China’s largest steel‑producing province, Hebei, is looking to roll out more than 20 green steel product categories in 2026 as part of its annual key tasks.
This follows the debut of the Hebei Green Steel brand earlier this year, the country’s first provincial‑level low‑CO₂ label designed to accelerate downstream adoption.
The Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology told local media earlier this week that it plans to release more than 20 Hebei Green Steel product categories, while launching targeted promotion to match these products with 10 key steel‑consuming sectors within the province.
The department also said that Hebei will facilitate green electricity and green hydrogen metallurgy, supporting steelmakers in developing direct green power connections through either self‑built facilities or market‑based partnerships.
Priority support will go to hydrogen-based steelmaker Zhangxuan Technology, under HBIS Group, for it to fully leverage nearby wind and solar resources, integrate renewable power and green hydrogen with low‑CO₂ steel production, while creating a demonstration model for zero-carbon transformation, the department said.
In March, the province released its inaugural batch of 27 products under the Hebei Green Steel brand, mostly falling under commodity‑grade categories, such as rebar, billet, hot-rolled steel sheet and strip.
Beyond the green pivot, the province aims to roll out a series of high‑end products to fill national and provincial supply gaps. For example, leveraging Beijing Shougang’s division in Hebei, the province will implement a project to produce 0.1 mt/y of high‑performance grain‑oriented electrical steel, addressing the global shortage of high‑grade, high‑magnetic‑induction electrical steel.
The agenda also includes four benchmark “Artificial Intelligence + Steel” projects and expansion of centralised procurement to bulk materials, such as iron ore and metallurgical coke, to help local producers cut costs.
These provincial efforts align with a broader national push towards green transition along the supply chain.
In April, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released guidelines to promote green design for industrial products. These guidelines encourage key steel-consuming industries to adopt design solutions with an emphasis on durability, harmlessness, lightweight, energy and water saving, material efficiency, noise and space reduction, recyclability, reusability, and zero‑carbon performance.
Applications range from using high‑strength steel, aluminium alloy, and carbon fiber as lightweight substitutes for conventional steel and cast iron in car frames, to replacing traditional hot‑dip galvanised steel with corrosion‑resistant zinc‑aluminium‑magnesium alloys in solar panel frames to extend service life.
Author: Benjamin Steven
