Did Section 232 at full value hit Taiwan fasteners? US import data through July 2026
Since April 6, 2026, steel fasteners covered by Section 232 pay the 50% duty on their full customs value. The UN Comtrade extract we used runs to July. It shows the value of US fastener imports from Taiwan falling, but the fall started months before April, and Taiwan's share has dropped by a few points, not collapsed.
The short version
- Taiwan is the largest source of US fastener imports: $2.07 billion of $6.43 billion under heading 7318 in 2025, about 32%.
- In January to March 2026, before the change, the value of imports from Taiwan was already 18% below the same months of 2025. In April to July, it was 14% below.
- Taiwan's share was 31% to 34% from January to April and 28% to 30% from May to July.
- Weight fell less than value. In the first half of 2026 the value of fasteners from Taiwan fell 15% and their net weight 10%, so the average value per kilogram dropped.
- This data can't say why. Section 232, other tariff changes, demand and prices could each play a part, and the figures don't separate them.
Our Section 232 note covers the rule change itself: from April 6, 2026, the 50% rate applies to the full customs value of covered steel fasteners, where before it could apply to the value of their steel content. The natural follow-up question is whether US imports from Taiwan dropped once it took effect. Monthly data for April to July is now public, so we looked. This note covers where the numbers come from, how big Taiwan is in US fastener imports, what changed before and after April 6, and what the numbers can't tell you.
Where the numbers come from
The US Census Bureau reports monthly imports by country and tariff heading, and UN Comtrade republishes the US-reported data. We queried UN Comtrade. Three things to know about them:
- Taiwan appears as "Other Asia, not elsewhere specified" (partner code 490), the label UN Comtrade uses for Taiwan in partner data.
- The values are before duty. We use the CIF value in the database, which includes freight and insurance to the US but not the Section 232 duty or any other tariff. It also differs from the customs value the duty is charged on, which excludes those freight and insurance costs. A drop in CIF value reflects what was shipped, its prices and freight costs, not what importers paid at the border.
- Heading 7318 is broad. It covers screws, bolts, nuts, washers, rivets, cotters and cotter pins of iron or steel, including stainless.
The most recent month, July 2026, carries a weight flagged as estimated in the database, so we use July for value only.
Taiwan's place in US fastener imports
Start with the two full years before the change. These are the five largest sources in 2024 and the total, by CIF value:
| Source | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | $2,315m | $2,067m | −11% |
| China | $1,323m | $1,153m | −13% |
| Japan | $660m | $600m | −9% |
| Canada | $416m | $329m | −21% |
| Germany | $401m | $333m | −17% |
| All sources | $7,055m | $6,426m | −9% |
Taiwan supplied 32.8% of the total in 2024 and 32.2% in 2025, almost twice China's share. In other words, the 2025 fall in imports from Taiwan was close to the fall in US fastener imports overall. Taiwan lost about 0.6 of a percentage point of share that year. Most of the drop was the import total shrinking.
Before and after April 6
Arrivals can lag buying decisions by weeks or months, and April includes five days before the change took effect, so a break wouldn't necessarily show in April itself. Comparing each period with the same months a year earlier helps reduce regular seasonal effects, though it doesn't isolate the tariff's impact:
| Source | Jan–Mar 2026 vs 2025 | Apr–Jul 2026 vs 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | −18% | −14% |
| China | −28% | −11% |
| Japan | −16% | −2% |
| Germany | −2% | +7% |
| India | −7% | +2% |
| Vietnam | −19% | +19% |
| All sources | −17% | −7% |
Imports from Taiwan were falling faster before April than after it. What stands out after April is the gap with the total. The year-on-year decline in all imports narrowed to 7%, while Taiwan's stayed at 14%. Taiwan was already doing a little worse than the total in the first quarter, so the gap didn't start in April, but it widened. By month, Taiwan's share was 33.5% in January, 31.0% in March, 32.0% in April, then 28.4% in May, 29.7% in June and 29.5% in July.
Vietnam's 19% rise looks large but the amounts are small: about $39 million over four months, against Taiwan's $605 million.
Weight fell less than value
The database also gives net weight, so value can be split into tonnes and average value per kilogram. For January to June:
| Taiwan, Jan–Jun | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1,163m | $1,104m | $938m |
| Net weight | 302,000 t | 292,000 t | 262,000 t |
| Value per kg | $3.85 | $3.78 | $3.58 |
From the first half of 2025 to the first half of 2026, value fell 15% and tonnage 10%. Value per kilogram fell about 5%. China's fell too, from $2.27 to $2.15. A lower average value per kilogram can mean lower prices, a shift toward cheaper or heavier parts, or lower freight in the CIF figure. The data can't tell which.
What the data can't tell you
Back to the question in the title. The honest answer is that this data can't isolate Section 232. Here's what we can and can't say.
- Known: the value of imports from Taiwan was already falling before April 6, and fell faster in the first quarter than after. Taiwan's share was about 3 points lower in May to July 2026 than in the same months of 2025.
- Inferred: where the 50% rate already applied to the full entered value, as the Section 232 note says it did for importers that couldn't document steel content, the change of tax base alone added no duty. These aggregate figures don't show how common that was or how buyers responded.
- Can't separate: other tariff changes, US demand and pricing could all have moved over the same months. The share drop from May could reflect Section 232, the timing of orders placed before April, or something else.
For a buyer, the practical point is the one the 232 note made: steel fastener entries still report a country of melt and pour, and CBP can ask you to back it up. Taiwan is still about three of every ten dollars of US fastener imports. If you source there, check that the supporting records for your entries exist before CBP asks.
Need the papers behind your entries?
We visit your Taiwan supplier, trace heat numbers back to the mill certificate and send you what we find with photos, in English, including any gaps in the trail.
Send a taskTrade figures are revised after first release; these are the values in UN Comtrade on October 11, 2026. This is a summary for buyers, not customs or legal advice.
Sources
- UN Comtrade, monthly imports reported by the United States, HS 7318, partners World, Other Asia nes (490), China, Japan, Germany, India, Vietnam, Canada and others, January 2024 to July 2026, queried October 11, 2026
- UN Comtrade partner area reference list (code 490, "Other Asia, nes")
- US international trade in goods, US Census Bureau
- Section 232 on Taiwan fasteners in 2026, Taiwan Rep, and the proclamations and CBP guidance cited there