Against the backdrop of global economic multipolarization and accelerated regional cooperation, the steel industry, as an important part of the basic industry, is undergoing structural adjustment and transformation and upgrading. Carbon steel, with its stable performance, wide adaptability and excellent cost-effectiveness, is gradually becoming a focus category in the steel market. In the first half of 2025, with the in-depth promotion of the domestic new urbanization strategy and the "Belt and Road" engineering construction projects, the market demand for carbon steel continued to heat up, bringing new development opportunities for steel companies.

Multi-industry application expansion, carbon steel penetration rate continues to increase

In actual applications, carbon steel uses cover building structures, machinery manufacturing, shipbuilding industry, petrochemicals, transportation, power equipment, home appliances and other fields. For example:

（1）Construction engineering: In high-rise buildings, industrial plants, large venues and other structures, hot-rolled H-shaped steel, carbon steel square tubes, channel steel and other structural parts are used to improve the overall building's bearing capacity and seismic performance.

（2）Bridge construction: Carbon steel bridge plates are widely used in high-speed railways and highway bridges due to their high strength and good ductility.

（3）Energy pipelines: Carbon steel seamless steel pipes are used as the main material for gas and oil pipelines. They have good compression resistance and welding performance and can adapt to complex geological environments and high-pressure transmission scenarios.

（4）Automobile manufacturing: High-strength medium-carbon steel is widely used in frame structures and chassis components to meet the dual needs of lightweight design and safety performance.

（5）Marine engineering and shipbuilding: Carbon steel plays a key role in hull structure and deck construction due to its strong processability and convenient maintenance.

（6）Hardware tools and agricultural machinery: High-carbon steel is widely used to manufacture various types of saw blades, knives, agricultural tools and other wear-resistant parts.

Comparative advantages of carbon steel and stainless steel

Although stainless steel is widely used in specific fields due to its anti-corrosion properties, carbon steel is still the preferred material in most conventional industrial manufacturing and engineering construction. This is because:

The price of carbon steel is significantly lower than that of stainless steel, making it more suitable for large-scale engineering projects;

Carbon steel has high strength, good weldability, stronger processability, and is suitable for a variety of manufacturing processes;

In non-corrosive environments, carbon steel can be enhanced in service life through anti-rust coating, hot-dip galvanizing, plastic spraying, etc., and its cost-effectiveness far exceeds that of stainless steel.

Carbon steel processing technology continues to upgrade, promoting the intelligent development of the industry

At present, many advanced carbon steel manufacturers are introducing intelligent and automated production lines to improve material performance and production efficiency. For example:

Continuous casting and rolling processes have been widely used in carbon steel plate production;

Use laser cutting, CNC stamping, automatic welding and other technologies to improve processing accuracy;

Refined production of high-strength carbon steel is achieved by controlling rolling temperature and cooling rate;

In terms of environmental protection, the factory uses desulfurization and denitrification devices and green electric furnace steelmaking processes to reduce carbon emissions in the production process, responding to the country's "dual carbon" strategy.

2025 Carbon Steel Export Trends and Global Demand Outlook

According to data released by the China Iron and Steel Association, in the first quarter of 2025, China's carbon steel exports grew by 7.6percent, far exceeding expectations. Especially in the markets along the "Belt and Road", such as Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America and other places, the demand for high-strength, low-cost carbon steel continues to be strong.

For example, countries such as Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam are vigorously carrying out major infrastructure construction such as railways, roads, ports, and water conservancy, which provides a stable and huge market demand for Chinese carbon steel exporters and distributors.

At the same time, more and more overseas customers are beginning to establish connections with Chinese manufacturers through digital channels, and cross-border e-commerce platforms and B2B steel supply websites are gradually becoming the main channels for carbon steel exports.

Experts predict: The future trend of carbon steel will revolve around "high performance + green manufacturing"

Faced with the growing demand for high-end steel in domestic and foreign markets, the next stage of the carbon steel industry will focus on:

High performance: such as developing more low-alloy high-strength structural steel, weathering steel, and earthquake-resistant steel;

Green manufacturing: promoting energy conservation and emission reduction throughout the entire process and controlling carbon emissions;

Smart factory construction: using industrial Internet and AI algorithms to intelligently optimize steelmaking, rolling, and cooling processes.

Experts say that whoever can master advanced carbon steel materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes will be able to seize the commanding heights of the future market.