The home appliance industry is a major downstream user of the steel industry. In the home appliance sector, stainless steel plates made of 0cr18ni9 [supplied], as well as steel materials, are widely used in the production of home appliances. The largest steel consumption in the home appliance industry comes from two main products: cold-rolled and hot-rolled plates. Although galvanized plates, color-coated plates, and stainless steel plates have relatively lower consumption volumes, they also belong to commonly used steel types, such as Jilin's 316L stainless steel pipes. Steel is the primary material for refrigerator and washing machine cabinets, outdoor units of air conditioners, and shells of air conditioner and refrigerator compressors. The impact of the home appliance industry on the steel market is self-evident. To some extent, the prosperity level of the home appliance industry affects the price stability of the steel market.
According to market data monitoring by China Steel Spot Network, a well-known domestic spot trading platform, on the 16th, the average price of Q235B 3.0mm hot-rolled coils in 24 major markets nationwide was 4,364 yuan/ton, falling by 6 yuan/ton compared to the previous trading day; the average price of 1.0mm cold-rolled coil was 5,101 yuan/ton, dropping by 4 yuan/ton; the average price of 1.0mm galvanized was 5,035 yuan/ton, decreasing by 6 yuan/ton; and the average price of 0.476mm color-coated was 6,505 yuan/ton, declining by 3 yuan/ton. Currently, the domestic steel market as a whole is showing a weak downward trend. Despite many steel mills raising their factory prices for March, this has provided little support to the spot market. The main reason is that downstream demand in the steel market has not recovered, which constrains upward momentum.