manufactured · input
High-strength low-alloy (HSLA) weathering steel (Cor-Ten A/B); primary structural material for container walls, floor cross-members, and roof; POSCO, HBIS, and Baosteel primary suppliers to CIMC; ~1.5 MT steel per 20-ft container
3
Source countries
6
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
1 essential American goods rely on corten / weathering steel (container panels) somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| CNChina | 65% |
| KRSouth Korea | 20% |
| JPJapan | 8% |
Who makes it
6 companies produce corten / weathering steel (container panels).
South Korean integrated steel producer; world #4 (37.79M MT in 2024). Pohang and Gwangyang steelworks. Produces structural steel plate (KS D 3515 equivalent to S355/S460). Supplies Korean shipbuilders, offshore structures, and heavy machinery makers. Also entering lithium and secondary battery materials as strategic pivot.
World's largest steel producer by output: 130.09 million metric tons of crude steel in 2024 (vs. ArcelorMittal at 65M MT — nearly 2x its nearest rival). Revenue 1.11 trillion yuan; Fortune Global 500 rank #44 (2024). Formed 2016 from merger of Baosteel (Shanghai) and WISCO/Wuhan Iron & Steel. Key structural steel plants: Baoshan (Shanghai) and WISCO (Wuhan) for medium-to-heavy plate. Likely primary structural steel supplier for ZPMC crane manufacturing given geographic proximity (both Shanghai-based). Produces Q355, Q460, and other Chinese-standard high-strength structural steel grades for machinery, shipbuilding, and infrastructure.
China's third-largest steel producer (world #3). Formed from merger of Tangshan Iron & Steel Group and Handan Iron & Steel Group. Annual output ~40 million tons of steel. 263.8 billion yuan total assets. Produces structural steel plates, hot-rolled coil, and heavy plate. Significant supplier of structural steel for Chinese heavy machinery, shipbuilding, and port equipment manufacturers including crane OEMs. Has international assets in Serbia (HBIS Serbia) and South Africa.
Japan's 2nd-largest steel producer and major galvanized coil supplier. Produces hot-dip galvanized steel for automotive, construction, and industrial applications. JV with various Asian producers.
World's #2 steel producer; operates 3 US coke plants (as part of integrated steel mills in Indiana) that produce coal tar as a mandatory byproduct of the coking process. Coal tar is the raw material for creosote (railroad tie preservative). ArcelorMittal entered long-term coal tar supply agreements with Koppers Holdings through 2026. While ArcelorMittal does not make railroad ties, it is a critical upstream input supplier for the creosote that treats them. The 3 ArcelorMittal coke plants at Indiana Harbor (East Chicago IN), Burns Harbor (Portage IN), and Cleveland OH are primary US coal tar sources for the railroad industry.
Swedish-Finnish steel company; global leader in ultra-high-strength steel. Strenx® brand (yield strength 700–1300 MPa) is the "world's premier high-strength structural steel" for lifting equipment, used in mobile crane booms, crawler cranes, and lattice structures. XCMG's record-breaking 4,000-ton crawler crane uses Strenx 1100 E tension bars. Primary mills: Oxelösund (Sweden) for quarto plate and Hämeenlinna (Finland) for hot-rolled. Also Hardox® wear plate brand for mining/construction. In 2016 acquired Ruukki (Finnish steel); combined entity dominates premium structural crane steel in European markets.
