Market evolution: Iron or steel springs (CN 7320) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the European Union's external trade in iron and steel springs under Combined Nomenclature code 7320, covering the period from 2015 to 2025. The product category encompasses leaf-springs (732010), helical springs (732020), and other spring types including flat spiral springs (732090), while explicitly excluding clock and watch springs, shock absorbers, and torque rod or torsion bar springs classified under Section 17. Over the decade under review, the EU has consolidated its position as a net exporter of springs, with the trade surplus widening by 43.2% to reach €546.8 million in 2025. However, this headline figure masks significant structural shifts: a persistent decline in export volumes coupled with sharp price increases, a dramatic reorientation of trade flows away from Russia and toward emerging markets, and growing specialisation of Central and Eastern European member states.

For an interactive overview of the data, see the General Overview dashboard.

1. The price-driven surge: export values rise while volumes stagnate

Export values have grown strongly despite a contraction in physical volumes

The EU's export performance in CN 7320 tells a strikingly dual story. In nominal value, exports rose from €822.8 million in 2015 to €1,171.6 million in 2025, a cumulative increase of 42.4%. Yet export volumes fell by 5.9% over the same period, declining from 137,443 tonnes to 129,299 tonnes. The entire value growth, therefore, has been driven by rising unit prices: the average export price climbed from €5,985 per tonne in 2015 to €9,059 per tonne in 2025 — a 51.3% increase. This suggests that EU spring manufacturers have moved up the value chain, exporting higher-value, more specialised products rather than competing on volume. It also likely reflects the pass-through of higher raw material and energy costs, particularly from 2021 onward.

For detailed trade evolution data, see the General Overview.

Imports have grown in both value and volume, narrowing the price gap with exports

EU imports of CN 7320 products grew from €441.1 million to €624.8 million (+41.7%) while volumes increased by 18.7% from 100,225 tonnes to 118,928 tonnes. The average import price rose more modestly than the export price, from €4,400/t to €5,253/t (+19.4%). The widening price premium of EU exports over imports — from approximately €1,585/t in 2015 to over €3,800/t in 2025 — reinforces the interpretation that the EU is increasingly exporting higher-value products while importing more commoditised spring components, often from lower-cost producers.

Germany dominates both sides of the EU spring trade

Among EU member states, Germany is by far the largest actor, accounting for €585.8 million in exports in 2025 (approximately half the EU total) and €189.3 million in imports. Poland has emerged as a major growth story: its exports surged by 293.1% over the period (from €24.2 million to €95.3 million), and its imports grew by 127.8%, reflecting its rapid integration into European automotive and industrial supply chains. The Netherlands also shows exceptional growth in both imports (+146.7%) and exports (+177.8%), likely reflecting its role as a logistics hub alongside genuine production growth.

For the full breakdown by reporting member state, see Top reporters by value.

2. A dramatic reorientation of trade partners: the collapse of Russia and the rise of emerging markets

EU exports to Russia have virtually collapsed

The most dramatic shift in the EU's export geography has been the near-total disappearance of the Russian market. EU exports to the Russian Federation fell from €47.3 million in 2015 to just €1.3 million in 2025 — a 97.2% decline. This collapse accelerated sharply from 2022 onward, coinciding with the imposition of EU sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The volatility coefficient for this trade flow (0.65) is the highest among all major export partners, confirming the shock-like nature of this decline. Russia was once a top-five export destination; it has now been almost entirely replaced.

Türkiye, Mexico, and Brazil have filled the gap

Partners that have absorbed much of this redirected export capacity include:

• Türkiye: exports more than doubled (+127.5%), rising from €46.6 million to €106.0 million
• Mexico: exports nearly doubled (+93.2%), from €38.5 million to €74.4 million
• Brazil: exports almost doubled (+90.0%), from €23.9 million to €45.4 million
• United States: exports grew by 61.4%, from €123.7 million to €199.6 million, making the US the largest single export destination by 2025

For partner-level dynamics, see Top partners by value.

The import side shows accelerating competition from China and India

On the import side, the most notable developments are the surge in imports from China (+138.3%, rising from €49.2 million to €117.1 million) and India (+154.1%, from €13.1 million to €33.3 million). These increases reflect the growing competitiveness of Asian spring manufacturers. Imports from Türkiye also more than doubled (+126.0%, reaching €86.6 million), confirming Türkiye's role as both a major supplier to and customer of the EU. By contrast, imports from Tunisia declined by 17.9%, and imports from the UK grew only modestly (+10.2%), suggesting that post-Brexit trade friction may have dampened flows.

Trade concentration has remained broadly stable but with divergent trends

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for import concentration by value barely changed, moving from 1,151 to 1,174 (+2.0%), indicating a moderately fragmented import market. Export concentration, however, declined from 961 to 836 (−13.0%), reflecting the diversification of export destinations as new markets replace Russia and emerging economies grow in importance.

For concentration metrics, see Concentration HHI.

3. Growing trade openness and European specialisation patterns

The EU has become significantly more trade-oriented in springs

Several indicators point to a marked increase in the EU's trade openness for CN 7320 products. The trade intensity — trade as a share of production — rose from 17.0% in 2015 to 37.9% in 2025, more than doubling. Even more strikingly, export propensity (exports relative to production) surged from 11.5% to 28.8%. These figures indicate that the EU spring industry has become substantially more export-oriented, with international markets now absorbing a much larger share of domestic output.

The EU has strengthened its net exporter position

Despite growing imports, the EU's net import reliance has actually deepened into negative territory — that is, the net exporter position has strengthened. Net import reliance moved from −5.1% to −16.6%, meaning the EU now exports significantly more (relative to domestic consumption) than it did in 2015. This is consistent with the simultaneous growth in production volumes (+16.0% to 1.019 billion kg) and production values (+42.3% to €4.15 billion), suggesting a healthy and expanding domestic industry.

Central and Eastern European member states have emerged as specialised exporters

Specialisation analysis for 2025 reveals that the most competitive EU producers of CN 7320 products are concentrated in Central and Eastern Europe. Latvia tops the ranking with an RSCA of 0.44, followed by Czechia (0.38) and Romania (0.23). Germany, while the largest absolute exporter, ranks third in specialisation terms (RSCA 0.27), reflecting the breadth of its broader manufacturing base. Poland (RSCA 0.19) also shows significant and growing specialisation. At the other end of the spectrum, Mediterranean and peripheral economies such as Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Ireland show negligible specialisation in this product category.

Helical springs dominate both trade flows, but other spring types command the highest prices

Breaking down CN 7320 by sub-product reveals important structural differences. Helical springs (732020) are by far the largest category by both import and export value. In 2025, they accounted for €312.6 million in imports and €574.4 million in exports. Leaf-springs (732010) were the second-largest import category (€146.5 million) but only third in exports (€170.2 million). The "other springs" category (732090) shows the highest unit prices on the export side, reaching €14,342/t in 2025 — reflecting the specialised, high-value nature of many products in this residual category.

For cross-segment comparison, see Product segment comparison.

Conclusion

The EU's iron and steel spring market (CN 7320) has undergone a period of significant transformation between 2015 and 2025. The most salient finding is that the EU has successfully maintained and expanded its net exporter status — the trade surplus grew by 43.2% — but achieved this through price increases rather than volume growth. This points to a strategy of moving up the value chain, supported by a 42.3% rise in domestic production value and a doubling of export propensity to 28.8%.

Geopolitically, the period has been defined by the near-total loss of the Russian export market (−97.2%) and its replacement by diversified partnerships across the Americas (US, Mexico, Brazil), Türkiye, and to a lesser extent, other emerging economies. On the import side, the surge of Chinese (+138.3%) and Indian (+154.1%) suppliers signals intensifying global competition in lower-value spring segments, while the relatively modest growth of Swiss imports (+12.4%) suggests stability in specialised, high-precision niches.

The growing specialisation of Central and Eastern European member states — notably Poland, Czechia, and Romania — alongside Germany's continued dominance in absolute terms, paints a picture of an increasingly integrated and geographically dispersed European spring supply chain. Going forward, key factors to watch include the continued impact of sanctions on Russia-related trade, the competitive challenge from Asian manufacturers, and the ability of EU producers to sustain their premium pricing in an increasingly globalised market.