Mysteel Daily: Medium And Heavy Plate Prices In Beijing, Tianjin And Hebei Remain Stable And Are Expected To Remain Weakly Stable Tomorrow

Mysteel Daily: Medium and heavy plate prices in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei remain stable and are expected to remain weakly stable tomorrow

Market conditions are stable but weak

On April 19, the spot price of thick plates in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region remained stable overall. In the three places of Tangshan, Wu'an and Tianjin, the quotations given by traders clustered in the range of 3,260 yuan to 3,280 yuan per ton, which was basically the same as the previous trading day. However, the actual transaction situation in the market is not active. Traders generally report that there are more customers asking about prices, but fewer orders.

It can be observed from the processing link that when medium-thick plates are riveted, welded and blanked, their prices are mainly affected by the cost of the substrate. The current average price of 20mm common boards is 3,415 yuan. When the processing factory calculates the cutting costs, it will be based on this basic price and add the labor and equipment costs involved in a series of processes such as cutting, welding, and drilling. The quotations given by different processing plants can vary by 50 to 100 yuan per ton.

How to calculate the cost of blanking and cutting?

Flame cutting is one of the most commonly used blanking methods at the moment, and plasma cutting and riveting processing price details of medium and thick plates (including blanking) are also very commonly used blanking methods at the moment. Take a 20mm medium-thick plate as an example. For flame cutting, the processing cost per meter is about 8 to 12 yuan, while for plasma cutting, it is 15 to 20 yuan per meter. Processing plants generally charge according to the length of cutting, or according to the number of parts. If complex shapes are encountered, additional programming fees and typesetting fees will be charged.

The actual quotation given by a processing factory in Tongzhou, Beijing, shows that the processing cost per ton for simple rectangular parts is 180 yuan, while the processing cost for special-shaped parts ranges from 250 yuan to 300 yuan per ton. If the customer can provide CAD drawings, the typesetting fee can be saved by 50 yuan. As of early April 2026, 60% of the orders received by the factory were for building structural parts, and the remainder were for mechanical parts.

The riveting and welding process determines the total cost

Riveting and welding processing covers four processes: assembly process, spot welding process, full welding process, and grinding process. The charge per meter for ordinary fillet welds is in the range of 25 yuan to 35 yuan, and the charge per meter for full penetration groove welds is between 50 yuan and 70 yuan. The more difficult the welding, the higher the price. For example, the overhead welding position is 40% more expensive than the flat welding position. The price list of a riveting and welding factory in Wu'an, Hebei Province shows that the welding cost is about 1,200 yuan to make an equipment platform with a size of 2 meters by 3 meters. The price list of medium-thick plate riveting welding processing (including cutting materials) includes 16 welds and 6 reinforcement ribs.

First, the cost of welding materials will have a direct impact on the quotation, and the same is true for gas costs. In the first quarter of 2026, the price of welding wire increased by 8% year-on-year, and the price of liquid oxygen rose to 750 yuan per ton. These price increases have been passed on to customers. For a set of 5-ton steel structural parts, the cost of welding materials has increased from the original 300 yuan to 380 yuan.

Regional price differences affect purchasing decisions

There is a clear gap in processing fees between Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. Due to the convenient port transportation in Tianjin Binhai New Area, the steel plates purchased by its processing plants are 20 yuan cheaper per ton than in Tangshan. However, the labor cost is 15% higher. The riveting and welding factory in Shunyi, Beijing, has the highest rent. Its processing fee is 20 to 25% higher than that in Wu'an, but the delivery time is two full days shorter.

In an actual case, there is a machinery factory in Hengshui, Hebei Province, which needs to process 80 tons of medium plate structural parts. After comparing the quotes, we found this: the total price of the processing plant in Wu'an was 186,000 yuan, the price in Tianjin was 192,000 yuan, and the price in Beijing was 210,000 yuan. In the end, the factory made a choice and chose Wu'an. Although the transportation cost increased by 2,000 yuan, the total cost still saved 6,000 yuan. Such an example shows that cross-regional purchasing deserves careful price comparison.

Cost support makes it difficult for prices to fall sharply

Today, the price of medium and heavy plate processing has not declined sharply. The key reason is that supported by the cost of raw materials, the prices of iron ore and coke are at a high level, and steel mills have a strong willingness to raise prices. On April 14, the price lock policy of steel mills in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region did not change, and traders’ acquisition costs remained unchanged.

However, the market demand is indeed weak. Most end users only purchase a small amount of urgently needed parts, and the batch orders are very small. The average daily transaction volume of 11 sample traders in Wu'an is only 80 to 120 tons, which is 30% lower than the normal level. In order to ensure the maintenance of operation, some processing plants have begun to accept bargaining space within 5%. If they target old customers with long-term cooperation, they will actively offer concessions.

Price forecast for the next few days

It is expected that between April 20 and 22, the price of medium and thick plate processing in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will show a weak and stable trend. This so-called weak stability refers to the fact that the overall price will not fall, but individual varieties and specifications may secretly decline. Price competition among processing plants will become more intense, especially in the blanking and cutting process where the technical threshold is relatively low.

It is recommended to the purchaser that when making an inquiry, clearly request the processing factory to provide a detailed quotation. This detailed quotation covers material fees, cutting fees, welding fees, polishing fees and freight charges. At the same time, you can try to combine multiple small parts into one large order, which can save typesetting costs and programming costs. For example, if 50 small parts were originally processed in three batches, merging them into one batch may save 15% of the cost.

Do you have any needs for riveting and welding of medium and thick plates recently? What type of component production is being carried out? Approximately how many tons will need to be processed? Leave a message in the comment area and share it with us, and let’s discuss how to reduce processing costs. If you feel that this article is useful, please like it and collect it so that more friends who are engaged in machining can see it.