As China reintroduces export license management for steel products starting January 1, 2026, the galvanized steel coil industry is undergoing a strategic transformation, with a clear shift toward high-value-added products and emerging markets. Latest customs data shows that from January to November 2025, China's galvanized steel sheet exports reached 658 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 9.7%, with ASEAN markets accounting for 41% of total exports, driven by robust infrastructure demand in Vietnam, Indonesia and other countries .

Galvanized steel coils, known for their exceptional corrosion resistance, are produced by coating carbon steel substrates with zinc through hot-dip galvanizing or electro-galvanizing processes. The chemical composition of mainstream grades such as S280GD+Z adheres to EN 10346 standards, with maximum carbon content of 0.2%, silicon content of 0.8%, and manganese content of 1.6%, while phosphorus and sulfur are strictly controlled below 0.035% to ensure mechanical properties . The zinc coating weight, ranging from 30g/㎡ to 275g/㎡, directly determines the product's service life, with high-grade coils used in high-speed rail and marine applications boasting zinc layers of over 275g/㎡ and tensile strength exceeding 550MPa .

The application scenarios of galvanized steel coils are expanding rapidly across global markets. In Southeast Asia, they are widely used in key infrastructure projects such as Vietnam's Hai Phong Port expansion and Long Thanh International Airport construction, thanks to their durability in tropical marine climates . Domestically, China's urban renewal plan, which aims to renovate 210,000 old residential communities by 2025, has driven annual demand for zinc-aluminum-magnesium coated steel sheets for canopies and railings to exceed 800,000 tons . Meanwhile, in the renewable energy sector, galvanized coils are increasingly used in photovoltaic brackets, with penetration expected to surpass 60% by 2025 .

Policy adjustments are reshaping the export landscape of China's galvanized steel coils. The newly implemented export license management requires enterprises to provide product quality inspection certificates, which will curb the disorderly export of low-value-added products and encourage investment in high-end segments . Chinese manufacturers have made significant breakthroughs in green coating technology, with the number of zinc-aluminum-magnesium coating patents increasing from 187 in 2020 to 416 in 2023, capturing 35% of the global market share and breaking the technological monopoly of Nippon Steel and Tata Steel .

Industry experts predict that under the dual impetus of policy guidance and market demand, China's galvanized steel coil exports will maintain a 12% annual growth rate driven by "Belt and Road" infrastructure projects . Enterprises are actively developing nickel-chromium composite coating products adapted to tropical marine environments to further expand market share in emerging economies. With the proportion of high-value-added products such as automotive-grade galvanized sheets expected to rise to 35% by 2025, China's galvanized steel coil industry is poised to achieve high-quality development in the global market .