As a fundamental category in the field of metal fasteners, the market pattern of black steel M3 screws has recently undergone new changes due to multiple factors such as fluctuations in upstream raw material prices, adjustments in downstream demand structure, and technological upgrades in the industry. From the transmission effect of the industrial chain to the expansion of terminal applications, a series of dynamic developments reflect the current development trend of the metal processing industry, becoming the focus of attention in the niche field.
The price fluctuations at the upstream raw material end have become the core variable affecting the production of black steel M3 screws. Recently, the price of cemented carbide with tungsten as the core raw material has witnessed a historic surge. As of December 16, 2025, the price of black tungsten concentrate (≥65%) has reached 415,000 yuan per ton, a 190.2% increase compared to the beginning of the year. The price of tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder directly used in mold manufacturing has even exceeded 900 yuan per kilogram, with an increase of over 200%. This change has directly pushed up the mold cost of black steel M3 screws, exerting significant operational pressure on small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. Meanwhile, the steel market shows a weak balance pattern of "supply contraction and demand pressure". In 2025, the prices of basic steel materials such as rebar will fluctuate and decline. Although this has to some extent alleviated the pressure of raw material costs, the overall profit of the industrial chain still remains at a meager level.
In terms of market supply and demand, black steel M3 screws show a structural growth trend in demand. In the application field, this category has been widely penetrated into multiple areas such as 3C electronics, new energy, and architectural decoration, thanks to its high precision and strong adaptability. Recent production videos on the Douyin platform show that black steel M3 screws with gaskets are widely used in the assembly of electronic device motherboards. The popularization of automated screw locking equipment has further improved their assembly efficiency. In the construction sector, with the advancement of urbanization and the acceleration of old city renovation, the demand for high-strength black steel fasteners in prefabricated buildings has grown at an average annual rate of 9.2%, among which the proportion of M3 specification products suitable for the installation of small components has continued to increase. The export market also performed outstandingly. Infrastructure demand in Southeast Asia and Africa has driven an average annual growth rate of 11.8% in the export volume of black steel fasteners, opening up new growth space for M3 screws.
In terms of industry development trends, intelligent and green transformation has become the core direction for the upgrading of the black steel M3 screw industry. At present, the penetration rate of automated production lines in the industry has reached 63%. The application of intelligent equipment has improved the dimensional accuracy of M3 screws to ±0.02mm and reduced the defect rate to below 0.8%. At the policy level, the "Green Building Materials Evaluation Standard" to be implemented in 2026 will encourage enterprises to accelerate the process transformation of water-based coatings. The price premium of environmentally friendly black steel M3 screws is expected to reach 8% to 12%. Meanwhile, leading enterprises are increasing their investment in research and development, focusing on developing special M3 products that are shock-resistant and corrosion-resistant to meet the demands of high-end fields such as battery packs for new energy vehicles and medical devices.
At present, although the black steel M3 screw industry is facing short-term pressure from the price increase of upstream mold raw materials, it benefits from the growth in demand from downstream emerging industries and the technological upgrading of the industry, and has sufficient long-term development resilience. Enterprises need to offset cost pressure and seize the development opportunities brought by industry transformation by optimizing supply chain management, promoting intelligent transformation, and expanding high-end application scenarios.