Customs data shows that in July 2026, China's stainless steel profile exports continued to diverge from the first half, with Southeast Asia driving clear growth and the Middle East showing structural upgrade signals.

Volume: Steady Growth Month-on-Month

July single-month exports totaled approximately 34,000 tons, up 2.1% month-on-month and 5.8% year-on-year. Structurally, deep-processed custom products now account for around 45% of exports—up nearly 8 percentage points from a year ago.

This shift indicates the export mix is steadily transitioning from "general bars and wires" toward "high-value customized products," with average price per ton rising in parallel.

Southeast Asia: Industrial Plants and Screening Demand Driving Growth

Southeast Asia is the core source of July's export growth. Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand together contributed approximately 38% of deep-processed custom orders, concentrated in three application scenarios:

Industrial Plants: Newly built textile and electronics assembly plants are driving continuous demand for anti-slip grating strips and stainless steel drainage covers.

Mining Screening: Indonesia's nickel mines and Vietnam's coal mines are renewing wear-resistant specialty screens.

Aquatic Processing: Expansion of aquatic processing plants in Thailand and Indonesia is pulling 304/316L specialty wire custom procurement.

Feedback from multiple foreign trade enterprises in the Dainan industrial zone indicates that July inquiries from Southeast Asia grew approximately 25% year-on-year, with factory production schedules generally booked through mid-to-late August.

Middle East: Rising Share of 316L High-Grade Material

The Middle East market shows clear structural upgrade signals. In July's orders to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, 316L material products now account for around 30% of volume, up approximately 6 percentage points from the start of the year.

Two factors are driving this shift: Marine Engineering—large-scale projects such as Saudi Arabia's NEOM and Red Sea developments are driving 316L profile demand for offshore platforms and seawater desalination facilities; Oil & Gas Projects—Iraq and Kuwait oil field screening equipment updates are boosting demand for 316L screen plates and meshes.

This signals that Middle Eastern customers' requirements for material corrosion resistance continue to rise, with suppliers competing purely on price being marginalized.

Europe & America: Small-Batch Custom Orders Test Certification Systems

European and American orders saw slight month-on-month volume declines in July, but unit prices moved further upward. Order structure is dominated by small-batch, multi-specification, highly customized products with explicit requirements for supplier certification systems (ASTM, EN, ISO, SGS).

One Wenzhou-based foreign trade enterprise director noted: "European and American orders are becoming fewer, but each order carries higher margins. The key is keeping certification and customization capabilities in step."

Outlook

The July data makes the "volume stable, price rising, structure optimizing" feature of stainless steel profile exports increasingly clear. Companies with Southeast Asian channels, 316L processing capability, and European/American certification systems will continue to benefit from this structural shift.