Shandong Iron and Steel's cold-formed inner crimping channel steel intelligent production line was put into operation, and Baotou Steel Co-ordinated layout of the high-end profile market
Shansteel Group announced that its independently developed intelligent production line for cold-formed inwardly coiled channel steel has been officially put into production. The processing accuracy reaches ±0.02mm, filling the gap in domestic high-precision cold-formed steel manufacturing. This production line adopts AI visual inspection and numerical control linkage technology and can produce cold-formed inwardly coiled channel steel (CN type) with a height of 60-200mm and a wall thickness of 2.5-4mm. The yield strength reaches more than 345MPa and is suitable for scenarios such as prefabricated buildings and high-speed rail bridges. At the same time, Baotou Steel United (Tianjin) Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. announced the expansion of exports of Q355D channel steel, I-beam and other profiles. The order volume of seamless steel pipes increased by 26.8% year-on-year, forming a collaborative layout of "cold-formed steel + hot-rolled profiles".
Technical breakthrough: The processing accuracy of cold-formed steel sections is benchmarked against international standards.
Shansteel's cold-formed lipped channel steel launched this time strictly follows the GB/T 6723-2017 standard. It adopts Q345 material and optimizes impact toughness (-40℃ impact energy ≥60J) through microalloying and second phase strengthening technology. Its intelligent production line integrates laser cutting and automatic straightening modules, which can eliminate wavy deformation defects, increase processing efficiency by 40%, and reduce costs by 25%. Baotou Steel United simultaneously upgrades the Q355B I-beam production line. The grain size reaches ASTM level 8 and supports the design of the column-free station building of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia, reducing weight by 20%.
Market application: Prefabricated buildings and energy infrastructure dual drive.
Cold-formed inner hemming channel steel has become the core material of prefabricated steel structure buildings due to its advantages of accurate size and anti-corrosion-free inner cavity. Shandong Steel has signed a 700-ton order with Hangxiao Steel Structure for the construction of airport terminals and sports venues. Baotou Steel Co., Ltd. won the bidding 200,000 tons in the Central Asia Natural Gas Pipeline Project relying on seamless steel pipes (such as API 5L X70). The weathering channel steel (09CuPCrNi) exported is used in the Dasu Hydropower Station in Pakistan, and the salt spray resistance life is over 15 years
Green intelligent manufacturing: Zero-carbon technology empowers the upgrading of industrial chains.
Shanshan Iron and Steel's production line introduces hydrogen-based reduction process, which reduces carbon emissions by 35% compared with traditional cold bending technology. The zero-carbon electric arc furnace production line built by Baotou Steel Co., Ltd. invested 120 million yuan to reduce the carbon footprint of Q355D channel steel to 1.8tCO ³/t, which was certified by the European Union EPD. Its precision round steel (20CrMnTi) adopts vacuum degassing technology with oxygen content ≤ 15ppm, which is used in South East Asia automotive gear manufacturing, and the profit margin is increased by 20%
Supply Chain Collaboration: Profile Packages Capture the "Belt and Road Initiative" Market
Baotou Steel launched "channel steel + angle steel + I-beam" engineering solutions, such as Z35 anti-tear channel steel and Q420D angle steel combination package winning the bidding Sichuan-Tibet railway tunnel project, the dynamic load life exceeded 2 million times. Its cold-formed inner hemming channel steel complements Shandong Steel's intelligent production line. In the first quarter of 2025, the total amount of profiles exported to South East Asia reached 480,000 tons, accounting for 18% of the national share.
Future Layout: Digitalization and Globalization
Shandong Iron and Steel plans to build a blockchain traceability system for cold-formed steel in 2026 to achieve carbon footprint tracking in the whole process. Baotou Steel Co., Ltd. will accelerate the construction of an intelligent storage center, with the goal of seamless steel pipes, I-beams and other products reaching the "Belt and Road Initiative" project site within 48 hours. The two sides plan to jointly develop anti-hydrogen embrittlement channel steel for hydrogen energy storage tanks to seize the new energy track. The goal is to increase the proportion of high-end profile exports to 50% by 2026.
