Caterpillar 320 vs Komatsu PC300: Size Class Reality Check

The Caterpillar 320 and Komatsu PC300 are routinely searched together in the European market, often by buyers who are sizing up a machine for a new project or fleet expansion. The confusion is understandable: both are well-known excavators, both appear frequently in Dutch and German dealer inventory, and both occupy a broad middle-market position.

The key fact to understand upfront: they are not the same size class. The Cat 320 is a 20-tonne machine. The Komatsu PC300 is a 30-tonne machine. That 10-tonne difference is not cosmetic — it represents a full tier jump in capacity, engine power, and operating cost.

What this article will do: explain what each machine is actually designed for, who buys each one, and how the price difference breaks down in the current NL/BE/DE market.

The Cat 320 is Caterpillar's mainstay in the 20-tonne class — arguably the most widely distributed excavator in Western Europe. It's used for everything from urban foundation work to drainage and road construction. The current generation (320 GC / 320 / 320 Next Gen) covers a broad application range with excellent parts availability.

The Komatsu PC300 is a 30-tonne machine positioned for heavy earthmoving, quarry work, and large infrastructure projects. It's a serious production excavator, not a general-purpose site machine. In the NL market, it appears most often in port construction, large canal work, and ground improvement projects.

The Cat 320 covers the broad middle of the excavator market: trenching, foundation digging, slope work, loading trucks, demolition assist, drainage. Its size makes it trailerable on a standard 3-axle low-loader without permits in most Dutch road configurations. In a Dutch construction context, this is a major practical advantage — it moves between sites quickly.

The Komatsu PC300 is purpose-built for volume and reach. Its long arm configuration handles deep drainage trenches and wide canal profiles that the 320 cannot physically reach. Its bucket capacity is 40–60% larger, meaning significantly more cubic metres per hour when loading or moving material.

If your application is a typical civil construction site in the Netherlands — 3–8 metre trenches, truck loading, foundation prep — the PC300 is often more machine than you need. If you're excavating for a large bridge foundation, deep sewage main, or working in a quarry: the 320 likely falls short.

The price difference between these machines reflects the 50% weight class gap. Here are current ranges for dealer-maintained machines in NL/BE/DE:

At the older-machine end of the market (pre-2016, higher hours), the price overlap is real: a high-hour Cat 320D and a comparable PC300-8 can be within €20,000–€30,000 of each other. That's where the comparison gets meaningful — for some buyers, the larger machine at similar cost makes sense if the workload justifies it.

The PC300 burns roughly 60–70% more fuel than the 320 in comparable operating conditions. At current Dutch diesel prices (approximately €1.45/litre in 2024), this translates to a difference of roughly €12–€18 per operating hour.

Over a 1,500-hour working year, that's €18,000–€27,000 in additional fuel costs alone. Add higher service costs (larger filters, more oil, heavier components), and the total annual operating cost difference typically exceeds €25,000.

This matters enormously for utilisation rate. A PC300 working 1,200 hours per year has a very different cost structure than the same machine working 400 hours per year. If you're not consistently filling the larger machine's capacity, you're paying the operating cost premium without the productivity benefit.

Both machines are well supported in the Netherlands. Caterpillar's dealer network (Pon Equipment) is dense and has strong next-day parts delivery for 320-series components. Komatsu Netherlands and independent Komatsu specialists cover the PC300 well, particularly in the western construction corridor.

For buyers in Belgium, the picture is comparable — both brands have credible dealer presence. In eastern Germany, Komatsu has historically been stronger, particularly for larger machines.

Buy the Cat 320 if:

• Your typical project is standard NL civil construction: trenching, foundation work, general earthmoving
• You need to move between sites frequently without special transport permits
• You want strong resale liquidity — the 320 is among the most traded excavators in Europe
• You're running a multi-machine fleet and want to standardise on one brand

Buy the Komatsu PC300 if:

• You regularly need reach beyond 9.5 metres or depth beyond 6.5 metres
• Your projects are high-volume earthmoving, large drainage, or port/dike construction
• You're replacing a larger machine and already know 30-tonne is the right class
• You're comparing on price and need the most production capacity per euro in the mid-market

The most common mistake we see: a buyer working on ordinary civil projects acquires a PC300 because the price seemed close to a Cat 320. The operating cost difference over a 5-year ownership cycle typically exceeds €100,000 in fuel and maintenance alone — and the extra capacity often goes unused.