's in-house rectangular shop. For a contractor still cutting and folding rectangular duct by hand, the step up is a compact coil line such as the Auto Duct Line SBAL-III (0.5 to 2.0 mm, up to 18 m/min) or the Rectangular Duct Line II, with a Lockformer (SBLC series) for Pittsburgh and snap lock seams, a TDF flange forming machine for 35 mm transverse flanges, and a pneumatic folding machine for closing duct and making fittings.

Round duct shop. The SBTF-1500 covers 80 to 1500 mm diameter in 0.4 to 1.2 mm galvanised steel; the SBTF-1602 covers 80 to 1600 mm in 0.4 to 1.3 mm galvanised steel or aluminium, with a flying slitter. Forming heads are made to order, so you can match the standard diameters in your project drawings. For flanged round connections add the Spiral Duct Flanging Machine SBFB-1600 or the Round Tube Flanging Machine SBSF-1525.

Volume supplier for towers and data centres. Shops supplying several contractors usually move to the Auto Duct Line SBAL-V, a U-shape coil-to-duct line for 0.5 to 1.5 mm, paired with a Plasma Cutter SBPC1550 for fittings and a hydraulic folding machine for heavier gauges.

Galvanised coil is also made locally: a Tashkent plant for cold-rolled galvanised and polymer-coated steel was launched in December 2020. Check local coil widths and weights against each decoiler; the SBAL-III takes coils up to 8,000 kg.

Labour, space and commissioning

• Floor space. The SBAL-V body measures about 14.5 x 5.0 m, before coil storage, a forklift lane and space to stage finished duct. The SBTF-1602 main frame is 2.0 x 1.7 m, with a separate decoiler of 2.0 x 1.1 m and a run-out table; leave room for the longest spiral lengths you plan to make. The plasma cutter is 4.8 to 5.8 m long depending on model.
• Labour. Automated lines replace manual layout, notching and seaming, so the gain is consistent sizes and higher output from a small crew. Operators are trained during commissioning on your own duct sizes.
• Summer heat. Ventilate the workshop and keep control cabinets and hydraulic units out of direct sun.
• Installation and support. Installation and commissioning are quoted per engineer-day; afterwards questions are answered within 12 hours on WhatsApp +61 435 074 994 or at [email protected]. Taokron has built duct machines since 1995 for buyers in 100+ countries, holds 60+ patents and works from an ISO 9001:2015 factory, with an office in Box Hill North, Victoria.

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FAQ

Which HVAC norm applies to ductwork in Uzbekistan in 2026?

ShNK 2.04.05-22 Heating, ventilation and air conditioning, in force since 11 September 2024. It sets dense and normal duct leakage classes, permitted materials, and standard duct sizes and metal thicknesses. Older drawings still quote KMK 2.04.05-97, and international projects often add ASHRAE, SMACNA or NFPA.

Is Uzbekistan in the EAEU, and do duct machines need an EAC certificate?

No. Uzbekistan has been an EAEU observer since 11 December 2020, not a member, so the EAC mark is not its conformity system. It runs its own certification through the Uzbek Agency for Technical Regulation. Ask your customs broker whether your machine's HS code needs an Uzbek conformity certificate before shipping.

What import duty and VAT apply to duct machines in Uzbekistan?

VAT is 12% and is charged on imports. Customs duty depends on the HS code. Listed technological equipment not made locally can be exempt from both duty and VAT under Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 352 of 2021 and later additions, with conditions such as no resale within three years. Check your exact code with a broker.

What voltage do duct machines need in Uzbekistan?

Uzbekistan runs at 50 Hz with 220 V single-phase and a 0.4 kV (220/380 V) three-phase distribution network. Taokron duct machines are built for 380 V, 50 Hz, three-phase as standard, so they connect without a transformer. Send us the measured voltage at your workshop with your enquiry.

Where is HVAC duct demand coming from in Uzbekistan?

Construction work grew 14.2% in 2025. Most duct-heavy work is in Tashkent: Tashkent City, the 2026 master plan revision allowing 28 to 40 storeys in several districts with 30 major projects worth USD 14.5 billion, New Tashkent, and new data centres at Tashkent IT Park. Samarkand adds hotel and congress work.

Which machines should a new Uzbek duct shop buy first?

For rectangular duct, a compact line such as the SBAL-III plus a lockformer, a TDF flange machine and a folder. Add an SBTF-1500 or SBTF-1602 spiral tubeformer if round duct is a big share of your work. Volume suppliers for towers and data centres usually move to the SBAL-V auto duct line and a plasma cutter.

Machinery for this application

The duct fabrication workflows above run on standard Taokron equipment: spiral tubeformers for round duct, auto duct production lines for rectangular duct, and TDF flange and lockformer machines for closure, or browse the full machine catalog.