BEIJING -- China's major excavator manufacturers saw their sales expand steadily in the first eight months of the year, industry data showed.

The country's 25 leading excavator makers sold a total of 259,253 units in the January-August period, rising 23.2 percent year-on-year, according to the China Construction Machinery Association.

In particular, excavator exports surged 101.8 percent from a year earlier to 40,875 units from January to August.

In August alone, excavator sales stood at 18,075 units, dropping by 13.7 percent year-on-year. Specifically, domestic sales of the equipment fell 31.7 percent while exports doubled for the month.

Sales of digging machines are a significant indicator of the vitality of an economy as demand is usually backed by growth in mining and infrastructure development.