Truck Model Reference
A working reference to the Chinese heavy truck models most commonly traded into West Africa, with the factory specifications that matter when you are matching a unit to a job.
These are model specifications, not stock. They describe how a model is built in general — they are not a claim that any particular unit is available. For units currently on our yard, see Inventory. Specifications vary by production year and configuration, so always verify against the vehicle nameplate on an actual unit. The images on this page are schematic side elevations, not photographs of specific vehicles. Photographs of individual trucks appear only on their own inventory listing.
How to read a Sinotruk model code
A HOWO model code is not random. The opening characters tell you the vehicle category, the gross weight, the brand and the engine power band — which is usually enough to know whether the unit in front of you is the right kind of truck, before anyone opens the bonnet.
Worked example: ZZ4257N324A1 — a Sinotruk HOWO tractor unit, 25 tonne class, 319–384 hp band, 3,200 mm wheelbase, 6x4, Euro II, long cab.
| ZZ | Manufacturer — Sinotruk, China National Heavy Duty Truck Group |
|---|---|
| 4 | Vehicle category: 1 cargo, 2 off-road, 3 dump, 4 tractor, 5 special purpose, 6 bus, 9 semi-trailer |
| 25 | Gross weight in tonnes. For a tractor this is self weight plus the load carried on the fifth wheel |
| 7 | Brand code: 7 is HOWO (1 Gold Prince, 2 Steyr, 3 Hojun, 4 Yellow River, 5 Hoyun, 6 Steyr King) |
| N | Engine power band — see the table below. N covers 319–384 hp, roughly the 336 and 371 units |
| 32 | Wheelbase in decimetres — 32 means 3,200 mm from the front axle to the first rear axle |
| 4 | Drive configuration — 4 is 6x4 (see the table below) |
| A | Emissions: A Euro II, C Euro III, D Euro IV, E Euro V, F Euro VI |
| 1 | Cabin: 1 long cab, 2 short cab, 3 four-door cab |
A model series digit also appears in most codes
Where it appears, it sits between the drive digit and the emissions letter: 1 is HOWO 7, 3 is HOWO A7, 7 covers both, 8 is HOWO 8. Not every code carries it, which brings us to the part most reference tables get wrong.
What we deliberately do not decode. The number of characters in a Sinotruk code is not fixed, and the group that follows the cabin digit varies between production batches and between models. Published decoding tables for those trailing characters contradict each other, and we are not going to add one more guess to the pile. When you are standing in front of an actual unit, the nameplate and the frame stamp are the authority — not the model number. We read the fragments above from the code, and everything else from the vehicle. The same rule applies to our own model listings on this page: where we could not confirm a chassis code from a reliable source, the field says the code is not confirmed rather than showing a number we cannot support.
How to read a Shacman model code
Shacman codes are shorter and they do decode cleanly, so this one is worth learning properly. The pattern is SX + category + weight + product series + cab + power + wheelbase + drive.
| Fragment | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SX | Shaanxi Automobile Group (Shacman) |
| 3 / 4 | Vehicle category: 1 cargo, 2 off-road, 3 dump, 4 tractor, 5 special purpose, 6 bus, 9 trailer |
| 25 / 31 | Gross weight in tonnes |
| 5 | Product series, which carries the emissions tier: 1 and 4 Euro II, 5 Euro III, 6 Euro IV, 7 MAN platform Euro III/IV, 8 natural gas Euro V, 0 diesel Euro V |
| one letter | Cab type code |
| one letter | Engine power band code |
| two digits | Wheelbase in decimetres |
| last digit | Drive configuration: 1 is 4x2, 3 is 6x2, 4 is 6x4, 6 is 8x4, 7 is 8x8 |
Worked examples: SX3255 is a Shacman dump truck, 25 tonne class, Euro III. SX4255 is the 6x4 tractor equivalent. SX3255DN3541 reads as a Euro III 25 tonne dump with a 3,500 mm wheelbase and 6x4 drive, which matches the factory announcement data for that chassis (3,525 + 1,350 mm wheelbase, 25,000 kg gross). Chassis codes are worth writing on a quotation in full for Shacman units, and worth abbreviating for Sinotruk units.
Power band letters
The letter is often more reliable than the figure on the nameplate, because a nameplate can be swapped. The chassis number is stamped into the frame. The bands run from A (up to 68 hp) through to Y (above 662 hp); the four below are the ones you will actually meet on a West African used truck lot.
| Letter | Power range | What that usually means |
|---|---|---|
| K | 219 to 265 hp | Light dump work, municipal trucks |
| M | 265 to 319 hp | Roughly 290 to 310 hp — older or light units |
| N | 319 to 384 hp | Roughly 336 or 371 hp — the most common band in Africa |
| V | 384 to 460 hp | Roughly 420 or 430 hp — port container and heavy haulage |
| W | 460 to 552 hp | Roughly 480 to 540 hp — mining and heavy overland |
Drive configuration codes
The same digit is used by both manufacturers. On a physical unit you can check it by counting axles: three axles with two driven at the rear is 6x4, four axles is 8x4.
| Code | Configuration | Typically found on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4x2 | Light tractor units |
| 2 | 4x4 | Off-road and site chassis |
| 3 | 6x2 | Lightweight tractor units |
| 4 | 6x4 | The West African workhorse — dump and tractor |
| 5 | 6x6 | Construction and quarry chassis |
| 6 | 8x4 | Heavy dump trucks, mining |
| 7 | 8x8 | Heavy off-road |
| 8 | 10x10 | Specialist heavy haulage |
Models in this reference
7 model(s).
Not sure which configuration suits your job?
Tell us the cargo, the route and the destination port. We will tell you plainly which model fits and whether we have one.
Chat on WhatsApp Send an enquiry