Hot-dip galvanized screws and steel nails, as basic fasteners with excellent anti-corrosion performance, occupy an important position in the field of metal processing. Recently, driven by the new infrastructure and new energy industries, the industry has shown a structured growth trend. The market size is expected to exceed 7.86 billion yuan in 2025, with a compound growth rate of 9.5%, becoming a growth highlight in the metal processing sub-sector.
From the perspective of market demand structure, the application fields present diversified characteristics. Building steel structures are the core demand side, accounting for 42% of the total terminal application. The standardization promotion of super high-rise buildings and prefabricated buildings has maintained an annual demand growth rate of over 11%. The demand in the power grid sector accounts for 28%. The demand for high-strength bolts used in photovoltaic brackets is expected to increase by 23.6% year-on-year in 2024. The expansion of ultra-high voltage transmission lines further boosts the demand. The transportation infrastructure sector has benefited from the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network planning, with its demand share rising to 19%. Railway and bridge engineering have become important growth points. In terms of regional distribution, 65% of the demand is concentrated in East China and South China. Due to the implementation of new infrastructure in central and western regions such as Hubei and Sichuan, the order growth rate has exceeded the industry average.
Technical standards and process upgrades are the core driving forces for the development of the industry. Domestically, the GB/T 13912-2020 standard is implemented, which requires that the average thickness of the zinc coating on bolts used in steel structures be greater than 55μm, and the salt spray test must pass the 480-hour test. The international market standards are more stringent. The EU EN ISO 10684:2020 requires that the zinc coating adhesion amount be no less than 395g/m², promoting enterprises to upgrade their processes. The coverage rate of chromium-free passivation technology has risen from 16% in 2021 to 41%. The magnetron sputtering coating process has enabled the salt spray test time to exceed 3,000 hours, and the export unit price of products has increased by 12%.
The competitive landscape features "leading enterprises taking the lead and cluster development". The concentration rate of CR10 enterprises in the industry has reached 35.2%. Leading companies such as Jinyi Industrial and Zhoushan Zhengyuan have increased their capacity utilization rate to 82% through intelligent transformation, and 12.9 grade high-strength bolts have achieved import substitution. In Yongnian, Hebei Province and Haiyan, Zhejiang Province, clusters of small and medium-sized enterprises have been formed. However, they are facing the pressure of raw material fluctuations - the price fluctuation rate of hot-rolled wire rods reached 18% in 2024, and it is expected that 15% of backward production capacity will be eliminated by 2025.
Policy factors drive the transformation of the industry in both directions. Domestic manufacturing special subsidies provide 20% financial support for intelligent production lines, and 32 enterprises have passed the ISO 50001 energy management system certification. The EU's CBAM mechanism has forced export enterprises to accelerate green certification. Countries along the "Belt and Road" have become the focus of exports, and the proportion of exports from this region is expected to reach 47% by 2025.
In the next three years, the industry will upgrade towards high strength (the proportion of grade 8.8 and above will rise to 58%) and corrosion resistance, and the digital penetration rate will reach 45% by 2025. The implementation of projects such as the zero-emission demonstration factory in Tangshan is driving the industry towards a low-carbon transformation and opening up a new path for high-quality development in the hot-dip galvanized screw and steel nail industry.