1. Automotive Industry

Stainless steel is primarily used in exhaust systems, accounting for over half of the stainless steel used in cars, with 80% being ferritic stainless steel. Exhaust systems typically use grades such as 409L and 436L. The exhaust gas flows through various components before exiting through the muffler, which mainly uses stainless steel welded pipes. Stainless steel pipes in the automotive industry represent about 1.5% of total downstream demand, with a usage ratio of approximately 2:1 for seamless to welded pipes.

2. Petrochemical Industry Including Fertilizer Industry

This sector has a high demand for stainless steel pipes, primarily seamless ones. Common specifications include 304, 321, 316, 316L, 347, and 317L, with outer diameters ranging from ￠18 to ￠610 and wall thicknesses from 6mm to 50mm. Applications include furnace tubes, material transport pipes, and heat exchanger tubes.

3. Fluid Transport for Water and Gas

Stainless steel pipes and related water transport equipment are superior for their corrosion resistance compared to cast iron, carbon steel, and plastic pipes. These are used in water preparation, storage, transport, purification, recycling, and desalination. The annual demand is approximately 25,000 tons.

4. Equipment Manufacturing and Maintenance

More than 20,000 tons of stainless steel pipes are consumed annually. This sector primarily uses sanitary or antibacterial-grade stainless steel pipes. Seamless pipes made from imported SUS304 and 316L meet the specific requirements of the food and biopharmaceutical industries. Antibacterial stainless steel combines the benefits of regular stainless steel with excellent antibacterial properties, finding increased demand in kitchen equipment, food industry workbenches and utensils, medical devices, everyday cutlery, towel racks, and refrigerator shelves.