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304 American standard stainless steel pipe manufacturing industry should be healthy and flourishing
The stainless steel pipe manufacturing industry in the United States, particularly the 304 American Standard type, should be thriving and developing healthily. With China's rapid economic growth, the demand for stainless steel pipes has surged, creating a promising market outlook. However, there is still a gap between the current domestic production and market needs in terms of variety, specifications, quantity, and quality.
In terms of product types, the majority of domestically produced seamless stainless steel pipes are still based on the 1Gr18Ni9Ti grade, which has been phased out in many foreign markets. The quality of urea-grade and high-precision stainless steel remains inconsistent. Heat exchanger tubes for power plant boilers and urea pipes used in fertilizer plants are largely imported. Additionally, duplex stainless steel pipes, known for their excellent corrosion resistance, are rarely manufactured domestically.
Regarding product specifications, large-diameter and ultra-long stainless steel pipes face significant shortages. Meanwhile, the production capacity for small and medium-sized general-purpose stainless steel pipes exceeds market demand. In terms of quantity, high-standard industrial welded pipes—especially those required for specialized applications—are still in short supply. While the output of ordinary stainless steel pipes matches overall demand, the production of seamless pipes is overcapacity, with most being of medium to low grades. The decorative welded pipe market also experiences oversupply.
Over the past decade, the expansion of stainless steel pipe applications has led to a sharp increase in demand for various materials, sizes, and uses. Due to the high value of these products, the number of manufacturers has grown significantly. From just over a dozen in the 1980s, the industry has expanded to more than 400 companies, with total production and processing capacity exceeding 1 million tons. Actual production increased from 50,000 tons in 1989 to 390,000 tons in 1999. Most enterprises were small-scale, with annual outputs below 1,000 tons. The range of steel grades has evolved from austenitic to martensitic, ferritic, and high-alloy steels. Product varieties include seamless, cold-drawn, cold-rolled, hot-extruded, centrifugally cast, and spiral pipes, as well as various welded pipes such as plasma, argon arc, submerged arc, laser, and high-frequency welding.
China now produces stainless steel pipes that cover global specifications, with over 100 varieties available for use in both industrial and civil applications. In developed countries, welded stainless steel pipes account for 65% to 75% of total production. However, China's domestic demand for welded pipes is expected to reach at least 60,000 tons annually in the 21st century, indicating a need for greater production capacity.
Domestic stainless steel welded pipe production mainly uses continuous forming units and the UOE method. Welding techniques include inert gas shielding and multi-gun welding for thicker-walled pipes. Plasma welding is commonly used for thin-walled pipes, while advanced methods like plasma plus multiple argon arc welds are employed for higher-quality industrial pipes. The UOE method is primarily used for large-diameter, thick-walled pipes, often combined with plasma and argon arc welding.
High-quality stainless steel welded pipes produced domestically feature smooth inner and outer welds, with properties matching the base material. Advanced technologies such as seam tracking and post-weld finishing are widely adopted to ensure quality. Most heat treatment processes are off-line, using gas-fired or electric continuous roller hearth furnaces. Some advanced online heat treatment systems have also been implemented, with five continuous production lines in operation. Brightening and protective atmosphere heat treatment furnaces are also used.
Seamless pipe blanks are mainly produced by factories such as Shanggang No. 5, Taigang, Daye, Fushun, Xining, Nantong, and Fengye. In some regions, tube blanks are made using intermediate frequency furnaces and scrap steel. For industrial welded pipes, key producers include Taigang, Zhangjiagang Pohang, Ningbo Baoxin, and Shanggang No. 3, with some imported raw materials also used.
For building decoration, imported thin strip steel, cold-rolled narrow strips, slabs from medium frequency furnaces, and cold-rolled narrow strips are commonly used. Despite progress, the quality of domestically produced seamless stainless steel pipes remains uneven, highlighting the need for continued improvement in production standards and technology.