Driven by the dual forces of the upgrading of the construction industry and the policy dividends of international trade, the domestic hot-dip galvanized steel nail industry has shown a steady growth trend in recent times. As a basic fastener with both high strength and corrosion resistance, hot-dip galvanized steel nails are expanding their application boundaries by virtue of their performance advantages. The industry has demonstrated new highlights in technological innovation, market expansion and overseas layout.
The structural growth of market demand has become the core support for the development of the industry. Data shows that the domestic market size of hot-dip galvanized corrugated nails reached 3.86 billion yuan in 2023, with an average annual compound growth rate maintained at 6.2%. It is expected to exceed 4.3 billion yuan by 2025. Among them, the East China, South China and North China regions, due to their dense manufacturing industry and concentrated infrastructure projects, occupy more than 65% of the national market share. Against the backdrop of the accelerated construction of prefabricated buildings and cold chain logistics facilities, customers' demands for the corrosion resistance of products have significantly increased, driving mainstream enterprises to control the thickness of hot-dip galvanized coatings at 50-90 grams per square meter. The service life of these products is more than three times longer than that of traditional steel nails.
Policy dividends and the reshaping of the international trade pattern have created favorable conditions for industries to go global. The RCEP agreement continues to unleash its effectiveness, driving a 17% increase in orders for hot-dip galvanized steel nails from China to Southeast Asia and a 12% year-on-year increase in imports of anti-corrosion special nails from the European and American markets. Meanwhile, the adjustment of the foreign trade rebate policy has increased the average profit of export-oriented enterprises by 2.3 percentage points. However, the new regulation of the United States imposing a 25% import tariff on steel products has also prompted enterprises to avoid trade risks through the "Southeast Asia + China" dual-base model.
Technological upgrading and green transformation have become the core of enterprise competition. Under the impetus of the national "dual carbon" strategy, leading enterprises such as Dongfang Fastening and Hengyi Hardware have achieved zero discharge of wastewater and recycling of zinc resources. The industry concentration has continued to rise. The combined market share of the top ten enterprises is close to 52%. Enterprises in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other places have achieved integrated operation by relying on the advantages of industrial clusters. Sales channels are also accelerating their digital transformation. The proportion of online orders has risen from less than 10% in 2020 to 23% in 2023, and it is expected to approach 30% by 2025.
It is worth noting that the penetration rate of hot-dip galvanized steel nails in specific fields has been continuously increasing. In the connection of high-rise building steel structures in coastal areas, the annual penetration rate has risen by 1.5 percentage points. It is expected that by 2025, its proportion in the major category of steel nails will increase from 23% to 28%. Industry experts point out that in the future, enterprises need to focus on breaking through in the research and development of ultra-high-strength products and at the same time improve the international certification system in order to take the initiative in the high-end market competition.