Overview: Boiler tubes, as key components of the "veins" of boilers, play a pivotal role in the modern energy and industrial system. It is like a "blood vessel" that transports energy, shouldering the heavy responsibility of carrying high-temperature and high-pressure media to ensure the stable and efficient operation of the boiler system. In the application field, the thermal power industry is the largest consumer of boiler tubes. In traditional coal-fired and gas-fired thermal power plants, boilers, as core energy conversion devices, require a large number of high-quality boiler tubes to build steam generation and transportation channels. Below, the author briefly reviews the current boiler tube market and looks forward to the boiler tube market in 2025.
1. Industry Overview
As a key component of boiler equipment, boiler tubes are widely used in thermal power, industrial boilers, central heating and other fields. Their quality and performance are directly related to energy conversion efficiency and operational safety.
The thermal power industry is the largest consumer of boiler tubes. According to incomplete statistics, a million-kilowatt ultra-supercritical thermal power unit can use thousands of tons of boiler tubes, covering key parts from furnace heating surfaces to steam pipes.
The industrial boiler field is also an important place for boiler tubes. In many industrial sub-sectors such as chemical industry, metallurgy, papermaking, and building materials, the production process cannot be separated from the heat energy provided by steam. Chemical synthesis reactions often rely on steam assistance with precise temperature control. The smelting and forging links in the metallurgical industry require a large amount of high-calorie steam to ensure smooth processes. The steaming and drying of paper in paper mills also use steam as the key power.
Boiler tubes are also an indispensable part of the centralized heating system in northern regions. With the acceleration of urbanization and the improvement of residents' quality of life, the coverage of centralized heating continues to expand.

The main implementation standards for boiler tubes include GB/T 5310-2017 "Seamless Steel Tubes for High-Pressure Boilers", GB/T 3087-2008 "Seamless Steel Tubes for Low and Medium-Pressure Boilers", and GB/T 14976-2012 "Seamless Stainless Steel Tubes for Fluid Transportation" in China; international standards include ASTM A106/A106M-2019 "Seamless Carbon Steel Tubes for High Temperatures" (American Society for Testing and Materials Standard) EN 10216-2 "Seamless Steel Tubes for Pressure Purposes - Technical Delivery Conditions - Part 2: Non-alloy and Alloy Steel Tubes with Specifying High-Temperature Performance" (European Standard), etc.