Market evolution: Iron or steel springs (CN 732090) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the evolution of EU external trade in iron or steel springs under CN 732090 — a residual heading that captures flat spiral springs, disc springs, and other spring types not classified under leaf-springs (732010) or helical springs (732020). Over the 2015–2025 period, the EU has consolidated its position as a net exporter of these products, with the trade surplus rising from €162 million to €261 million. However, the story behind this expansion is nuanced: it has been driven overwhelmingly by rising unit values rather than by growth in physical volumes. EU export quantities grew by only 1.1% over the decade, while export values surged by 47.3%. Meanwhile, EU domestic production nearly doubled in volume, suggesting an increasingly outward-oriented industrial base. Three dynamics emerge as the principal findings of this analysis.

I. A Surplus Built on Price, Not Volume

The EU trade balance widened substantially — but the underlying mechanics are price-driven

The EU's trade balance in CN 732090 products grew from €162 million in 2015 to €261 million in 2025, a gain of 60.8%. At the same time, net import reliance deepened from −6.1% to −25.4%, confirming the EU's growing status as a net exporter. Yet this headline improvement conceals a striking divergence between value and volume trends.

Export volumes plateaued while unit prices climbed steeply

EU export quantities fluctuated within a narrow band over the decade, peaking at 41,596 tonnes in 2021 before retreating to 29,731 tonnes in 2025 — effectively the same level as in 2015. By contrast, export unit prices rose from €9,858/t to €14,342/t, accounting for virtually all of the €137 million increase in export value. This pattern is consistent with a structural shift toward higher-value-added spring types — particularly disc springs (73209030), whose export unit price rose from €10,510/t to €18,052/t (+71.7%), and the broader "other springs" category (73209090), which saw prices climb from €9,789/t to €14,205/t (+45.1%).

Import volumes fell even as import prices surged

On the import side, volumes declined from 16,404 tonnes to 14,191 tonnes (−13.5%), yet import values still grew by 30.0% to reach €165.8 million. The import unit price rose from €7,768/t to €11,670/t, a 50.2% increase — even sharper than on the export side. This implies that the EU is importing fewer physical springs but paying significantly more for them, consistent with global input-cost inflation and a compositional shift toward higher-specification imports. Notably, disc spring imports (73209030) nearly doubled in value from €9.4 million to €18.5 million, while their volumes grew more modestly from 849 to 1,507 tonnes.

II. Shifting Geographies: Divergent Trajectories Among Key Partners

The United States became the EU's dominant export market, while other partners followed contrasting paths

The partner landscape for EU exports shifted markedly. The United States nearly doubled its intake from €52.5 million to €104.1 million (+98.5%), becoming by far the largest destination. Türkiye (+110.0%) and Mexico (+130.1%) also surged, with Mexico's imports rising from €17.2 million to €39.5 million. These three markets collectively absorbed the bulk of the EU's export growth.

Chinese imports into the EU more than doubled, reshaping the import side

On the import side, the most dramatic shift came from China, whose exports to the EU grew from €15.0 million to €36.4 million (+142.4%), making it the second-largest import source behind the United States (€36.2 million). South Korean exports to the EU also expanded dramatically from €1.7 million to €7.0 million (+311.8%), and India's rose by 69.1% to €7.2 million. Meanwhile, Türkiye's exports to the EU declined by 28.6% to €6.1 million, and Switzerland — a historically stable supplier — remained essentially flat at €24.6 million.

Trade volatility is concentrated in a few bilateral relationships

The volatility analysis reveals highly uneven stability across partners. The most volatile import relationship is with the United Kingdom (coefficient of variation = 3.03), far exceeding all other partners — a pattern likely linked to post-Brexit trade disruptions and regulatory divergence. On the export side, Russia (CV = 0.59) and Belarus (CV = 0.45) show the highest volatility, unsurprising given the sharp contraction of EU exports following the 2022 sanctions regime. Belarus saw its export value collapse by 99.2%, from €1.7 million to just €13,262. A notable price shock was detected in 2023 for EU exports to the United Kingdom, with an abnormality score of 4.3 and a 45.8% price shift, possibly reflecting the adjustment to post-Brexit rules of origin and customs procedures.

III. A Reconfiguring Industrial Landscape: Central Europe Ascendant

EU production surged, far outpacing trade growth

According to production data, EU manufacturing of CN 732090 products grew from 225,532 tonnes (€912 million) in 2015 to 420,233 tonnes (€1,342 million) in 2025 — an increase of 86.3% in volume and 47.1% in value. This expansion far exceeded the 1.1% growth in export volumes, implying that a growing share of production is either serving intra-EU demand or being absorbed by downstream industries (e.g., automotive, machinery). The export propensity nonetheless nearly doubled from 13.7% to 31.6%, and trade intensity rose from 20.1% to 38.5%, indicating that the EU spring industry has become substantially more internationally oriented.

Germany anchors the industry, but Central European members are gaining ground

Germany remains the dominant EU exporter, accounting for €215.7 million (50.5% of the total) in 2025, up from €166.5 million in 2015. Its revealed comparative advantage (RSCA = 0.24) remains solid. However, the most striking gains have come from Central and Eastern European members:

Poland's export value grew twelvefold, and it now holds the highest specialisation index among all EU members (RSCA = 0.34), overtaking even Germany. Romania's exports expanded fivefold. Czechia, while not among the top seven exporters listed, shows a similarly high RSCA (0.27) and strong import growth (+121.0%). These shifts reflect the broader reorientation of European manufacturing supply chains toward lower-cost EU member states, particularly in components serving the automotive sector.

Import concentration has declined slightly, while export concentration has edged up

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for import sources by value fell from 1,609 to 1,496 (−7.0%), indicating a modest diversification of suppliers. By contrast, the export HHI rose slightly from 1,028 to 1,097 (+6.7%), reflecting the growing weight of the United States as a destination. The import volume HHI, however, spiked sharply (from 1,513 to 2,716), suggesting that while value-based sourcing has diversified, physical import volumes have become more concentrated — a potential vulnerability if a key supplier were disrupted.

Conclusion

The EU's trade in CN 732090 springs over 2015–2025 tells a story of value over volume. The trade surplus widened by 61%, but this was achieved almost entirely through rising unit prices rather than physical export growth. Domestic production nearly doubled in tonnage, yet export volumes remained flat — suggesting that much of the additional output served intra-EU demand or domestic downstream industries. Geographically, the map has been redrawn: the United States has emerged as the overwhelmingly dominant export market, while China has more than doubled its share of EU imports. Central European member states, led by Poland and Romania, have rapidly scaled their export capacity and now display the strongest comparative advantages in the sector. Meanwhile, geopolitical shocks — sanctions on Belarus and Russia, and the post-Brexit reconfiguration with the United Kingdom — have introduced significant volatility into certain bilateral flows. Looking ahead, the EU's growing self-reliance (net import reliance at −25.4%) and rising export propensity suggest a sector that is increasingly competitive globally, though its concentration on a small number of key export markets warrants monitoring.