The 10 most produced tanks of all time

With about 100,000 vehicles, the worldwide T-54/T-55 family is the most widely produced tank family in history. It is followed by roughly 84,070 T-34s, including postwar and foreign production, and exactly 49,234 M4 Shermans. Only twelve vehicles end up separating a 1930s Soviet tank from a current US Army main battle tank.

The ranking is based on published or transparently added production totals, and open or overlapping figures leave the affected places provisional.

What is the most-produced tank family in history?

The T-54/T-55 family leads with about 100,000 vehicles. The total published by the Musée des Blindés includes licensed variants and closely related designs produced worldwide. Readers looking for the vehicles in this ranking as radio-controlled models will find them gathered in the RC tanks category.

The ten production records in detail

1. T-54/T-55

The Musée des Blindés puts the T-54/T-55 family at the top, with about 100,000 vehicles. It describes the T-54 as the most widely produced tank. Its count includes worldwide variants, licensed production and closely related designs such as the Chinese Type 59. This is a family total, not the output of a single Soviet factory.

Large-scale production of the T-54 began in 1950. The T-55 followed in 1958 as a further development. Both mounted variants of the 100 mm D-10T gun and remained relatively compact at roughly 36 tonnes. The worldwide family total covers production in several countries. A Soviet-only count would be substantially lower.

2. T-34

The T-34 family takes second place with about 84,070 vehicles, as recorded by the Tank Museum. This figure includes production after the Second World War. Tanks built in Poland and Czechoslovakia also contribute. More than 57,300 T-34s of all versions had been built by the end of 1945.

Production of the T-34/85 began in January 1944. Its larger three-man turret carried the more powerful 85 mm gun and gave the crew more room. Manufacture continued after 1945 in the Soviet Union, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Torro stocks the T-34/85 as a 1/16 RC model, and also in 1/30 scale as part of a World of Tanks special edition.

3. M4 Sherman

Exactly 49,234 M4 tanks earn the Sherman third place, according to the US Army Armor Center. It covers the seven principal subtypes of the American M4 series. Canadian Grizzly I tanks are not added here.

The Sherman came from numerous factories and served in many roles. Its seven principal subtypes used different engines, hulls and guns within the M4 family. Under Lend-Lease, 4,102 M4A2 tanks were shipped to the Soviet Union. Soviet records show that 3,664 arrived. The Sherman also ranks near the top of the best tanks of the Second World War.

4. T-72

Fourth place belongs to the T-72 family with about 25,000 tanks. The tank entered service in 1973 and complemented the more elaborate T-64 within Soviet production. T-72 and T-64 remained separate families. The worldwide total also includes licensed production in several countries.

A 125 mm smoothbore gun and an autoloader defined the basic arrangement. Variants were built in the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia and India. Modernised vehicles remain in service. The T-72 also stands alongside the T-64 in the comparison of Russian tanks.

5. M3/M5 Stuart

The Stuart family holds fifth place, provisionally, with 22,743 vehicles. The Tank Museum records 13,859 M3 tanks, while the Nationaal Militair Museum gives 8,884 M5 and M5A1 tanks. These two museum totals add up to 22,743 vehicles.

The Stuart was a light tank, smaller than the Sherman or T-34, at about 12.9 tonnes with a 37 mm gun. The M5 continued the M3 role with a different power pack and redesigned hull. Published totals for the family sometimes differ by one vehicle. A similar uncertainty affects the T-62.

6. T-62

The T-62 holds sixth place, provisionally, with more than 22,700 vehicles. The family total includes Soviet tanks and later North Korean production. The Ural plant alone built about 20,000 T-62s before Soviet production ended. The larger figure therefore describes the worldwide family, not one factory.

The T-62 entered service in 1962 and carried a 115 mm smoothbore gun. A larger turret ring clearly distinguished it from the T-55. Soviet series production continued until 1975. More than 22,700 remains a lower bound with no stated upper limit. The added Stuart total of 22,743 is a fixed figure by comparison.

7. M60

Four base models and more than two decades of production stand behind the M60 family. More than 15,000 vehicles mean seventh place. Figures of 2,205 vehicles refer only to the original M60 version.

The M60 continued the Patton line. Later variants received the 105 mm M68 gun, and the M60A1 weighed about 47.7 tonnes. American forces ordered the tank in large numbers, while many allied countries bought or received vehicles. Egypt operates the largest fleet today, with about 1,716 modernised M60A3s. The production total counts newly built tanks, not each later upgrade.

8. M48 Patton

The M48 Patton family ranks eighth with nearly 12,000 tanks. The Army Historical Foundation reports this rounded total for the complete M48 series. Chrysler, General Motors, Ford and the American Locomotive Company produced the series from 1952 to 1961. The original version had a combat weight of about 45 tonnes.

Early M48 variants carried a 90 mm gun and had a crew of four. Later modernisation changed the armament, engine and fire-control system. Such rebuilds did not create new vehicles: the figure of nearly 12,000 records built tanks, not later conversions.

9. T-26

10,300 built tanks secure ninth place for the T-26. Production records also list 1,701 specialised vehicles derived from the same design. Those vehicles were not tanks and are therefore separate from the total of 10,300.

The Soviet Union produced the light T-26 from 1931 to 1941. Its design was derived from the British Vickers 6-Ton. Numerous versions differed in turrets, radios and weapons. The common 1933 version weighed about 9.6 tonnes, carried a 45 mm gun and had a crew of three. Armour reached no more than 15 millimetres.

10. M1 Abrams

The Abrams takes last place with about 10,288 tanks. Only twelve vehicles separate the commonly used totals for Abrams and T-26.

The base model entered service in 1980. The M1A2 SEPv3 is the current production version of the family, weighing about 66.8 tonnes in this configuration. Existing hulls are rebuilt for new configurations, so not every modernisation programme adds newly built tanks. The figure of about 10,288 is therefore a rounded family total. Torro stocks the Abrams as a 1/16 RC tank, and also in 1/24 scale.

Why do production totals differ?

T-54/T-55 counts often combine licensed production and related designs. The Sherman figure excludes the Canadian Grizzly. The T-26 figure leaves out specialised vehicles. Rebuilt hulls complicate every Abrams total.

Assault guns and tank destroyers such as the StuG III do not count as tanks, even though their production runs to about 10,086 vehicles.

Are the most widely produced tanks also the most famous?

The T-34, Sherman and Abrams are among the most famous tanks. The Tiger I and Panther were built in far smaller numbers and still shape popular memory of tank warfare.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Musée des Blindés: T-54 and worldwide variants
• The Tank Museum and Wikipedia: T-34/85, total T-34 production
• US Army: 49,234 M4 Sherman tanks, Sherman production
• European Parliament and Wikipedia: T-72 context, T-72 production total
• The Tank Museum and Nationaal Militair Museum: M3 Stuart, M5 Stuart
• The Tank Museum: T-62
• Osprey Publishing and Wikipedia: M60 production history, M60 combat weight
• Army Historical Foundation and Wikipedia: M48 Patton, M48 combat weight
• Wikipedia and the Spanish Army: T-26 production statistics, T-26 at El Goloso museum
• US Army and Wikipedia: Abrams programme status, Abrams production history