Introduction to China's steel cord industry and analysis of market demand status

(1) Introduction to the Steel Cord Industry

　　After steel cord was officially introduced into the tire industry in 1948, it has undergone decades of continuous development and its usage rate has rapidly expanded. It has now become the most important skeleton material in the tire industry today.

　　The development of steel curtain wire skeleton materials in China began in the late 1960s to early 1970s, with production based on the metal products industry at that time. The technology, equipment, and management level were all very backward.

　　In the 1980s, China vigorously promoted the development of radial tires, began to introduce radial tire production technology and equipment in batches, and proposed the policy of introduction, digestion and absorption, and localization, accelerating the development of radial tires in China.

　　With the development of radial tires, the development of rubber skeleton materials entered a new stage. By the early 1990s, China had formed the first batch of steel cord backbone production enterprises, with an annual production capacity of nearly 50000 tons of steel cord. However, most of the steel cord still needs to be imported every year. At that time, the radial conversion rate of Chinese tires was less than 20%, while developed Western countries had already reached over 95%.

　　From the beginning of 2000 to the end of 2008, with the implementation of the 11th Five Year Plan and the adjustment of China's economic policies, the development of steel curtain lines in China showed a significant growth rate. By 2009, the annual production capacity of steel cord in China had exceeded 1 million tons. The tire radial rate also rapidly increased to 79%.

(2) Market analysis of steel cord

　　After years of development, China has developed second-generation steel cord products with high strength, low linear density, and small diameter, which have high fatigue resistance, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and rubber adhesion performance.

　　In 2014, China's annual steel cord production exceeded 1.9 million tons, and the steel cord industry developed steadily. The Skeleton Materials Committee of the China Rubber Industry Association predicts that the steel cord production will reach 2.531 million tons in 2020.