The metallurgical industry is a fundamental raw material sector vital to the national economy. By 2025, China's metallurgical industry held a significant position within the global landscape. As a foundational industry crucial to the national economy and national security, it supports the development of emerging strategic industries. In 2023, the combined output value of the iron and steel and non-ferrous metal industries reached 16 trillion yuan, exceeding 12% of the national GDP.
In 2025, national crude steel output stood at 961 million tonnes, pig iron output at 836 million tonnes, and finished steel output at 1.446 billion tonnes. That same year, the steel industry's crude steel output was approximately 980 million tonnes-accounting for 54% of the global total-with high-end steel products exceeding 45% of the total mix; meanwhile, the total output of ten major non-ferrous metals reached 71 million tonnes, representing 58% of global production.
In 2025, the total profit of key statistical steel enterprises reached 115.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 140%; profits from core steel operations amounted to 44.5 billion yuan, marking a turnaround from loss to profit.
In 2025, China exported 119 million tonnes of steel (up 7.5% year-on-year) and imported 6.06 million tonnes (down 11.1% year-on-year).
Since 2016, the industry has maintained a safety record of zero major accidents.
Green and low-carbon transformation has become the core development path; national policies explicitly encourage clean, low-carbon technologies such as hydrogen metallurgy and set a target for the large-scale application of clean, low-carbon hydrogen in sectors like metallurgy by 2027. Hydrogen metallurgy-a cutting-edge technology that utilizes hydrogen as a reducing agent instead of traditional carbon-based agents-is key to achieving zero-carbon emissions in the ironmaking process. On August 28, 2025, the world's first pilot production line for fluidized-bed hydrogen metallurgy, powered by green electricity and green hydrogen and constructed by Ansteel Group, successfully achieved full-process integration. HBIS Group adopted a proprietary hydrogen-based shaft furnace direct reduction process, while CISDI successfully deployed domestically developed pneumatic conveying equipment for hot direct reduced iron (DRI) used in hydrogen-based shaft furnaces. Regarding intelligent manufacturing and automation upgrades, automated systems have become essential infrastructure for enhancing operational efficiency. The metallurgical industry has largely achieved end-to-end intelligent operations, spanning from mining to finished product inspection; AI-based visual quality control has replaced manual inspection, and the demand for roles such as AI steelmaking algorithm specialists and intelligent metallurgy model trainers is growing at an average annual rate of 35%. An "AI + Steel" technology launch event was held in Beijing on August 18, 2025. Regarding industrial structure optimization and the expansion of service-oriented operations, the industry is shifting from scale-driven expansion to quality-led growth, with corporate development models transitioning from a "production-centric" to a "customer-centric" approach. The core strategic direction for the industry involves the in-depth implementation of three major transformation initiatives: "quality improvement and product innovation," "energy and carbon efficiency enhancement," and "digital and intelligent transformation."
