Overview of the stainless steel industry chain.

Byline: Jenny zhou

Stainless steel industry chain upstream

The upstream of the stainless steel industry chain mainly collects raw materials such as iron ore, nickel ore, chrome ore, manganese ore, and processes and refines the raw materials. The main components of stainless steel are manganese, nickel, chromium and iron, and different types of stainless steel. There is a certain difference in the ratio of elements.

1. Manganese ore

   Manganese is widely distributed in nature. There are 150 known manganese minerals, the most important and most economical of which are pyrolusite and manganese ore. Manganese is an important component of 200 series stainless steel, generally accounting for 5.5%-12%. In the 300 series and 400 series, it is not a high proportion, and there are many beneficiation methods for manganese ore.

2. Chrome ore

   The addition of chromium is responsible for the corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Chrome ore is often processed into ferrochrome, and more than 90% is used in the production of stainless steel, which greatly enhances the hardness and corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Whether in the 200 series, 300 series or 400 series, the proportion is very high, accounting for 10.5%-20%, 15%-25% and 10.5% respectively, of which the 300 series has the highest chromium content.

3. Nickel ore

   Nickel is the most important component of 300 series stainless steel. In 300 series stainless steel, the highest cost of nickel can reach 70%, so the fluctuation of nickel price will have a significant impact on its production cost, while the 300 series is currently in China. The largest proportion of stainless steel series, so China's stainless steel industry demand for nickel is very large, because China is a typical 'nickel scarce' country, nickel is heavily dependent on overseas imports such as Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries.

4. Iron ore

   Iron is also an important component of stainless steel, and it has an important weight in the 200 series, 300 series, and 400 series. Iron is widely distributed in life and is an indispensable metal in the industrial sector. It is called 'black metal'. The main iron ore is hematite, magnetite, and siderite.

   From the perspective of iron ore production, Australia and Brazil have become major suppliers of iron ore. Among them, the four major mines control more than 70% of the iron ore shipping market. Therefore, global iron ore is mainly from Australia and Brazil. The ore is mainly from...