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In 2025, China's fastener exports will continue to maintain an overall growth trend. According to preliminary statistics from the customs, the total export value of Chinese fasteners for the year was about 11.919 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of about 4.1%; The export volume is about 6.239 million tons, a year-on-year increase of about 6.7%; The average export unit price is about 1910 US dollars per ton, a slight decrease of about 2.4% compared to the same period.
Overall, Chinese fasteners are gradually entering a stage of "increasing quantity, stabilizing prices, and optimizing structures". On the one hand, the export quantity continues to expand, while on the other hand, the export unit price is under pressure due to global market competition, the increase in emerging production capacity, as well as inflation and fluctuations in raw material prices.
1、 Changes in export market structure:
The total export value of the top 30 destinations for fasteners in 2025 is 9.336 billion US dollars, accounting for 78.3% of the total export value, slightly lower than that of 2024 (79.6%). The market distribution is becoming more dispersed, and enterprises are actively exploring new markets.
Top 30 destinations for Chinese fastener exports in 2025
1. European market
China's fastener exports to major European economies continue to maintain a growth trend, with exports to Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy increasing by 8.8%, 6.9%, and 14.5% year-on-year, respectively. The export value of the Netherlands also shows an upward trend, with a year-on-year growth of about 14.9%. This increase reflects the sustained and stable demand in the European market for Chinese fasteners in more application areas, such as automotive manufacturing, mechanical equipment, construction, and infrastructure.
The total import value of Western European countries reached 2.064 billion US dollars, surpassing the United States and becoming a major export destination. The rapidly growing demand in Europe also requires diversified collaboration in the global fastener supply chain. The Fastener Expo Frankfurt also emerged as a result. FEF will be held in even numbered years starting from March 2026. The exhibition is rooted in the demand of the European fastener industry and will also connect fastener traders, manufacturers, and equipment manufacturers worldwide.
2. The US market
The United States is the largest single export market for Chinese fasteners. In 2025, the export value is expected to be approximately 1.515 billion US dollars, but it will decrease by nearly 10% year-on-year, and the export volume will also decrease by 9.7%, mainly due to the impact of US trade policies, tariff measures, and supply chain restructuring. The continuous increase in tariffs and trade barriers imposed by the United States on Chinese goods, coupled with the "nearshore outsourcing" policy of the US supply chain encouraging local procurement or turning to third countries, has led to a decrease in China's dependence on US exports of fasteners.
3. Southeast Asia and emerging markets
Vietnam's export value jumped to second place among single destinations, reaching approximately 761 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of over 30%. This growth is mainly related to Vietnam's transit and transshipment functions in the regional trade system, rather than the synchronous expansion of terminal demand itself. Some Chinese fasteners have entered the third-party market through Vietnam, driving up the export scale to Vietnam under statistical standards. At the same time, the export value of ASEAN countries such as Thailand and Malaysia also maintained positive growth, at 15.1% and 17.4% respectively, reflecting the sustained demand for standard fasteners in engineering construction and processing assembly activities in the region.
4. The Russian market
The export value of Russia is about 569 million US dollars, but it has slightly decreased compared to the same period (about 6%), which is related to the overall fluctuation of global commodity prices, the adjustment of Russia's economic structure, and the reorientation of supply chains. High end fasteners still have a premium ability in the Russian market.
5. Japanese, Korean, and Indian markets
The growth of the Japanese market is extremely slow, with exports only increasing by 0.2%, while the Korean market has even experienced a decline in exports, with a decrease of 10.6%. The dependence of the Indian market on Chinese standard categories has decreased, partly due to the promotion of India's independent fastener industry system construction, and partly influenced by India's Make in India policy to promote local procurement and import substitution.
6. ASEAN, Central Asia and markets along the the Belt and Road
ASEAN remains an important growth region for China's fastener exports. The export value of ASEAN countries such as Thailand (+15.1%) and Malaysia (+7.4%) continues to grow; The export volume of Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan (+89.7%) and Kazakhstan (+51.1%) has soared, and the demand for Chinese industrial products has grown significantly, driving the rapid expansion of fastener exports.
Middle Eastern markets such as the United Arab Emirates (+9.7%) and Saudi Arabia (+7.1%) are also showing sustained expansion in export demand. On the one hand, they benefit from infrastructure construction and industrialization processes. On the other hand, traders from neighboring countries such as India and Pakistan are using the Middle East as a new trade hub for exports to the United States and Europe.
7. African market
The export value of fasteners from African countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, and Kenya increased by 10.7%, 13.0%, 23.0%, and 19.5% year-on-year, respectively, while the export volume is also significantly increasing. The core driving force comes from the rigid demand release formed by the intensive promotion of infrastructure and industrial projects. At the same time, the comprehensive advantages of Chinese fasteners in terms of cost-effectiveness, delivery capability, and product coverage make them have a significant substitution effect in African engineering procurement.
Trend judgment: The fastener export market is transitioning from being dominated by Europe and America to a multi regional development with Asia and emerging markets as growth poles. Enterprises need to accelerate market diversification and localized service models.
2、 Changes in the pattern of export provinces
Against the backdrop of overall steady growth in China's fastener exports, the domestic regional pattern shows clear structural evolution characteristics.
Traditional advantageous regions such as the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta have entered a new stage driven by quality. As a core industrial cluster in China, Zhejiang will achieve steady growth of about 4.6% by 2025 and continue to account for nearly 40% of the country's export share. This advantage is not only due to the long-term accumulation of production capacity, but also to the improved upstream and downstream industrial chain supporting capabilities, strong research and innovation foundation, and gradually optimized product structure. The export growth rate of Jiangsu is about 6.0%, and the export unit price is synchronously increasing, reflecting its increasing proportion in the high-end manufacturing supporting field. Although the export growth rates of Guangdong and Shanghai are relatively flat, their export unit prices have increased by about 5.3% and 1.1% respectively, indicating that their fastener exports are increasingly concentrated in sub sectors with higher technological content and better added value. In contrast, exports from Shandong, Fujian and other regions have experienced a temporary decline, mainly due to fluctuations in external demand and regional industrial restructuring, reflecting the adaptation process of traditional industries in the new round of global supply chain reconstruction.
The central and western provinces have become an important force in capacity undertaking and scale expansion due to their cost, location, and policy advantages. The export value of Hebei Province increased by 11.6% year-on-year, and the export volume increased by 23.4% year-on-year, but the unit price is still at a relatively low level, indicating that its manufacturing base attributes mainly consisting of standard parts and bulk products are still prominent. Xinjiang has become one of the highlights of the year, with its export volume increasing by 93.4% year on year. This growth is mainly driven by its trade and distribution functions as the node of the westward core channel of the "the Belt and Road". The channel economic effect brought by the China Europe Express has significantly enhanced its ability to radiate the markets of Central Asia and Russia. The export value of Chongqing, Henan, Jiangxi and other places increased by 18.7%, 18.6%, and 26.6% respectively year-on-year, reflecting the trend of the fastener industry gradually shifting inland and the formation of regional emerging industry clusters.
Border provinces, relying on their unique geographical conditions, continue to release the dividends of cross-border trade. Guangxi benefits from the synergy of the China Vietnam industrial chain under the RCEP framework, with exports maintaining stable growth; Inner Mongolia's exports increased by 47.3% year-on-year, and the land trade routes to Russia and Mongolia are becoming increasingly active.
Trend judgment: Traditional coastal manufacturing bases are consolidating their advantages in transformation and upgrading, while central and western provinces, as well as border provinces, rely on national strategies and location dividends to achieve leapfrog growth. The national fastener exports are moving from a "coastal unipolar leadership" to a new stage of "multi regional coordinated development".
(Source: Chinese Screw Network)
