Stainless steel can be classified into 300 series, 400 series and 200 series, among which, 300 series boasts the mainstream in the market. In 2009, 300 series accounted for 60.6% of the global stainless steel output and 52.06% of the Chinese stainless steel output.
Global and China Stainless Steel Industry Report, 2009-2010
With the growing demand for stainless steel in emerging economies like China, South Korea and India, the global stainless steel industry is transferring to these countries at an ever faster speed. In 2009, against the backdrop of declining consumer demand for stainless steel in Europe and America, global crude stainless steel output dropped 5.2% year on year to 24.6 million tons. By contrast, the stainless steel output in Asia increased by 6.2%. A case in point is China, whose output of crude stainless steel rose by 26.8% to 8.805 million tons.
In recent years, with the increasing consumer demand for stainless steel in China, stainless steel industry segments such as stainless steel board, strip, section and pipe have seen rapid increase in output, and the emergence of competitive flagship enterprises.
In the stainless steel board sector, Lianzhong (Guangzhou) Stainless Steel Corporation has the largest output of 200 series stainless steel coil. Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel, Baosteel Stainless Steel, Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel, Jiuquan Iron & Steel Group, and Taishan Steel are competitive in the 400 series stainless steel coil market. In particular, Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel ranked No.1 in the world in terms of the stainless steel output in 2009.
In the stainless steel strip sector, private stainless steel enterprises are major players. Fujian Wuhang Stainless Steel Products, with hot-rolled and cold-rolled stainless steel strips as main products, achieved an annual crude stainless steel output of 900,000 tons in 2009. Southwest Stainless Steel, a hot-rolled stainless steel strip manufacturer, achieved an annual crude stainless steel output of 400,000 tons.
In the stainless steel section sector, there are 18 leading enterprises, including Tsingshan Holding Group and Dongbei Special Steel Group. Dongbei Special Steel Group mainly manufactures stainless steel bar and wire rod. Dalian Special Steel Products Co., Ltd of Dongbei Special Steel Group accounts for over 50% of the domestic output of stainless wire in coil.
In the stainless steel pipe sector, 10 stainless steel manufacturers including Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel, Baosteel Stainless Steel and Zhejiang Jiuli Hi-tech Metals are leading seamless stainless steel pipe providers in China, while five stainless steel enterprises including Winner Stainless Steel Tube, Foshan Outstanding Stainless Steel, Jiuli Hi-tech Metals, Foshan Lanshi Yuhang Star Stainless Steel and Jiangsu Wujin Stainless Steel Pipe Group are leading welded stainless steel pipe suppliers in China.
