Finance for micro-tunnelling and pipejacking systems from £150,000 to £3,000,000+. Because so few machines change hands in the UK, lenders weigh the contract behind the purchase as heavily as the machine itself.
Yes, tunnelling equipments are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £150,000 to £3,000,000, and most deals are written over 24-60 months with a deposit of around 20-30%. Decisions typically take several weeks. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.
Typical Cost
£150k – £3000k
Approval Speed
Several weeks
Timescale depends on contract evidence available
Rates From
7.5% APR
Your estimate
Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.
Pre-filled with a typical tunnelling equipment price. Indicative only, not a quote.
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For UK limited companies with 3+ months’ trading and monthly revenue.
On a purchase price of £800,000: a 10% deposit of £80,000, then 48 monthly payments of £16,876 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £890,048, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.
Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine or specification | Guide price | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Small-Diameter Pipejacking Rig | £150,000 - £500,000 (specification class, price not independently verified) | Small-Diameter Pipejacking System |
| Mid-Size Micro-Tunnel Boring System | £500,000 - £1,500,000 (specification class, price not independently verified) | Mid-Size Micro-Tunnel Boring System |
| Herrenknecht AVN Micro-Tunnelling System | Price on application; built to project-specific bore diameter and ground conditions | Micro-Tunnelling System |
| Large Micro-Tunnelling Unit, Major Infrastructure Scale | £1,500,000 - £3,000,000+ (specification class, price not independently verified) | Large-Scale Micro-Tunnelling Unit |
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For UK limited companies with 3+ months’ trading and monthly revenue.
Tunnelling and micro-tunnelling machines are plant and machinery and qualify for capital allowances in principle in the same way as any other piece of construction equipment. In practice, because full-size tunnel boring machines used on major UK infrastructure projects run into many millions of pounds and are usually procured directly by the tier-one contractor for that specific project rather than financed through the general SME asset finance market, most finance activity in this category concerns smaller micro-tunnelling and pipejacking systems rather than the very largest machines. Given the values and the small number of UK lenders active in this space, it is worth getting specific tax advice on your machine and how it is being procured rather than assuming a general treatment applies.
Tunnelling and micro-tunnelling equipment is bought by specialist utility, ground engineering and infrastructure contractors, often bidding for work connected to major programmes such as HS2 or water and utility network upgrades. Because relatively few tunnelling and micro-tunnelling machines change hands in the UK each year compared with a common asset like an excavator, a lender underwriting this equipment leans much more heavily on the strength of the contract backing the purchase than on any assumption about how easily the machine could be resold if things went wrong. This is effectively the reverse of how a lender assesses a more common machine, where resale value carries much of the underwriting weight. Machines are frequently matched to a specific bore diameter and ground condition for one contract, then sold on for a different project with different requirements, rather than being kept for years against a standard depreciation schedule.
Some specialist lenders consider businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options may be available. Fundably may use a soft credit check for matching, which does not affect your credit score. A hard check may happen if you choose to proceed with a lender.
Explore business funding options through Fundably.
For UK limited companies with 3+ months’ trading and monthly revenue.
Explore business funding options through Fundably.
Check Eligibility →For UK limited companies with at least 3 months’ trading and monthly revenue.