Technological upgrading has become a key lever for enhancing core competitiveness.

Industrial-grade steel threaded nails, as the basic consumables in the metal products industry, are widely used in core fields such as construction, furniture manufacturing, and mechanical assembly. Their development is deeply intertwined with the macroeconomy, policy orientation, and technological innovation. Recently, driven by increased infrastructure investment, stricter environmental policies, and industrial upgrading, the industry is undergoing a transformation period characterized by "steady expansion of scale and accelerated optimization of structure", forming a unique development pattern and competitive situation.
In terms of market operation, the industry's scale shows a stable growth trend. According to data, the market size of ordinary steel nails in China was approximately 8.5 billion yuan in 2024, and is expected to exceed 12 billion yuan by 2030, with an average annual compound growth rate of 5.8%. Among them, industrial-grade steel threaded nails account for over 60% of the market share, with the construction sector contributing the most, accounting for over 60%, while the furniture manufacturing and decoration sectors account for 20% and 15% respectively. The regional distribution shows a distinct clustering feature. The East China and South China regions, due to their developed economies and dense infrastructure, collectively contribute over 55% of the national market share. The central and western regions, benefiting from industrial transfer and urbanization, will have a growth rate higher than the national average, becoming new growth poles. Although the export market has experienced short-term fluctuations due to international trade frictions, the demand in countries along the "Belt and Road" Initiative increased by 12%, providing the industry with broad overseas expansion space.
Technological upgrading has become a key lever for enhancing core competitiveness. The industry's automation transformation has achieved remarkable results. Leading enterprises have introduced intelligent equipment such as fully automatic cold heading machines, increasing the per capita production capacity by over 30%, and the daily production capacity of individual machines has exceeded 500,000 pieces. At the same time, the digital quality traceability system has significantly reduced the product defect rate. The product structure has evolved towards higher-end levels. The proportion of traditional low-carbon steel nails has gradually decreased, while the proportion of galvanized, stainless steel, and other anti-corrosion type optical rod nails has increased by 2-3 percentage points annually. New processes such as laser surface strengthening and nano coating have been applied, significantly extending the salt spray resistance time of the products, and meeting the demands of emerging scenarios such as new energy and high-end manufacturing. In addition, the application of new materials such as new-type non-tempering cold heading steel has directly reduced processing energy consumption by 15%-18%, helping the industry achieve a low-carbon transformation.
The policy environment has profoundly reshaped the industry ecosystem. Under the "carbon neutrality" goal, the "Steel Industry Ultra-Low Emission Transformation Plan" will be fully implemented in 2025, with the capacity of non-compliant enterprises being phased out by up to 15%. This has compelled enterprises to increase their investment in environmental protection, with dust removal equipment upgrades and the substitution of clean energy becoming the mainstream. The industry's usage rate of natural gas has risen to 42%. The utilization rate of scrap steel has continued to increase, with the target reaching 30% in 2025. The penetration rate of short-process steelmaking technology has steadily grown, driving a 18% reduction in tonnage steel carbon emissions compared to the 2015 baseline. At the same time, regional policies have been precisely implemented. Relevant plans in the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area support the development of metal product clusters and the cultivation of single-category champion enterprises, further enhancing industry concentration.
The competitive landscape is showing a trend of polarization. Currently, there are a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises in the industry. However, the rising environmental protection costs and the increasing technical barriers are accelerating the elimination of outdated production capacity. The number of enterprises decreased by 13.6% between 2022 and 2023. The market concentration ratio of the top 5 enterprises, CR5, increased from 28% in 2020 to 41% in 2024. In the future, with the deepening of intelligent and green transformation, it is expected that the market share of the top five enterprises will exceed 40% before 2030. The focus of enterprise competition has shifted from simple price competition to technological innovation, green certification, and full-chain collaboration. Headline enterprises with core technologies and policy compatibility capabilities will continue to hold a dominant position.