Cost Pressure And Policy Empowerment Proceed Concurrently. In The Recent Period, The Steel-made Screw Industry Has Accelerated Its Transformation.

Recently, the domestic hexagonal steel screws manufacturing industry has been affected by multiple factors such as fluctuations in raw material prices, policy guidance, and upgrading of downstream demand. It has shown a development trend of "cost pressure, policy empowerment, and structural optimization". The industry is undergoing a new round of adjustment and upgrading, and the related developments have become the focus of attention in the metal processing field.
The sharp increase in raw material prices has become the core pain point of the industry recently, forcing enterprises to activate the price adjustment mechanism. Since the beginning of 2026, the prices of metals such as nickel and chromium in the commodity market have risen significantly. The spot average price of electrolytic nickel in the second half of February exceeded 145,000 yuan per ton, a surge of over 35% compared to the same period in 2025, directly leading to a year-on-year increase of 15%-20% in the cost of the core raw material stainless steel wire for hexagonal steel screws. Due to the average gross profit margin of the fastening industry remaining below 10%, the cost gap has reached a critical point. Industry leader Tengda Technology was the first to launch a "cost defense battle", announcing a uniform price increase for all products on February 28th, and raising the prices of some products again on March 5th, becoming a benchmark for industry price adjustments. Subsequently, many small and medium-sized fastening enterprises in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces followed suit, with price increases ranging from 8% to 15%, reflecting the cost pressure across the industry.
At the policy level, continuous efforts are being made to drive the industry towards high-quality and green transformation. The relevant policies of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology clearly state that by 2026, the domestic production rate of high-end fasteners should reach over 85%. Stud screws, as an important subcategory, have received key policy support. At the same time, the new version of the "Mechanical Performance of Bolts, Screws and Studs" standard has been fully implemented, imposing stricter requirements on core indicators such as tensile strength and fatigue life of stud screws, promoting the improvement of product quality. Currently, the product qualification rate of the industry has increased from 89.3% in 2022 to 94.6%. In addition, environmental protection policies are forcing enterprises to upgrade production processes, and the popularity of green technologies such as non-chrome passivation and water-based coatings is constantly increasing, promoting the industry to achieve green and low-carbon development.
The downstream demand structure continues to be optimized, injecting new impetus into the industry's development. Threaded steel screws with head designs are widely used in the automotive, electronic and electrical appliances, and high-end equipment sectors. Among them, the demand for new energy vehicles has grown particularly significantly, with the number of threaded steel screws used per vehicle increasing by 15-20% compared to traditional fuel vehicles, driving up the demand for high-strength and corrosion-resistant threaded steel screws. In the electronic and electrical appliances sector, the rapid development of 5G equipment and artificial intelligence equipment has led to a significant increase in the demand for miniature threaded steel screws. These high-precision products have a gross profit margin of 25-30%, becoming a new profit growth point for enterprises. At the same time, the expansion of high-end equipment sectors such as rail transportation and nuclear power has further expanded the market space for high-end threaded steel screws.
Overall, although the plate head steel screws industry has faced short-term pressure from rising raw material prices in the recent period, driven by policy guidance and the upgrading of downstream demand, it is accelerating its transformation towards digitalization, greenification and high-endization. The industry concentration is gradually increasing, and enterprises with technological advantages and cost transmission capabilities will gain the competitive edge. In the future, as raw material prices stabilize and technological innovation continues to advance, the industry is expected to achieve high-quality and sustainable development.