Sourcing Signal

Steel fasteners: Landed Cost by Source Country

Which country is cheapest to import steel fasteners from? Mexico carries the lowest duty-plus-freight load (19.11% uplift from $4.22/kg landed), China the highest (83.23%). Every named source ranked, from USITC DataWeb. Free.

The short answer

  • The cheapest place to source steel fasteners is Mexico, where duty (17.2%) plus freight (1.63%) add 19.11% to the pre-tariff price ($4.22/kg landed). China is the most expensive named source at a 83.23% uplift, a 64.12-point spread across lanes.

How to read this

  • Each source country's rank comes from its own real effective duty and freight share (USITC DataWeb), combined as (1 + duty) x (1 + freight). Lower is a cheaper lane.
  • The dollar landed cost scales this family's average import unit price ($3.54/kg) by each lane's uplift, so lanes differ by their own duty and freight.
  • The FX tag is a short-window cost direction from the currency's recent drift, not a dollar recompute.

Every source country ranked, cheapest first

  • 1. Mexico: 19.11% loaded (duty 17.2%, freight 1.63%), $4.22/kg landed, MXN trending cheaper
  • 2. Canada: 19.2% loaded (duty 16.41%, freight 2.4%), $4.23/kg landed, CAD trending dearer
  • 3. Italy: 28.25% loaded (duty 24.42%, freight 3.08%), $4.55/kg landed, EUR trending flat
  • 4. France: 31.98% loaded (duty 27.94%, freight 3.16%), $4.68/kg landed, EUR trending flat
  • 5. South Korea: 34.89% loaded (duty 27.85%, freight 5.51%), $4.78/kg landed
  • 6. Japan: 38.61% loaded (duty 32.32%, freight 4.75%), $4.91/kg landed, JPY trending flat
  • 7. Germany: 39.12% loaded (duty 34.35%, freight 3.55%), $4.93/kg landed, EUR trending flat
  • 8. Taiwan: 41.28% loaded (duty 31.72%, freight 7.26%), $5.01/kg landed
  • 9. India: 44.59% loaded (duty 32.91%, freight 8.79%), $5.13/kg landed
  • 10. China: 83.23% loaded (duty 65.46%, freight 10.74%), $6.5/kg landed, CNY trending flat

Sourcing concentration

  • Taiwan is the largest source at 32% of named imports; by the Herfindahl index (1540) this family is moderately concentrated.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is the cheapest country to import steel fasteners from? Mexico. Its effective duty of 17.2% and freight of 1.63% add 19.11% to the pre-tariff price, the lowest combined load of any named source, for a landed cost of about $4.22/kg.
  • How is the landed cost calculated? Landed cost = the family's average import unit price ($3.54/kg) times each lane's duty-plus-freight uplift. Because the base price is the family average, lanes differ by their own real duty and freight from USITC DataWeb, so the ranking is genuine even though a per-country price is not yet published.
  • How concentrated is sourcing of steel fasteners? Taiwan is the largest source at 32% of named imports. By the Herfindahl index (1540), this family is moderately concentrated. A concentrated map means fewer places to move volume if one lane's duty jumps.

About this data

  • A sourcing-comparison indicator, not a customs quote. Lane ranking uses each country's real effective duty and freight share from USITC DataWeb; a dollar landed cost, where shown, scales the family's average import unit price and does not price a specific shipment. FX is a short-window cost direction, not a currency recompute. Confirm classification and duty with a licensed broker before you buy.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.