EU European Market Data Import Surge and Price Volatility

Imports of some hardware-related products in Europe surged but prices fell sharply due to the impact of US tariff policies (January-June 2025 EU trade monitoring data):

Alloy steel bars: imports increased by 222% and prices fell by 55%;

Stainless steel: imports increased by more than 1,000 per cent and prices fell by nearly 90 per cent;

Diodes (semiconductor-related): imports increased by 102 per cent and prices fell by 53 per cent.

The main source of imports is China, involving metals, machinery, chemicals and other categories .

Power tools demand explosion

Electric drill category: 2025 Q1 European order growth rate led the world, France purchases increased 125% annually, Italy over 60%, Spain over 54%.

Significant contribution from emerging markets: Saudi Arabia's import volume increased 336 times annually, Argentina and Chile's growth rate exceeded 70%1.

B-end procurement upgrade: more than 65% of overseas buyers through the B2B platform direct procurement, Mexican chain shops single order of 150 industrial electric drills.

Architectural hardware export performance

China's export of architectural hardware to Europe reached 26.317 billion yuan in 2024, with the main categories including door handles and fasteners. Europe accounts for 24% of the global door handle market share ($77.665 billion in 2025), second only to North America5.

Challenge: EU CE certification complexity, small language communication and logistics costs are high, forcing enterprises to rely on one-stop compliance services on platforms such as Ali International Station (e.g., 7 days to quickly obtain CE certification)