As a core category of stainless steel fasteners, 18-8 stainless steel spiral nails (made of 304 stainless steel, containing 18% chromium and 8% nickel) have recently shown a trend of high-end and intelligent development under the dual influence of policy drive and market demand. Industry data shows that the market size of stainless steel threaded nails in China reached 38.76 billion yuan in 2024. Among them, 18-8 material products dominated the high-end market due to their excellent corrosion resistance. The related market size is expected to exceed 41.1 billion yuan in 2025, with a year-on-year growth of 6.08%.
The policy level is laying a solid foundation for the development of the industry. The "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the High-Quality Development of the Fastener Industry" jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission clearly states that the domestic production rate of high-precision stainless steel fasteners should be increased to 75% by 2025. Local policies have been implemented simultaneously. Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, has been approved as a national-level fastener characteristic industrial cluster and has received 100 million yuan in fiscal support to build a shared testing platform. Haiyan County has issued a special opinion, offering a maximum revenue breakthrough reward of 500,000 yuan to enterprises that produce high value-added products such as 18-8. These policies have driven 18-8 screw nail enterprises to accelerate technological transformation. Leading enterprises such as Sumec Hardware have received tens of millions of yuan in technological transformation subsidies. After building fully automatic production lines, their production efficiency has increased by 22.4%.
Technological upgrades are reshaping the production landscape. The magnetic field driven polishing equipment launched by enterprises such as Shengya Precision has reduced the surface roughness of 18-8 spiral nails from Ra0.8μm to Ra0.05μm, ensuring no dead corners in the polishing of the thread roots and meeting the precision requirements of new energy vehicles and medical devices. Environmental protection technology upgrades are advancing simultaneously. 67% of large-scale enterprises across the country have adopted chromium-free passivation processes. Zhejiang Guotai and other enterprises have achieved a wastewater recycling rate of 95%, and the energy consumption per unit product has decreased by 13.8%. Although there were fluctuations in the raw material end, the quotations for new 304 stainless steel materials remained at 9,100 to 9,200 yuan per ton in November. However, leading enterprises effectively offset the cost pressure through centralized procurement and waste recycling systems.
Dual growth in application and export markets. New energy equipment, Marine engineering and other fields have become new growth points. 18-8 spiral nails, with an acid and alkali corrosion resistance rate of ≤0.008mm per year, are widely used in wind power equipment and chemical storage tanks. In terms of exports, China's stainless steel threaded nails export value reached 14.28 billion yuan in 2024. Asean is the largest overseas market for 18-8 products, accounting for nearly 30%. U.S. import data shows that precision stainless steel screws from China shipments increased significantly year-on-year, with the advantages of cost performance and compliance certification highlighted. Global market forecasts indicate that the global market size of stainless steel micro screws will reach 1.02 billion US dollars in 2025, and the proportion of 18-8 material in the consumer electronics field will exceed 50%.
The industry still faces structural challenges. Homogeneous competition among small and medium-sized enterprises is prominent, and fluctuations in raw material prices have squeezed the gross profit margin. However, as the industry concentration increases, enterprises with ISO quality system certification and core technologies continue to seize the market. In the future, under the guidance of high-end manufacturing upgrades and green policies, 18-8 stainless steel spiral nails will break through in the direction of high strength and miniaturization, becoming a key basic component supporting advanced manufacturing.