[summit practical information] data summary of global nickel and stainless steel resource distribution, output and application fields

Published: Jul 20, 2020 11:43
The 2020 China Nickel-Chromium stainless Steel Industry Market and Application Development Forum was held in Wuxi by SMM on July 20. At the meeting, Song Quanming, the chief representative of the International Nickel Association in China, explained that nickel application contributes to green and sustainable development, and made a comprehensive summary of the global nickel and stainless steel resource distribution, output and application field detailed data.

SMM7: July 20, the "2020 China Ni-Cr stainless Steel Industry Market and Application Development Forum" was held by SMM in Wuxi. At the meeting, Song Quanming, the chief representative of the International Nickel Association in China, explained the nickel application to promote green and sustainable development, and made a comprehensive summary of the global nickel and stainless steel resource distribution, output and application field detailed data.

Production and Application of Nickel

Production and use of primary nickel Primary nickel production and usage 2009-2019

2019 Global Nickel Market:

Global demand grew by 3.2 per cent in 2019, driven by 10.8 per cent growth in Chinese consumption.

Consumption in japan fell by 9.9 per cent, while demand in Europe fell by 6.4 per cent. Consumption in the Americas also fell by 5.9% compared with 2018.

Primary use of nickel in 2019:

Stainless steel is the largest market for nickel, accounting for 70%. Batteries are still an important area and are developing rapidly.

Global primary use of nickel-region

Asia accounts for 75% of first-time use of nickel

Proportion and growth of primary use of nickel

G.R stainless steel 8.4%G.R alloy and castings; 1.5% Bing G.R nickel and copper base alloy 1.9% Trent G.R plating 2.9% Trent G.R battery 10.6% Trent G.R powder metallurgy 3.8%

Growth in various application areas of nickel in the global region

China offers high growth opportunities in all areas; the growth rate represents a high level of understanding of sector opportunities in all regions and therefore needs to be combined with country-specific megatrends.

Nickel resources and stainless steel

Nickel available resources can meet the growing demand. The base of nickel reserves is about 600 million tons on sea and land and 296 million tons on land.

China is the world's largest producer of stainless steel, and more than half of all stainless steel produced is made in China.

Global production scale of stainless steel in 2019

More than half of all stainless steel produced belong to 300 series.

Nickel promotes sustainable development-low-carbon economy

New energy sources

Environmental protection

Traffic-electric vehicle

Green building

Water supply

Food, Hygiene, Medical (COVID19)

Application Prospect of Nickel

Important low carbon technology

Focus on energy and emission control

Renewable, clean and new energy: wind energy, solar energy, fusion energy, water, biomass, geothermal energy, biofuels, waste and hydrogen, etc.

Energy efficiency: ultra-supercritical boilers, power plants, onshore gas turbines, etc.

Reduce carbon emissions: flue gas desulfurization, ship washing tower, carbon capture and storage, etc.

Low-carbon life, energy saving: water, transportation, green buildings, industrial infrastructure, agriculture and so on.

Carbon capture technology CCS

CCS technical facilities-severe corrosion, high temperature and high pressure, nickel-containing special alloys are essential.

Flue gas desulphurization, marine washing tower

Harsh corrosion environment, application of stainless steel, austenitic and dual-phase, nickel-based corrosion resistant alloys 316317904L ·C276

Green Traffic-Electric vehicle

Cathode material for Li-ion battery, NMC,NCA

Green building

Designs with a service life of more than 75 years avoid changing materials, use only high content of recyclable or renewable materials, reduce building energy consumption, reduce drinking water consumption, collect and reuse ash water, indoor water treatment, avoid toxic runoff, healthy and efficient indoor environment, low emission materials.

Stainless steel water supply service network

For stainless steel in water distribution pipes, one solution is partially corrugated stainless steel service pipes. 316L SS is used in Japan (21 cities) and Taiwan (4 cities). 304SS is used in Korea (7 cities)

Food, hygiene, medical treatment

COVID19- highlights the importance of food, medical and hygiene, stainless steel is a good material and suitable choice for food contact applications, and the pharmaceutical industry relies on stainless steel and nickel alloys to ensure that strict requirements such as product purity are met.

About 30% of the end-use of stainless steel is related to the food industry. Including fields, farms, food production, packaging, transportation, food retail, restaurants, fast food, and consumer goods. Food safety is the basic requirement of the food industry. The application of stainless steel is dominant. The use of stainless steel in the pharmaceutical industry is relatively small, but it is critical. Sometimes it is also included in the statistics of the chemical industry. Will involve all kinds of ordinary and high alloy stainless steel as well as nickel alloy.

Technology roadmap for low-carbon economy

Nickel plays an important role in many low-carbon technologies, whether it is nickel substitution in key applications or providing the most cost-effective value.

Scan the code to apply to join the SMM Nickel Industry Exchange Group

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
[SMM Nickel Morning Meeting Summary] US Stocks Rebound, Macro Pressure Eases, the Most-Traded SHFE Nickel Contract Edges Up in Early Trading
33 mins ago
[SMM Nickel Morning Meeting Summary] US Stocks Rebound, Macro Pressure Eases, the Most-Traded SHFE Nickel Contract Edges Up in Early Trading
Read More
[SMM Nickel Morning Meeting Summary] US Stocks Rebound, Macro Pressure Eases, the Most-Traded SHFE Nickel Contract Edges Up in Early Trading
[SMM Nickel Morning Meeting Summary] US Stocks Rebound, Macro Pressure Eases, the Most-Traded SHFE Nickel Contract Edges Up in Early Trading
[9.21 Morning Meeting Notes] After the rate hike landed, US stocks rallied across the board, with a "bad news exhausted" rally unfolding. Overnight, the Dow rose 0.61%, the S&P 500 gained 1.14%, the Nasdaq advanced 1.69%, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index surged 3.14% (Arm up 8%, Intel up 7%, AMD/SanDisk up 6%); the 10-year Treasury yield pulled back from 5.02% to 4.94%, and the US dollar index edged down to 100.22. After the market digested the hawkish dot plot, risk appetite recovered, and European stocks closed higher in tandem. The most-traded SHFE nickel contract (2610) retreated after a rapid rise in early trading, closing the morning session at 123,640 yuan/mt, up 0.62%. After the US Fed's rate hike landed, global risk appetite recovered, and macro pressure eased in stages; SHFE nickel's rebound momentum remained mild, and with nickel's own high inventory and weak demand pattern unchanged, in the short term, the most-traded SHFE nickel contract price is expected to trade in the range of 122,000-126,000 yuan/mt.
33 mins ago
[SMM Analysis] Detailed Data on China's Sulphuric Acid Production in August
38 mins ago
[SMM Analysis] Detailed Data on China's Sulphuric Acid Production in August
Read More
[SMM Analysis] Detailed Data on China's Sulphuric Acid Production in August
[SMM Analysis] Detailed Data on China's Sulphuric Acid Production in August
NBS data shows that China's sulphuric acid (100% equivalent) production in August was 7.984 million mt, down 308,000 mt from 7.676 million mt in July, a YoY decline of 15.5%. The cumulative production of sulphuric acid (100% equivalent) in 2026 was 68.141 million mt, a cumulative YoY decline of 4.6%.
38 mins ago
[SMM Analysis] China Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Import and Export Data for August
6 hours ago
[SMM Analysis] China Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Import and Export Data for August
Read More
[SMM Analysis] China Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Import and Export Data for August
[SMM Analysis] China Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Import and Export Data for August
In August 2026, China's total monthly sulphur imports were 272,323.414 mt in physical content, down 29.34% MoM and down 65.03% YoY, with the main import sources being the UAE, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines. China's total monthly sulphur exports were 48 mt in physical content, down 96.34% MoM and up 26.32% YoY, with the main export destinations being Indonesia and South Korea. China's total monthly sulphuric acid imports were 9,938.436 mt in physical content, up 831.85% MoM and up 1,051.37% YoY, with the main import sources being South Korea, Taiwan, China, Germany, and the US. China's total monthly sulphuric acid exports were 2,474.46 mt in physical content, up 153.47% MoM and down 99.43% YoY, with the main export destinations being Angola, Ghana, Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Tanzania.
6 hours ago