The process characteristics lay the foundation for application
Black tempered cut wire is made from high-quality low-carbon steel wire rods. After drawing and forming, it undergoes tempering treatment to eliminate internal stress and retain a dense black oxide layer of iron (III) oxide. Its core advantage lies in the balanced mechanical properties - moderate tensile strength and excellent ductility, with a significantly higher reduction in area and elongation than hard steel wire. It can easily achieve deep processing such as bending and winding, and at the same time, it has strong dimensional stability, which can meet the requirements of precision forming. Although the surface oxide layer has no anti-corrosion property, it provides a good adhesion foundation for secondary processing such as phosphating and plastic coating, making it a preferred material in fields such as nail making, spring manufacturing, and building reinforcement.
The market size maintained a steady growth
In 2024, the industry witnessed a simultaneous increase in both volume and price: The national output of black tempered cut wire related categories exceeded 5.28 million tons, with a market size of 38.76 billion yuan, growing by 5.18% and 6.96% respectively year-on-year. Among them, the segment of cut wire performed outstandingly, with an export volume of 113,000 tons in 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of 9.7%. Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South America are the core overseas markets. In 2025, the growth momentum will continue to be released. It is expected that the total output of the entire industry will exceed 5.53 million tons, the market size will increase to 41.28 billion yuan, and the proportion of exports is expected to rise to over 13% of the total output.
The competitive landscape is showing a trend of concentration
Industry consolidation is accelerating, and the advantages of leading enterprises are becoming more prominent: Hebei Jingye Group holds a 13.0% market share with an annual output of 685,000 tons, followed closely by Shagang and Rizhao Steel Holdings. The top three enterprises account for more than 30% of the total production capacity. Technological competition has become the core focus. Over 40% of key enterprises have completed the transformation of their digital workshops, ensuring product consistency through continuous annealing furnaces and automated tension control systems. Some enterprises have also added straightening and surface cleaning processes to meet the precision requirements of high-end scenarios. Leading companies such as Baosteel and Zhongtian Steel have even set up special production lines, pushing up the proportion of high value-added products to 41%.
Emerging demands open up growth space
The upgrading of downstream industries has given rise to new opportunities: In the field of new energy vehicles, BYD has already adopted high-strength tempered wires in batches in the suspension systems of its electric models. In new infrastructure scenarios such as offshore wind power anchoring and smart grids, the demand for fatigue-resistant and corrosion-resistant cut-off wires has grown by more than 12%. At the policy level, the implementation of the GB/T 34567-2023 standard and the "dual carbon" goals have driven the green transformation of the industry. The popularization of technologies such as electric furnace steelmaking and waste heat recovery has led to a 12.7% reduction in unit energy consumption compared to 2020. However, the insufficient supply of high-end clean steel wire rods still restricts development. High-carbon wire rods of grade 70 and above can only meet 65% of the high-end demands and have become the focus of enterprise research and development efforts.