Summary: China's shipyards took 175.29 million deadweight tonnes of new orders in the first nine months of 2026, up 163.2% year on year. With berths booked past 2030, blasting media is no longer a purchasing detail — it is a production constraint. Mali Steel Shot breaks supply security into stock, batch consistency and media mix.

The order book is full, and it changes how yards buy

On 25 October 2026, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the first three quarters of shipbuilding data: completed tonnage of 58.05 million dwt, up 50.7% year on year and 63.6% of the world total; new orders of 175.29 million dwt, up 163.2% and 81.8% of the world total; order backlog at the end of September of 399.13 million dwt, up 64.8% and 72.4% of the world total.

Very large crude carriers (VLCCs) drove much of it. Chinese yards booked 144 VLCC orders in nine months, 85.5% of global tonnage in that segment, and tanker newbuildings reached 7.1389 million dwt — a record for the period. One large private yard has delivered close to 70 vessels this year, more than 20 of them VLCCs, holds over 600 orders in total and is booked into 2031. Another yard in Jingjiang is running four docks at full capacity with VLCC slots filled to 2030, and VLCC prices are up roughly 10% year on year.

Meanwhile the plate market is drifting down: on 27 October, 20 mm commercial plate averaged 3,452 RMB/t nationwide, down 18 RMB, while 20 mm shipbuilding plate held at 3,827 RMB/t, up 1 RMB. Shipbuilding plate resisting the slide tells you the order book is real.

Where the blasting shop actually gets stuck

Secondary descaling of a hull block follows a hard rule: blast and prime the same day, and outdoors, finish before 3 pm — otherwise night condensation ruins adhesion. That rule leaves a very narrow refill window. Media cannot be ordered when the hopper runs empty; it has to be in the silo before the shift starts.

For recycled steel shot in dock blasting, top-up consumption typically runs 5–10 kg per square metre. On a VLCC block campaign that means a dozen refills a day in a busy block shop. Twenty minutes of downtime per refill across three blast lines adds up to hours.

Three things that keep media flowing

One: stock in front of demand. Mali Steel Shot operates 28 stocking bases across China and holds S230–S780 alloy shot, stainless cut wire shot from 0.3 to 2.5 mm, high-carbon and high-manganese cut wire shot, and angular steel grit G12–G120 as standard stock. For yards in central China, routine replenishment lands within 72 hours. Customers share quarterly volumes and monthly rhythm; we hold roughly 1.3 times monthly consumption ahead of the line and raise it in peak season.

Two: batch consistency. Yards are judged on Sa2.5 and 45–75 µm roughness. If one batch gives Rz 72 and the next gives Rz 88, the coating crew notices immediately. Our enterprise standard Q/HX 001-2026 sets non-spherical particles at 5% or less, sulphur and phosphorus at 0.03% or less, density at 7.4 g/cm³ or above, and cyclic life at 2,200 cycles or more, with hardness variation held within ±2 HRC. Every batch ships with a GB/T 18838.4 test report, so a new batch needs no re-trial and no parameter changes.

Three: mix by operation, not by habit. Coarse blasting to break heavy rust wants large spherical shot such as S460 for impact; finishing to set roughness wants angular grit such as S330, which cuts Rz into the 75–100 µm band. A 6:4 split of the two usually beats a single grade on both consumption and consistency. The ratio is not fixed — it moves with substrate grade from AH32 to AH36 and with rust grade from B to D. On-site testing before recommending a mix is standard practice for us, and after 25 years in abrasives we routinely see 20–30% differences in consumption per tonne from mix changes alone on the same machine.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Will steel shot prices rise with the shipbuilding boom?

A: Not in the short term. Shot cost is dominated by scrap steel and electricity, and heavy scrap averaged 2,015 RMB/t across 45 cities on 23 October 2026 — a low for the year. The real pressure is delivery lead time in peak season, so lock quarterly volumes rather than placing emergency orders.

Q: How much media does one hull block consume?

A: Budget on top-up consumption: 5–10 kg per square metre for recycled steel shot. Take the upper end for grade D rust at Sa2.5, the lower end for new plate pre-treatment, and multiply by a 1.1 loss factor for procurement.

Q: What does a day of media shortage cost a yard?

A: Far more than a month of buffer stock. One idle block-blast line stalls priming and erection downstream, and the knock-on labour cost runs into five figures in RMB per day. Media should be costed as consumption plus downtime risk, not unit price alone.

Q: Can steel shot and steel grit be mixed in one machine?

A: Yes, and many operations should. Coarse passes use large spherical shot for impact, finishing passes use angular grit for roughness, and a 6:4 split is common. But the ratio depends on wheel power — low-power machines need a smaller share of large media or the abrasive simply will not reach velocity.

Mali Steel Shot (Ma Li Steel Shot Technology Co., Ltd. / Wuhan Hongxin Lixin Metal Products) has supplied metallic abrasives for 25 years under the brands Mali Steel Shot, Hongxin Steel Shot and Steel Shot Sister. Full range in stock, free samples, on-site blast testing. Website http://www.sisball.com/ — hotline +86 400-038-8928.