By late October 2025, the stainless steel sector demonstrated multifaceted progress in green transformation and high-end breakthroughs: TISCO's inaugural shipment of green steel to Europe validated its low-carbon competitiveness, Zhangxuan Technology secured major energy contracts with its ultra-low-temperature materials, while the implementation of South Korea's anti-dumping duties intensified global market competition. With spot prices for 304 stainless steel stabilising at ¥12,850 per tonne, the industry is countering external pressures through technological breakthroughs, accelerating its shift towards high-quality development.Green manufacturing achievements face practical testing, with green steel emerging as a new export flagship. On 28 October, TISCO's inaugural shipment of green steel products bound for Europe departed. This batch of 304L stainless steel, produced entirely using photovoltaic green electricity, achieved over 75% carbon footprint reduction compared to conventional processes and successfully passed EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) verification. This breakthrough validates the industry logic that ‘green credentials equal entry tickets to premium markets,’ resonating with Hebei Iron & Steel Group's Zhangxuan Technology 1.2 million-tonne hydrogen-based DRI demonstration project. The latter employs a ‘hydrogen-based blast furnace + electric furnace’ process, achieving a 70% reduction in carbon emissions per tonne of steel and recovering 60,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Meanwhile, the powder metallurgy sector witnesses green innovation: Shanghai Guanding's GUANDN process reduces stainless steel sintering energy consumption by 30% through intelligent temperature control and waste heat recovery, now deployed in automotive component manufacturers.Breakthroughs in high-end materials continue within strategic sectors, accelerating domestic substitution. On 15 October, Hebei Iron & Steel Zhangxuan Technology secured a supply contract with PetroChina for ultra-low-temperature high-strength, high-toughness stainless steel. Capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -269°C, this material enables domestic substitution in liquid hydrogen and helium storage/transportation equipment, having previously been successfully deployed in core components of fusion energy experimental facilities. Qingtuo Group has made production-side progress, with its 3500 stainless steel medium-thick plate coiling furnace successfully completing hot testing on 24 October. This provides critical material support for sectors including wind power and shipbuilding. Downstream industry chains are equally active: Changbao Co., Ltd. completed technical alignment and sample supply for stainless steel boiler tubes with leading enterprises in Q3, while its special materials projects have delivered multiple contract batches, targeting gaps in the high-end equipment market.Amid intensifying global trade dynamics, enterprises are accelerating industrial chain integration to navigate challenges. South Korea's anti-dumping order, issued on 5 September and effective from October, imposes five-year duties on Chinese hot-rolled stainless steel plates, creating fresh export pressures. Against this backdrop, leading enterprises are bolstering competitiveness through industrial chain integration: Ten projects within the Qingshan Group industrial park have been completed and commenced operations, establishing a comprehensive chain from raw materials to end products. Among these, Yongjin Metal Technology can produce ‘paper-thin’ ultra-thin strip materials, while Dejing Pipeline has established China's largest intelligent stainless steel pipe factory, with annual invoicing projected to exceed 6 billion yuan. Downstream applications also delivered positive developments: on 27 October, Wuhu Shipyard named and delivered a 6,600-tonne duplex stainless steel chemical tanker for a Norwegian client, demonstrating the international competitiveness of high-end stainless steel equipment.October's industry developments clearly chart a transformation trajectory: green processes transition from demonstration to commercial deployment, high-end materials penetrate strategic sectors, and supply chain integration becomes the core risk-resilience strategy. With the refinement of green steel certification systems and the release of specialised steel capacity, China's stainless steel sector is leveraging ‘technological breakthroughs’ to dismantle trade barriers and seize initiative in the global industrial restructuring.