304 stainless steel tube manufacturing should be healthy
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July 25 07:27:35, 2025
The stainless steel pipe manufacturing industry in China needs to grow in a healthy and sustainable manner. With the rapid development of China's economy, the consumption of stainless steel pipes has significantly increased, leading to a broader demand across various sectors. This has created a promising market outlook. However, there are still gaps between domestic production and market requirements in terms of variety, specifications, quantity, and quality.
In terms of product types, Chinese seamless stainless steel pipes are still largely dominated by 1Gr18Ni9Ti, a grade that has been phased out in many foreign markets. The quality of urea-grade and high-precision stainless steel pipes produced domestically is not yet consistent. Heat exchanger tubes for power plant boilers and urea pipes used in fertilizer plants are mostly imported. Additionally, duplex stainless steel pipes, which offer excellent corrosion resistance, are rarely manufactured locally.
Regarding product specifications, there is a significant gap in large-diameter and ultra-long stainless steel pipes, which are in high demand. On the other hand, the production capacity for small and medium-diameter general-purpose pipes exceeds market demand. In terms of quantity, high-standard industrial welded pipes, especially those required in critical industries, remain largely unmet. While the output of ordinary stainless steel pipes matches overall market demand, the production of ordinary seamless pipes is excessive, with most being of medium or low grades. The decorative welded pipe market also faces oversupply.
Over the past decade, as the application fields of stainless steel pipes have expanded rapidly, the demand for different materials, specifications, and uses has surged. Due to the high added value of these products, the number of enterprises producing stainless steel pipes has grown from over a dozen in the 1980s to more than 400 today. The total production and processing capacity now exceeds 1 million tons. Actual production increased from 50,000 tons in 1989 to 390,000 tons in 1999. Most companies were small-scale, with only a few producing over 5,000 tons annually.
The range of steel grades has evolved from single austenitic to include martensitic, ferritic, and duplex steels, as well as high-alloy steels. Product varieties now include seamless tubes, cold-drawn tubes, cold-rolled tubes, hot-extruded tubes, centrifugally cast tubes, and spiral pressure pipes. Welded pipes come in various forms such as plasma welding, argon arc welding, submerged arc welding, laser welding, and high-frequency welding. The range of stainless steel pipes produced in China covers global standards, with over 100 types of shaped stainless steel pipes available. These products are widely used in both industrial and civil applications.
In some developed countries, stainless steel welded pipes account for 65% to 75% of total stainless steel pipe output. However, China’s production capacity for welded pipes does not fully meet domestic demand. It is estimated that the annual demand for stainless steel welded pipes in China will reach at least 60,000 tons in the 21st century. To keep up with this growing demand, the industry must continue to innovate, improve quality, and expand its production capabilities in a sustainable way.