Which country manufactures the most screws?

Germany 1 - 0 Rest of the World

In a world dominated by Chinese manufacturing, you might be surprised to learn who the largest exporter of iron fasteners is. Currently, Germany leads the way, ahead of China in second position. With an export value of $5.43 Billion, and commanding 19% of all global exports, Germany is the leading exporter of iron fasteners on the planet. Despite being the largest exporter, Germany also imports iron fasteners from developing countries like India and China.

Surprising to some, China is the second-largest exporter of iron fasteners in the world. This comes with an export value of $4.53 Billion and a 16% share of exports. Europe was a leading importer of Chinese iron fasteners. However, this has been tempered in recent years by anti-dumping duties imposed on China by the EU. Consequently, China now sends a higher proportion of its products to the USA and other emerging markets.

Healthy competition

The USA accounts for $4.06 Billion of exports which are 14% of the global export market and according to information produced by the U.S. Census Bureau, major importers of the US iron fasteners are the UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and China. Meanwhile, Japan has an export value of $2.63 Billion, which totals 9.2% of the world’s iron fasteners’ exports. Following its trade partnership with the US, this exportation has seen a gradual increase since 2012.  After Germany, the second-largest exporter of iron fasteners in Europe is Italy, with an export value of $1.69 Billion. As a result, Italy exports about 5.9% of the world’s iron fastener exports.

The World's Largest Exporters of Iron Fasteners

Rank    Country           Export Value (Billions of US Dollars)

1           Germany           5.43

2           China                4.52

3           United States    4.06

4           Japan                2.63

5           Italy                   1.69

What is clear by these facts and figures is that no single country dominates the market for the manufacture and export of screws and fasteners. Germany, as the leading exporter, has less than 20% of the market and the top 5 countries together have 64% of the market, and 36% left for the rest of the world. Above all, this promotes a healthy competition between countries, which can be beneficial for the end user.