China speeds up military-grade steel production by 30%, beats US

A Chinese state-linked steel manufacturer, Inner Mongolia First Machinery Group (a NORINCO subsidiary), has increased its military-grade steel production speed by 30% through addressing bottlenecks and upgrading production technology. This steel, essential for tanks, armored vehicles, and naval ships, requires precise heat treatment, tight chemical tolerances, and consistent quality control to ensure extreme hardness combined with toughness. The breakthrough reflects China’s long-term state investment and strategic approach to treating military supply chains as critical infrastructure, enabling large-scale, high-performance armor steel production with reduced production time. In contrast, the United States recently lost a key armor-steel production facility when Cleveland-Cliffs shut down its Conshohocken plate finishing plant in Pennsylvania due to financial infeasibility and low demand for specialized products, not technical issues or import duties. While the US retains overall capability, the closure highlights challenges in maintaining costly, low-margin military steel production during peacetime. China appears willing to absorb financial costs to maintain continuous production capacity