Future Market Trend of Prestressed Steel Strands

In the future, the market of prestressed steel strands will show a trend of "steady overall growth and continuous structural upgrading". It is expected that by 2030, the scale of the domestic market will exceed 60.0 billion yuan and the demand volume will break through 9.0 million tons. Traditional infrastructure will underpin the demand, while new energy and overseas markets will become the core growth engines, significantly increasing the proportion of high-performance products. The future market demand can also be predicted by analyzing the opportunities and challenges in the development of the prestressed steel strand industry. The detailed analysis is as follows:

I. Future Development Opportunities

1. Sustained Growth in Infrastructure Investment

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the steady advancement of major projects such as railways, bridges and water conservancy, as well as the continuous expansion of investment scale in high-speed railways and urban rail transit, will generate substantial demand for steel strands. For instance, about 12.0 tons of steel strands are consumed per kilometer in railway construction, and the consumption volume increases by an additional 30% for complex road sections. Such rigid demand will stabilize the fundamental market of the industry, and the demand in this field is expected to account for 45% - 50% in the long run.

2. Booming Demand in the New Energy Sector

The rapid development of new energy fields including offshore wind power and photovoltaic brackets has created new growth space for steel strands. The consumption of steel strands in the new energy sector exceeded 300,000 tons in 2025 and its proportion is projected to rise to over 18% by 2030. Additionally, the high requirements of nuclear power plant containment structures for epoxy-coated steel strands are driving up the demand for special steel strands.

3. Expansion of High-end Products

Products of the 1860MPa grade have become mainstream, while ultra-high-strength products of the 2000MPa grade have entered the engineering verification stage. The demand for special products with corrosion resistance and intelligent sensing functions is expanding. By 2030, the proportion of high-performance products will rise from 45% to over 65%. The upgrading of product structure will boost both the quality and efficiency of demand and further stimulate the demand in the high-end market.

4. Expansion of Overseas Markets

The implementation of infrastructure projects along the Belt and Road has driven the annual export growth rate to 8% - 10%, making overseas demand an important growth driver. Moreover, domestic enterprises can steadily expand overseas market demand by participating in international standard certification and establishing overseas layouts. It is expected to become a crucial support for alleviating the pressure on the domestic market.

II. Current Challenges

1. Mounting Cost Pressure

The high volatility of raw material prices, the continuous rise in environmental protection costs, and the gradual emergence of carbon emission costs have severely squeezed enterprises' profit margins. With the increasing prominence of overcapacity, market competition has become increasingly fierce, and price wars are inevitable. Enterprises need to seek breakthroughs through technological innovation and differentiated competition.

2. Risk of Technological Substitution

The development of new materials such as carbon fiber composites poses a potential threat to traditional steel strands, so enterprises must maintain continuous innovation to retain their competitive advantages. The increasingly complex international trade environment, along with trade barriers like the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, has made overseas expansion more difficult and increased the international operational risks for enterprises.

III. Enterprise Response Strategies

1. Optimize the Cost Structure

Reduce production costs through technological innovation and management improvement. Focus on improving energy efficiency, increasing raw material utilization rate and optimizing production processes. Accelerate the adjustment of product structure, raise the proportion of high-end products, concentrate on the R&D of 2000MPa ultra-high-strength and special steel strands, optimize production capacity layout and enhance production efficiency.

2. Promote Green and Low-Carbon Transition

Take early steps to establish a carbon management system. Strengthen technological innovation to improve core competitiveness by increasing R&D investment, focusing on breaking through key process technologies, and enhancing the technological content and added value of products. Promote low-carbon production processes and build a carbon management system to meet environmental protection and carbon emission requirements.

3. Optimize Market Layout

Proactively explore the international market while consolidating the domestic market. Prioritize the development of markets along the Belt and Road, enhance international competitiveness and avoid homogeneous competition.

In conclusion, the prestressed steel strand industry is in a critical period of transformation and upgrading, facing both opportunities and challenges. Only by accurately grasping the laws of price trends and deeply understanding the mechanism of influencing factors can enterprises achieve sustainable development in the complex and volatile market environment. Enterprises themselves also need to focus on high-endization, greenization and internationalization to seize opportunities and drive the steady development of the industry. For customized product requirements or quotation inquiries, please contact us via the phone number and email address on the official website. We look forward to cooperating with you for mutual success.