my country’s mold steel production is gradually declining, and plastic mold steel accounts for a large proportion of the market

Mold steel refers to the type of steel used to make hot forging dies, cold stamping dies, die-casting dies and other molds. It is also an important processing tool for making parts in the fields of instrumentation, motors, electronics, automobiles and other fields. As an important tool for making parts, mold steel will directly affect the accuracy and production cost of the product. And due to the different ways of using the mold and the complex working environment, the requirements for the hardness, wear resistance, toughness, hardenability and other process properties of the mold steel are different. At present, according to different uses, mold steel can be roughly divided into hot work mold steel, cold work mold steel, plastic mold steel, etc.

As the basic equipment of industrial production, molds have a wide range of applications, mostly used in communications, electronics, automobiles, household appliances, tires, instrumentation and other fields. As the penetration rate of automobiles in our country gradually increases, they have gradually become one of the means of transportation for consumers. Coupled with the continuous improvement of my country’s industrial manufacturing level, the automobile production process has gradually matured. At present, our country has become one of the largest producers and consumers in the world. Against this background, my country’s automobile production and sales continue to grow. According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in 2022, my country’s automobile production and sales will complete 27.021 million units and 26.864 million units respectively, a year-on-year increase of 3.4% and 2.1% respectively. With the rapid development of my country’s automobile market, the market demand for molds, as an important processing tool for automobile parts, continues to grow, leading to the gradual expansion of its market size. In 2022, my country’s mold market size will be 332.54 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%. Mold steel, as an important raw material for the production of molds, has also been indirectly affected to a certain extent.

According to the “In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report on the Mold Steel Industry 2023-2027” released by the Industrial Research Center, in the downstream Driven by the market, my country’s mold steel market demand continues to grow. However, due to the increasing awareness of energy conservation and emission reduction in my country and the increasingly strict environmental protection requirements, the operating rate of mold steel production enterprises has gradually declined. Coupled with the continued rise in the price of special alloy raw materials in my country, the overall output of mold steel has gradually declined. In 2022, my country’s mold steel output will be 459,700 tons, a decrease of 13,200 tons compared with the same period last year.

Judging from the production structure of mold steel in my country, plastic mold steel accounts for the largest proportion of the overall production, accounting for 49.5%; followed by cold work mold steel, with a market share of 28.2%; ranking third is hot work mold steel, The market share is 22.3%.

Industry analysts said that at present, my country’s mold steel market is highly concentrated, and leading companies are gradually emerging. The major mold steel companies in my country include Great Wall Special Steel, Northeast Special Steel, Zhongyuan Special Steel, Antai Heye, Tiangong International, Qilu Special Steel, Xinye Steel, Xiangyang Heavy Materials, Baosteel Special Steel, etc. Among them, Tiangong International has the largest market share, accounting for 34.8%; followed by Qilu Special Steel, accounting for 26.8%; ranking third is Northeast Special Steel, accounting for 14.6%.