Driven by the dual forces of accelerated infrastructure construction and the expansion of the new energy industry, China's hot-dip galvanized screw and steel nail industry has shown a stable growth trend in recent times. Green manufacturing and intelligent upgrading have become the core directions of industry transformation. As key basic components, hot-dip galvanized screws and steel nails have seen a continuous increase in demand in fields such as wind power, photovoltaic, and ultra-high voltage due to their excellent anti-corrosion performance.
Market data shows that in 2024, the output of hot-dip galvanized ordinary bolts in China exceeded 4.2 million tons, up by 5.3% year-on-year, and the export volume reached 980,000 tons, up by 7.1% year-on-year. Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other countries along the "Belt and Road" have become the main export destinations. The growth momentum of the industry is clear. Among them, the wind power industry accounts for 23% of the total demand for hot-dip galvanized bolts, and the demand for photovoltaic support systems accounts for 15%. The two major new energy fields jointly drive a sharp increase in the demand for high-end products. The production proportion of M27 and above large-sized bolts is expected to increase from 12% to 19% by 2030.
Policy guidance has charted a clear path for the development of the industry. Under the impetus of the national "dual carbon" goals, environmentally friendly processes are accelerating their popularization. The market share of chromium-free passivation nail products has increased to 29%, and it is expected to reach 35% by 2025. Meanwhile, the standards for the thickness of hot-dip galvanized coatings are becoming increasingly strict. Standards such as GB/T 13912 require an average zinc coating thickness of over 85μm, which forces enterprises to upgrade their continuous galvanizing line technology and zinc liquid purity control processes. Green product certification has become a "pass" to the market. Currently, 35% of enterprises have completed clean production renovations and reaped carbon reduction benefits.
The intelligent transformation has achieved remarkable results. The penetration rate of intelligent production lines in the industry has jumped from 18% in 2020 to 39% in 2024, and the labor cost per production line has decreased by 47%. Leading enterprises have introduced digital quality monitoring systems, with product consistency reaching over 98%. The market share of the top ten enterprises has risen from 28% in 2020 to 36% in 2024. The low-carbon cold forging process jointly developed by Nantong enterprises and universities has achieved a breakthrough of reducing energy consumption by 15%.
In the face of fluctuations in raw material prices, enterprises actively build risk hedging mechanisms. In 2024, the prices of zinc ingots and wire rods fluctuated significantly. Leading enterprises managed to keep the cost increase within 5% by signing long-term supply guarantee agreements with zinc smelters and using zinc ingot futures for hedging. The extension of the value-added tax preferential policy for scrap steel recycling also helps enterprises optimize their cost structure.
Looking ahead, as the demand in areas such as ultra-high voltage and intelligent warehousing is released, coupled with the continuous increase in industry concentration, enterprises with green production and intelligent manufacturing capabilities will gain a competitive edge, driving the hot-dip galvanized screw and steel nail industry towards a new stage of high-quality development.