‘Drilling Down’ on Small Screws and the ASEAN

2013-05-22

 In the last year, the overall demand for fasteners has shown a significant increase in the United States. As manufacturing and construction becomes a greater focus for the country, the need for parts and materials rises. In turn, this rise is a positive sign for suppliers from around the world.

U.S. fastener imports have increased for the past three consecutive years, and most recently in 2012 saw an increase of nearly 11%. Imports for the year reached over $4.6 billion worth of fasteners, that’s 0.2% of all imports entering the United States! Roughly 15% of all fasteners imported to the United States are small screws, and of those small screws, 94% come from Asia. In short, Asia is the main source of small screws for the United States.

This article will focus on imports of small screws, particularly from the Southeast Asia region as well as Taiwan. We will look at past trends for specific nations and expound upon what we can expect for the small screw market in 2013. Using Zepol’s trade intelligence data, we will analyze recent developments in the industry and ‘drill down’ on specific types of small screws.

U.S. Demand for Small Screws 

Imports of small screws to the United States have followed a similar trend to the overall fastener trade. Most recently in 2012, small screw imports increased nearly 9% and reached over $650 million. The majority of those screws are made up of self-tapping screws and a smaller portion include stainless steel screws and socket screws. In terms of demand, importers brought in an increased amount of self-tapping screws and significantly less stainless steel screws.

In the last five years, the percentage of small screws traveling from Asia to the United States has increased by about two percentage points. The increased market share may not seem that significant in percentage points, but that equates to about $20 million more dollars spent on fasteners in Asia versus other regions.

Of all U.S. imports of small screws, about 65% originate in Taiwan. Of the Southeast Asia nations, Thailand and Vietnam are the top two suppliers of small screws. In the last six years, Zepol’s data shows a shift in small screw imports; more are coming from Vietnam and less are coming from Thailand.  Figure A below illustrates a breakdown of where small screw imports originate from.


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