On August 12, Xia Nong, Vice Chairman of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association (CISA), led a delegation to the China Institute of Building Standard Design & Research Co., Ltd. for a special discussion. The two sides held in-depth exchanges on specific topics including the development of steel structure building standards, upstream and downstream industry chain cooperation, the promotion and application of hot-rolled H-shaped steel, and the establishment of the Steel Structure Building Branch. They also reached a consensus on future cooperation directions.
Currently, the steel industry is facing dual challenges of insufficient domestic market demand and increasing export pressure. Against this backdrop, steel structure buildings, as an important area for steel consumption, are regarded as a key pathway to absorb high-quality production capacity and stabilize industry operations. According to CISA’s estimates, increasing the application of steel structures in key fields such as buildings and bridges could create additional annual steel consumption of tens of millions of tons. Promoting steel structure buildings is not only necessary for the construction industry’s transition toward green and industrialized development but also a practical approach for the steel industry to achieve supply-demand balance.
During the meeting, the Planning and Development Department of CISA first introduced the association’s overall objectives for promoting integrated development across the steel structure building industry chain. According to relevant officials, current efforts are being carried out around the framework of “three platforms, two standards, national policies, local support, and online platforms.” The “two standards” refer to the coordination and integration of steel product standards and architectural design standards. In addition, CISA shared updates on the preparation progress of the 3rd Steel Structure Building Industry Chain Exhibition and the 2026 Steel Structure Building Ecosystem Conference, aiming to build communication platforms for upstream and downstream enterprises and facilitate supply-demand matching.
As an authoritative institution in China’s architectural design field, the China Institute of Building Standard Design & Research systematically introduced its technical achievements in the steel structure sector during the meeting. According to representatives from the institute, it has long been responsible for the formulation of national and industry standards and has participated extensively in key projects such as “quality housing” development and urban renewal in recent years.
Based on practical engineering cases, the institute pointed out several challenges currently affecting the promotion of steel structures, including insufficient coordination between design and construction processes and a mismatch between certain steel specifications and actual engineering requirements. It also proposed targeted solutions and improvement recommendations.
Xia Nong emphasized that China’s high-performance construction steel products currently feature a complete range of varieties and sufficient production capacity, fully meeting the needs of high-quality development in the construction sector. He highlighted that the formulation of the mandatory national standard for Hot-Rolled H-Shaped Steel for Building Structures is a top priority in the current initiative.
For a long time, steel production standards and architectural design standards have lacked effective coordination, creating barriers for high-quality steel products entering the construction market. Once implemented, this mandatory national standard will effectively bridge the gap between the two sectors, enabling steel products manufactured by steel mills to directly serve construction projects.
In response to challenges such as relatively high construction costs of steel structures and insufficient coordination across the industry chain, CISA will continue seeking policy support from relevant national ministries and local governments. Through improvements in mechanisms such as taxation and subsidies, the association aims to systematically address bottlenecks restricting industry development.
Wei Wei, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the China Institute of Building Standard Design & Research, stated that the institute will fully participate in the establishment and daily operation of the Steel Structure Building Branch and establish a long-term cooperation mechanism with CISA.
At the business level, the institute will leverage its practical experience from the Ruiyuan Steel Structure Residential Project in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, to summarize replicable and scalable technical solutions, helping improve the quality and efficiency of industrialized steel structure housing development.
Meanwhile, the institute will actively participate in the revision and improvement of the mandatory national standard for hot-rolled H-shaped steel and related standards for steel structure housing. The focus will be on solving coordination issues between steel product standards and construction engineering standards, ensuring that standards are aligned with both production realities and design requirements.
In addition, the institute will utilize its advantages in areas such as civil air defense steel structures and overseas engineering projects to explore new application scenarios for steel structures and further expand domestic steel demand. It is reported that the Steel Structure Building Branch is planned to be officially announced during the 2026 Steel Structure Building Ecosystem Conference, which will be held in Shanghai in November this year.
Both sides agreed that steel material production and architectural design represent two closely connected and indispensable links within the industrial chain. In the future, the two parties will leverage their respective professional advantages and focus on key areas including the formulation and revision of steel structure building standards, research and development of key common technologies, and demonstration projects.
Through deeper cooperation, both sides aim to promote integrated development across the steel structure building industry chain, further enhance the quality and efficiency of the steel structure sector, and contribute to the high-quality development of the steel structure building industry.
Excerpted from Steel.com
