China's Fastener Exports Undergo Product Transformation

The coexistence of homogeneous competition and high-end breakthroughs has led to a two-tier development landscape for the industry. Against the backdrop of widespread market price pressures, products with different technological content are facing vastly divergent fortunes.

Competition in the bulk standard fastener segment is exceptionally fierce. Exports of categories such as steel nails and flat head nails have increased by 4.6%, yet their average export price has dropped by 5.6%. Traditional products including self-tapping screws and nuts generally show the characteristics of growing volumes with a slight price decline.

It has become an industry consensus that profit margins for ordinary standard fasteners are being continuously squeezed, a pressing challenge for all players.

In stark contrast, high-end fasteners are delivering a strong performance. Exports of high-strength bolts and screws with a tensile strength of ≥800 MPa have risen by 11.0% year-on-year. These products are mainly applied in high-end equipment manufacturing sectors such as wind power, new energy vehicles, and rail transit.

Copper fasteners have seen a 14.7% growth in export value and a 14.1% rise in average export price, emerging as one of the few categories to achieve simultaneous growth in both volume and price.
In contrast, aluminum fastener exports have fallen by 9.3% due to fluctuations in international aluminum prices and changes in downstream application solutions – the industry is evolving toward composite solutions of high-strength steel and aluminum alloy. This indirectly reflects that simple substitution with a single material can no longer meet the demands of cutting-edge industrial production.

Amid the wave of global supply chain restructuring, China's fastener industry stands at a crossroads. Coastal manufacturing bases are moving up the value chain toward high-end production, while the central and western regions are undertaking large-scale manufacturing. Overseas markets are expanding from Europe and the United States to emerging economies.
This transformation is far from over, and it will continue to test the adaptability and innovative wisdom of Chinese manufacturers in the years to come.