With an output of 105 million tons, the differentiation between supply and demand and the green transformation proceed simultaneously.

I. Supply and Demand Pattern: Stagnation in Total Volume and Diversification in Structure
In the recent period, the domestic steel section market has entered a stable adjustment phase. In the first eight months of 2025, the proportion of hot-rolled steel production in the total steel output rose to 6.3%, with the effective total production capacity reaching 105.95 million tons. However, the capacity utilization rate remained at around 68%. The regional layout presented a feature of "dual-pole dominance and multi-point growth", with North China (52.9%) and East China (24.7%) occupying the core of production capacity. The production share of the southwest and south China regions continued to increase, and regional competition intensified.
Demand side showed significant differentiation: The decline in real estate dragged down traditional construction steel, but the demand for industrial buildings and factory construction remained stable; New energy infrastructure became the growth engine, and the purchase volume of angle steel for ultra-high voltage transmission towers increased by 40% year-on-year, while the demand for steel for photovoltaic brackets continued to expand. The export market presented a "volume increase and price differentiation" pattern, with the RCEP region accounting for 65% of the orders, but the EU carbon tariffs led to an 8% increase in the unit price for exports to the EU.
II. Core Products: H-beam Steel as the Key Driver for Transformation
H-beam steel, due to its adaptability to steel structures, has become the core expectation point for industry growth. The new version of the "Hot-Rolled H-Beam and Split T-Beam" national standard fills the gap for super-large specifications, promoting an increase in its application proportion in steel structures, and combined with the compound growth rate of 40% in prefabricated buildings, the consumption growth of H-beam steel is highly certain. However, the current competition in this field is intense, with the H-beam steel production capacity utilization rate of the steel association's member enterprises only reaching 54% in 2024, the production-sales ratio dropping to 46.9%, and the inventory reaching the peak level since 2015.
Headline enterprises have broken through the high-end bottleneck. An enterprise like Ma Steel successfully developed 500mm×500mm heavy-duty H-beam steel, becoming the fourth enterprise in the world with this specification production capacity. Its customized ultra-large H-beam steel has been applied to major projects such as the Shanghai Baoshan Energy Recycling Center.
III. Technological Transformation: Dual-wheel Drive of Green and Intelligent
The industry is accelerating its transformation towards industrial materials and low-carbonization. Enterprises like Ma Steel have shifted from construction materials to high-end fields such as shipbuilding and photovoltaic steel, meeting personalized needs through the "one-on-one negotiation" flexible production model. Process upgrades focus on two directions: the penetration rate of short-process steelmaking increases, with the proportion of electric arc furnaces reaching 8.67% in 2025 and expected to rise to 35% in 2030; the speed of intelligent transformation accelerates, with the coverage of digital workshops reaching 60%, promoting a 12% reduction in tonnage steel energy consumption.
Green manufacturing has become the core competitiveness. Although the cost of ultra-low emissions transformation increases the cost of steel per ton by 80-120 yuan, the premium of low-carbon products is obvious, and the export unit price of zero-carbon factory products increases by 9%. The research and development of hydrogen-based direct reduction iron and other low-carbon technologies accelerate to cope with the cost pressure brought by carbon quota trading.
IV. Competitive Situation: Concentration Increase and Substitution Pressure Coexist
The "internal competition" in the industry intensifies, forcing the concentration to increase. It is expected that the CR10 will rise from 41% to 55% in 2030. Small and medium-sized enterprises face dual pressures: on one hand, the rise in environmental protection and carbon costs squeeze profits; on the other hand, the impact of substitute products is obvious - hot-rolled sheet and strip account for 66.5% of steel used in steel structures, while cold-formed H-beam steel and welded H-beam steel have a significant trend of replacing traditional steel.
Industry self-discipline and collaboration have become the key to breaking through. The Steel Association advocates that enterprises practice the "three fixed and three do not" principle, controlling production and reducing inventory to avoid vicious competition, and promoting upstream and downstream collaboration to improve the standardized design system, enhancing the comprehensive competitiveness of steel sections.