China's economy remained a steady growth in the year of 2006. By 2007, the newly-increased steel & iron production capacity is expected to reach 30-40 million tons with a capacity utilization of 85%, up 2% from a year earlier.

Steel & Iron Production Capacity and Application Ratio, 2003-2006

The output of medium-heavy plate has been presenting a rapidly growing momentum in recent years, at an increased rate. The output increased from 15.6% in 2004 to 22.1% in 2005 and even rose to 24.4% by Nov 2006 over the same period of 2005, almost the same as the annual growth of rolled steel. Jiangsu Shagang Group Co., Ltd and Sanming Steel Works also plan to launch the production line of medium-heavy plate by early 2007.

China medium-heavy plate market had a solid foundation in 2006. The gradually improved economic level drives the demands of medium-heavy plate growing strongly. Owing to the unique performance and specification plus the necessary structural adjustment, medium-heavy plate more caters for the taste of downstream users and, its applications in shipbuilding, automobile, machinery, architecture and petrochemical will continue to witness a robust growth.

Medium-heavy plate exports have been developing amazingly since the second half of 2006, which plays a positive role to level off its domestic market. The export volume of hot rolled medium-heavy plate has amounted to 2.93 million tons by Oct 2006, more than doubled of 1.19 million tons in the same period of 2005. The strong export momentum of shipbuilding steel plate kept growing, so it can be estimated that global shipbuilding industry will still enjoy a boom in the next few years.

In 2006, the hot-rolled wide strip developed steadily owing to the slow-paced output growth. Besides, medium-heavy wide strip weaken its negative influences on medium-heavy plate market (in the first 11 months of 2006, the output of medium-heavy wide strip increased by only 21.1%, down 17.2% compared to 38.3% of the year of 2005). What¡¯s more, the market price of hot-rolled coil kept stable, which is helpful to stabilize the medium-heavy plate market. Overall, medium-heavy plate market went steadily after experienced an adjustment in early 2006 and then turned into balance by the end of 2006.

Conclusively, China's domestic medium-heavy market will continue to be stable but the increasing market resources need to be paid an attention.

2 Domestic medium-heavy plate market supplies in 2006
2.1 Development characteristics of medium-heavy plate products
2.1.1 Product characteristics and lifecycle
2.1.2 Supply pattern
2.1.3 Technologies
2.2 Medium-heavy plate supply and influential factors
2.2.1 Domestic overall supply and newly-increased resources
2.2.2 Factors influencing medium-heavy production cost
2.2.3 New medium-heavy plate product development
2.2.4 Analysis of substitute of cold rolled plate for medium plate

3 Consumption and demands of medium-heavy plate in 2006
3.1 Consumption characteristics
3.1.1 Application industries of medium-heavy plate
3.1.2 Domestic trade pattern and consumption pattern of medium-heavy plate
3.2 Consumption of medium-heavy plate market in 2006
3.2.1 Sales volume and profits
3.2.2 Consumption in major application industries
3.2.3 Contribution and comparison of major consumed industries to medium-heavy plate
3.3 Architecture industry
3.3.1 Development in recent years
3.3.2 Economic benefits and boom index of architecture enterprises
3.3.3 Influences of alliance of steel and architecture industry on medium-heavy plate consumption
3.3.4 Demands trend and requirements of medium-heavy plate used in architecture
3.3.5 Medium-heavy plate consumption tends to shift from architecture to manufacturing
3.4 Shipbuilding industry
3.4.1 Global development status and situation
3.4.2 Domestic shipbuilding industry development
3.4.3 Demands for medium-heavy plate
3.4.4 Consumption trend and requirements of medium-heavy plate in shipbuilding
3.5 Automobile industry
3.5.1 Domestic development and trend
3.5.2 Application status of medium-heavy plate in automobile industry
3.5.3 Demands for medium-heavy plate
3.5.4 Development potential of medium-heavy plate used in automobile
3.6 Engineering machinery industry
3.6.1 Development status
3.6.2 Major steel products used in engineering machinery
3.6.3 Demands for medium-heavy plate change due to rapid growth of engineering machinery
3.6.4 Trend of demands for medium-heavy plate
3.7 Boiler industry
3.7.1 Status quo of boiler industry
3.7.2 Demands of boiler steel plate
3.7.3 Demand prospect of boiler steel plate
3.8 Railway industry
3.9 Container industry
3.9.1 Development status
3.9.2 Demands
3.9.3 Trend

4 Import and export of medium-heavy plate market in 2006
4.1 Import
4.1.1 Status quo of import
4.1.2 Contrast of import cost and production cost
4.1.3 Import statistics of domestic medium-heavy plate market in past years
4.2 Export
4.2.1 Status quo of export
4.2.2 Contrast of export trade profit and domestic trade profit
4.2.3 Export statistics of domestic medium-heavy plate market in past years
4.3 Factors influencing the change in import and export of medium-heavy plate
4.3.1 Overall situation of domestic medium-heavy plate import and export
4.3.2 Supply & demand pattern and market trend of global medium-heavy plate market
4.3.3 Difference between domestic and international medium-heavy plate markets
4.3.4 Influences of policies and anti-dumping problems

5 Analyses on competition pattern of medium-heavy plate market in 2006
5.1 Analyze the competition of medium-heavy plate with Five Forces Model
5.1.1 Competition among current rivals
5.1.2 Potential new entrants
5.1.3 Competition of substitutes
5.1.4 Buyer¡¯s ability in bargaining
5.1.5 Supplier¡¯s ability in bargaining
5.2 Competition changes in domestic medium-heavy plate market
5.2.1 Competition pattern of global major medium-heavy plate enterprises
5.2.2 Advantages and disadvantages of domestic medium-heavy plate enterprises
5.3 Competition pattern of domestic medium-heavy plate manufacturers
5.3.1 Entry/exit of medium-heavy plate production
5.3.2 Major competitive behaviors of medium-heavy plate enterprises
5.3.3 Scale and profitability of domestic medium-heavy plate enterprises
5.3.4 Development trend of domestic medium-heavy plate enterprises

6 Outer environment forecast of medium-heavy plate market in 2007
6.1 Macro environment and industry chain
6.1.1 Overall scale and product development structure of steel and iron industry
6.1.2 Regional pattern and industry structure of steel and iron industry
6.1.3 Development model of steel and iron industry in the future
6.2 Supporting factors for steel and iron industry development
6.2.1 Energy resources
6.2.2 Coal resources
6.2.3 Transportation conditions
6.3 Others

7 Supply and demand forecast of medium-heavy plate market in 2007
7.1 Qualitative analysis of medium-heavy plate supply
7.1.1 Forecast of domestic supply
7.1.2 Forecast of qualitative output of major enterprises and market entrants
7.2 Factors influencing medium-heavy plate supply
7.2.1 Influences of policies on the future investment in medium-heavy plate market
7.2.2 Influences of price change
7.2.3 Influences of market expectation
7.2.4 Influences of Influx of substitutes
7.2.5 Influences caused by expected output change of major enterprises
7.3 Overall forecast of medium-heavy plate demand
7.3.1 Forecast of international medium-heavy plate demand
7.3.2 Forecast of domestic medium-heavy plate demand
7.3.3 Qualitative forecast of demands of key consumption industries for medium-heavy plate
7.4 Regional markets trend
7.4.1 Description of overall market trend
7.4.2 East China
7.4.3 Central-South China
7.4.4 North China