Qingdao Port Anchor Chain Exports: China’s Global Hub in 2025

I. Overview of China's Anchor Chain Exports: Qingdao Port's Hub Status

China is the world's largest anchor chain producer, exporting 352,000 tons of anchor chain in 2019, accounting for over 65% of the global market share. 

According to customs HS codes, anchor chains are primarily divided into two categories:

73158100 (Japanese-style link chain): 2019 exports of 132,000 tons, valued at US$193 million, and a unit price of approximately US$1,462 per ton;

73158200 (Other welded chain): 2019 exports of 219,700 tons, valued at US$325 million, and a unit price of approximately US$1,479 per ton. 

Regional distribution:

Qingdao Port accounts for 42% of China's anchor chain exports, far exceeding Shanghai Port (28%), Tianjin Port (15%), and Guangzhou Port (10%). Take, for example, an anchor chain company in Qingdao. Its products are sold to over 80 countries across Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, and along the Belt and Road Initiative. Its production capacity exceeded 50,000 tons in 2025, with exports accounting for 85% of the company's total revenue, making it a global benchmark for anchoring system solutions. 

II. Qingdao's Core Advantages in Anchor Chain Exports: Technology, Cost, and Supply Chain:

1. Technological Leadership: The Leap from "Manufacturing" to "Intelligent Manufacturing"

Qingdao's anchor chain companies have achieved breakthroughs in high-end development through technological innovation:

Material Processing: 

Qingdao's anchor chain companies are continuously developing specialized anchor chains with ultra-high and low temperatures, high strength, and low radiation. Upon successful development, their corrosion resistance will increase by over 10%, extending their service life to over five years and reaching internationally advanced standards.

Intelligent Production: 

Anchor chain companies around Qingdao Port have introduced automated welding lines and digital twin technology, increasing production efficiency by over 30%, and increasing the daily production capacity of a single production line from 20 tons to 35 tons.

Green Certification: 

Qingdao's anchor chain products are certified by international classification societies such as DNV, ABS, and LR, making them the preferred choice for global new energy projects (such as offshore wind power and floating photovoltaics). 

2. Cost Advantage: The "Multiplier Effect" of Port Economics

Qingdao Port's geographical and infrastructure advantages significantly reduce the export cost of anchor chains:

Ocean Shipping Costs: Qingdao Port offers direct access to over 700 ports worldwide. Anchor chains only require 100 kilometers of land transportation from the factory to the dock, saving on short-haul shipping costs.

Customs Clearance Efficiency: Qingdao Port's "direct shipside delivery" model reduces customs clearance time to within two hours, over 20% shorter than the national average, reducing storage costs.

Supply Chain Integration: Raw Ore and Steel Mill Resources

Qingdao Port is surrounded by commodity traders such as Itochu Corporation and Trafigura Group. Anchor chain companies can obtain raw materials (such as high-strength steel) locally, reducing procurement costs by 10%.

Qingdao Special Steel (a subsidiary of CITIC Pacific Special Steel Group), a high-end specialty steel production base, is located adjacent to Dongjiakou Port's 400,000-ton ore terminal. Its high-strength steel for anchor chains (such as R4 and R5 grades) accounts for over 35% of the domestic market share. Furthermore, although companies like Rizhao Steel and Shouguang Juneng Special Steel are located in Rizhao and Weifang, they can achieve supply chain efficiency with "same-day ordering, next-day delivery" through Qingdao Port's sea-rail intermodal trains. 

III. Qingdao Port's Global Competitiveness: Routes, Logistics, and Policy Dividends

1. Route Density: A Global "Maritime Highway"

By September 2025, Qingdao Port's total route count will exceed 233, establishing a network connecting Japan and South Korea in the east, Central Asia in the west, ASEAN in the south, and Russia and Mongolia in the north:

Ocean Trunk Lines: 14 new container routes have been added, with direct services to emerging markets such as Ensenada and Manzanillo, Mexico, enabling anchor chain exports to reach the west coast of North America.

Sea-Rail Intermodal Transport: Three new routes will integrate inland ports in the Yellow River Basin into the port of departure tax rebate network. Through "single-bill" multimodal transport, anchor chain companies can save 15 days of logistics time when exporting from inland cities such as Xi'an and Zhengzhou.

Green Energy Bunkering: Qingdao Port boasts ship-to-ship bunkering capabilities for methanol and LNG, attracting international shipping companies and reducing the carbon emissions associated with anchor chain transportation. 

2. Policy Empowerment: From "Port Economy" to "Hub Economy" 

Combined policies from Shandong Province and Qingdao City are unlocking significant benefits: 

The "Three-Year Action Plan for the Development of Qingdao International Shipping Center" explicitly includes high-end equipment such as anchor chains in the key areas of its "hub port + trading port" transformation, providing tax exemptions and research and development subsidies. 

Tax Rebate Policy at the Port of Departure: As the port of departure, anchor chain exporters can receive a tax rebate 15 days in advance, improving capital turnover efficiency by 30%. 

Port-side Industrial Cluster: The Dongjiakou Port Area has attracted over US$10 billion in investment from companies such as Louis Dreyfus and China National Grain and Oils Corporation, forming an integrated ecosystem encompassing "anchor chain production, logistics, warehousing, and international trade," reducing overall industry costs by 25%. 

IV. SMEOCEAN's Strategic Opportunities: A "Natural Advantage" of Geographical Location

SMEOCEAN is located in Qingdao, just 50 kilometers from the Qianwan Port Area of Qingdao Port. It possesses three core advantages:

Time Cost Reduction: Anchor chain transportation from the factory to the dock takes only 50 minutes, saving time compared to many other companies and enabling "same-day production, next-day shipment";

Logistics Cost Optimization: Short-haul transportation costs have been reduced to 0.8 yuan per ton per kilometer, saving 1 million yuan in freight for an annual export of 10,000 tons of anchor chain;

Supply Chain Collaboration: Forming an industrial cluster with major anchor chain companies in Qingdao will allow for shared access to raw material procurement, technology R&D, and international market channels, improving bargaining power by 10%-15%. 

V. Future Outlook: Qingdao Anchor Chain: A "Global Anchor Point"

With the implementation of the "Qingdao Port Master Plan (2035)," Qingdao Port will become a superport with a 700 million-ton throughput capacity, with anchor chain exports expected to exceed 200,000 tons per year. Qingdao's anchor chain industry can leverage Qingdao Port's high-volume shipping routes, favorable policies, and cost advantages to further expand:

Emerging Markets: 

Through new shipping routes such as the "WSA8 COSCO South America Route 8," the company will deepen its presence in Latin American markets such as Mexico and Brazil.

High-end Products: 

Collaborating with Qingdao research institutions to develop specialized anchor chains for deep-sea drilling platforms, the company aims to capture a high-end market segment with a 300% increase in value.

Green Transformation: 

Leveraging Qingdao Port's clean energy resources, such as hydrogen and photovoltaics, the company will produce low-carbon anchor chains to meet the EU's carbon tariff (CBAM) requirements. 

Qingdao Port's anchor chain exports are not only a microcosm of "Made in China" but also an indispensable anchor in the global supply chain. 

Small Ocean Networks, standing at this strategic hub, is leveraging its triple advantages of "time, cost, and technology" to navigate the vast oceans of the blue economy.

Related Links:

What are Anchor Chains Used for ?

SMEOCEAN Anchor Chain is Very Healthy

Anchor Chain Raw Materials Chinese Standards