The authors study the influence of globalization process on the world metallurgical industry. Special attention is paid to the analysis and assessment of the level of national consumption of metal. It is proposed to move from the direct assessment of metal consumption per inhabitant to the assessment from the standpoint of globalization of the world economy, taking into account the international movement of metal in the finished product to adequately reflect the trends characteristic of the modern metal market. China is the most obvious example of the impact of globalization on the global steel industry. The main method used in the study is the regression analysis method, namely, the construction of pair linear regression. Comparative analysis showed that in the period 2001-2015, the relative consumption of copper in China has increased from 4.2 kg to 32,49 kg. per capita. The abnormally high level of per capita consumption of copper in China can be explained from the standpoint of re-export of this metal as part of the finished product. The results are explained by the chosen strategy for the development of metallurgy in China.