manufactured · input
Hot-rolled steel wire rod (5.5–16mm diameter) is the primary feedstock for all wire drawing operations. Drawn wire products include: crane hoisting wire rope (high-carbon, CASAR/Bridon-Bekaert spec), automotive valve springs and suspension springs (spring steel), concrete reinforcing mesh (rebar wire), fasteners (bolts, screws), PC strand for prestressed concrete, and fencing wire. China produces ~55-60% of global wire rod (~130M tonnes/year). Key producers: Baowu (largest), HBIS, Shagang, Masteel/Magang, ArcelorMittal (Europe/US). Wire rod supply concentration in China creates downstream dependencies across construction, automotive, and industrial sectors.
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Source countries
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Companies
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Goods affected
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Claims on record
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| CNChina | 57% |
| INIndia | 7% |
| USUnited States | 5% |
| DEGermany | 4% |
| ATAustria | 2% |
Who makes it
7 companies produce steel wire rod (feedstock for wire drawing).
World's largest steel company by production (~130M MT in 2023, 40% larger than second-place ArcelorMittal). State-owned enterprise (central SOE). Formed from merger of Baosteel + Wuhan Iron & Steel (2016), then absorbed Magang (Masteel) in 2019, Taiyuan Iron & Steel (2021). Major wire rod producer across multiple subsidiaries.
China's largest private steel company; one of the world's largest wire rod producers. Based in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu. Produces ~44 MT of steel/year including very large volumes of wire rod and bar for domestic construction and export. Vertically integrated with sea port access via Yangtze River at Zhangjiagang.
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.
Largest Latin American steel company; dominant wire rod and bar producer in the Americas. NYSE/B3 listed. Operates EAF steelmills in Brazil, US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru. US operations include wire rod at Cartersville GA (long products). A major supplier to construction, automotive, and fastener markets across the Americas.
Chinese state-owned steel company; #2 global forged rail wheel producer behind Nippon Steel/Standard Steel (by some market research measures). Produces AAR-compliant forged steel wheels that are technically approved for use in North America — however, Class I railroads face significant institutional, commercial, and political pressure not to use Chinese wheels despite technical compliance. Masteel also produces H-section steel beams, wire rod, and other structural steel products. The existing concentration claim in the DB notes 'Masteel ranked #2 globally' but Standard Steel's sole-qualified domestic position and Buy America-adjacent procurement norms effectively block Masteel from the North American market.
Charlotte, NC-based steel company (NYSE: NUE); largest US steel producer by volume; all EAF (electric arc furnace) production. Plate Mill Group: three facilities — Hertford County (Cofield) NC, Brandenburg KY, Tuscaloosa AL. Combined ~3.5 million tons/year plate capacity (cut-to-length and discrete plate). Products: carbon, HSLA, alloy, and pressure vessel-quality steel plate. Markets served include heavy equipment, dump bodies, on-highway trucks, rail cars, barges, ships — fire apparatus structural steel falls in this category. Buy America compliance: all domestic EAF production qualifies. Nucor also owns David J. Joseph (scrap procurement) and various downstream fabricators. Largest US recycled-content steel producer.
Austrian steel and technology group; world leader in high-quality wire rod for automotive applications (valve springs, suspension springs, tire cord). voestalpine Draht GmbH in Leoben-Donawitz produces the spring steel wire rod that goes into virtually every European and many US/Japanese automotive valve springs. NYSE-listed ADR; Vienna Stock Exchange.
