Why Australian contractors are moving away from OEM picks and what to look for in an aftermarket supplier
A milling pick is one of the smallest components on a road construction machine, but don’t let that fool you. Without picks, a stabiliser or profiler can’t turn a wheel in anger. The entire machine worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and costing even more per day when a project is on hold sits idle waiting on a part you could fit in your shirt pocket. It’s a dynamic that gives wear parts supply an outsized importance on any Australian civil project, and it’s exactly why the disruption to OEM pick availability over the past 12 months has been felt so hard on job sites across the country.
What’s happened to OEM supply
In January 2025, China introduced export controls on tungsten and tungsten carbide, the raw material at the heart of every cutting pick. China produces the vast majority of the world’s tungsten supply, and the controls created immediate pressure on global pricing and availability. OEM manufacturers, working through procurement structures built around stable, low-cost supply, were not well positioned to absorb the shock quickly. The result has been a combination of price increases and stock shortages that have been hitting Australian contractors for months.
For contractors mid-project, the impact is straightforward if you can’t get picks, you can’t run your machine. Several businesses have had to seek alternative sources just to keep projects moving and meet their programme obligations.
The aftermarket alternative
Aftermarket parts, and milling picks have been part of the civil construction market for years. The conversation has historically centred on price aftermarket picks can be meaningfully cheaper than OEM, with a quality trade-off that varies significantly by supplier. What’s changed since the export controls is that the quality gap between reputable aftermarket suppliers and OEM has continued to narrow, while the price and availability gap has widened considerably.
Before PPA was established, our picks were trialled directly on real civil stabilisation projects in Western Australia compared against OEM picks on the same machines, in the same conditions. The results gave us the confidence to build a business around the product. That trial process is something we still offer to new customers today, because we’d rather let the picks prove themselves than ask anyone to take our word for it.
What to look for in an aftermarket supplier
Not all aftermarket picks are equal, and the current market has created an incentive for some suppliers to quietly reduce carbide specifications to manage costs. A few things worth checking:
- Can they provide carbide specification documentation for current stock — HRA hardness, TRS, WC content, grain size?
- Is the carbide virgin material or recycled?
- Virgin carbide produces more consistent wear life. Has their specification changed in the last 12–18 months? Ask directly.
- Do they hold Australian stock? A supplier with stock on the ground can respond in days, not weeks.
- Are they willing to run a trial on your machine before you commit to volume?
PPA’s position right now
PPA imports full container loads directly through Fremantle port and holds stock here in Western Australia. We can supply nationally. Our picks are manufactured from virgin tungsten carbide to a documented specification — hardness 87.6–88.4 HRA, minimum TRS 2200 N/mm², WC content 93.5–94.5%.
We have stock available now, at pricing that reflects our direct factory relationship rather than the spot market pressures hitting OEM supply chains.
If your current supplier is quoting long lead times or pricing that’s moved significantly in the last six months, it’s worth a conversation.
