Taiwan
USA trade laneTaiwan is one of the world's main fastener exporters, and most of its screws, bolts and nuts are made in Kaohsiung's Gangshan and Lujhu districts, a short truck ride from the port. The United States is its largest market, taking close to half of Taiwan's steel fastener exports by weight, for distributors, construction, automotive, furniture and machinery. Taiwan is also where Chinese fasteners have been relabeled to dodge US duties, and both CBP and Taiwan's economics ministry, which has acted on more than 200 suspected false-origin cases on US-bound goods, look hard at the trade.
The duty is decided before the freight. Steel screws, bolts and nuts are Section 232 steel articles charged on their full value since April 2026, which keeps them outside the Section 301 tariff on Taiwanese goods, and Taiwanese steel nails and threaded rod are also under antidumping orders with rates that differ by manufacturer. We work through WCA partner agents in Taiwan; AGF has no office there. Our partners collect heavy pallets from the factories and load them at Kaohsiung or Taichung, our licensed customs brokers file the entry with the melt-and-pour data and any deposits, and, with our own office in Foshan, China, we ask the origin questions before CBP does.
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Shipping Fasteners from Taiwan to USA
Fasteners are some of the densest general cargo there is. They travel in heavy cartons stacked on pallets or in bulk boxes, and a 20ft container reaches its weight limit long before it is full: US road limits usually cap a normally trucked 20ft box at about 17–20 tonnes of cargo. A 40ft box can legally carry no more on US roads than a 20ft one, so 20ft containers are the standard, and combining fasteners with lighter goods from the same supplier uses the space better. A 20ft floor takes about ten standard pallets, so the weight, not the floor, decides how many go in.
Cartons are strapped and stretch-wrapped on heat-treated wooden pallets stamped to ISPM 15, or on plastic pallets, with corner boards so the stack does not crush. Plain-steel fasteners need oil or a coating and, for long voyages, VCI liners and desiccant against container condensation. The outer cartons carry the country of origin. From Kaohsiung, sailings to Los Angeles or Long Beach take roughly two to three weeks; cargo from Taichung may connect through Kaohsiung or another hub, and New York takes about four to six weeks, or West Coast discharge plus rail.
- 20ft containers fill by weight: plan on about 17–20 tonnes of cargo for normal US road delivery
- About ten standard pallets fit on a 20ft floor — weight decides how many tiers
- Cartons strapped and wrapped on ISPM 15 heat-treated wooden pallets or plastic pallets
- Outer cartons marked with the country of origin; the fasteners themselves need no individual marking
- Rust protection for plain steel: oil or coating, VCI liners and desiccant
What Drives the Cost
- Section 232 on the full value of steel screws, bolts, nuts and nails — not just the steel content — since April 2026
- Antidumping deposits on steel nails and threaded rod, which differ by manufacturer and can rise in later reviews
- Weight: 20ft containers by payload, and tri-axle chassis or overweight permits for heavy boxes
- Origin documentation — wire rod certificates, production records, supplier checks — which costs time but prevents evasion findings
- Packing quality: pallets, wrapping and rust protection against crush and corrosion claims
- US delivery: palletized delivery from the container, or transload to domestic trailers at a partner warehouse
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7318.11–7318.16 | Threaded fasteners of iron or steel — wood and self-tapping screws, other screws and bolts, threaded rod and studs, nuts | Section 232 on full value, outside the Section 301 tariff on Taiwanese goods. Carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from Taiwan is also under an antidumping order. Duty depends on the 10-digit line and the manufacturer; confirmed at quoting. |
| 7318.21–7318.29 | Non-threaded fasteners of iron or steel — spring and lock washers, other washers, rivets, cotters and pins | Steel articles under Section 232, checked line by line. Antidumping orders are product-specific, so our licensed customs brokers check the current orders before you buy. |
| 7317.00 | Nails, tacks, staples (other than those of heading 8305) and similar articles of iron or steel | Section 232 on full value for the listed lines, and Taiwanese steel nails have been under an antidumping order since 2015, now in its second five-year review. Collated and coil nails are inside the scope; the deposit depends on the manufacturer. |
| 7616.10 | Aluminium nails, screws, bolts, nuts, rivets and washers | Section 232 aluminium article, outside the Section 301 tariff. Confirmed per line at quoting. |
| 7415 | Copper and brass fasteners — nails, screws, bolts, nuts and washers | Copper is now a Section 232 metal too, and copper articles of chapter 74 are generally covered; confirmed per line at quoting. |
Regulations and Compliance
Section 232: fasteners pay on full value
Steel screws, bolts and nuts became Section 232 steel derivatives in 2025, and since 6 April 2026 they sit in the top tier, Annex I-A, charged on the full value of the fastener — machining, plating and packaging included — rather than on its steel content. Taiwan's 2026 tariff arrangement with the US reduced Section 232 on auto parts, wood products and aircraft components, not on fasteners. Fasteners under Section 232 are outside the Section 301 tariff on Taiwanese goods, so the two do not stack. Each entry also reports where the steel was melted, or 'other' where that is unknown. Rates change, so we verify the total at quoting.
Antidumping orders: steel nails and threaded rod
Certain steel nails from Taiwan have been under an antidumping order since 2015; Commerce completed its second five-year review in September 2026 and the ITC's review was still running. Carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from Taiwan has been under an order since 2020, continued in 2025. Rates differ by manufacturer, the deposit at entry is an estimate that a later review can raise, and the importer files a certificate that the exporter is not reimbursing the duty. China has its own orders on nails and threaded rod, so Chinese product shipped as Taiwanese carries China's duties and penalties.
Transshipment: Chinese fasteners relabeled as Taiwanese
Origin is where the fastener was made — formed, threaded and heat-treated from wire rod — not where it was repacked, sorted or relabeled. CBP investigates evasion under the Enforce and Protect Act and has found Chinese goods transshipped through Taiwan to avoid duties; false origin claims are penalized under 19 USC 1592. Taiwan now enforces from its side too, with a watchlist of high-risk exporters and higher fines. Ask for the wire rod mill certificates with heat numbers, production records and a capacity check of the factory, and keep them with the entry.
Fastener Quality Act
High-strength fasteners — through-hardened bolts, screws, nuts and studs of 6 mm (1/4 inch) or more, made to a consensus standard that requires a grade mark — fall under the Fastener Quality Act. They must carry a manufacturer's insignia recorded with the US Patent and Trademark Office, lots are tested by an accredited laboratory, and the importer keeps the record of conformance for five years and supplies it to buyers on request. Many fasteners are exempt, including those that are part of an assembly; check before you order grade 5 or grade 8 product.
Country-of-origin marking
Bolts, nuts, washers, screws, rivets and nails are on CBP's list of articles exempt from individual marking, but the outermost container in which they reach the final buyer must show the country of origin — 'Made in Taiwan' — legibly and permanently. A distributor who repacks them into smaller boxes takes on the duty to mark those boxes.
Forced labor: steel is a UFLPA priority sector
Steel has been a high-priority sector for Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act enforcement since August 2025. For fasteners the question is the wire rod: ask which mill melted it and keep the certificates, because the same records also answer the melt-and-pour line on the entry.
Door-to-Door Import Service
Before you order, we check each item against the Section 232 annexes and the nail and threaded rod orders, look up the manufacturer's deposit rate, and ask for origin evidence back to the wire rod; for grade-marked product we check the Fastener Quality Act status.
Our WCA partner agent in Taiwan collects the pallets from factories around Kaohsiung or central Taiwan, checks the carton marking and pallet wrapping, and handles the export declaration.
We plan the load by weight against the US delivery route, book the container from Kaohsiung or Taichung, and file the ISF at least 24 hours before loading.
Sailings reach Los Angeles or Long Beach in roughly two to three weeks; New York and other ports are confirmed per sailing.
Our licensed customs brokers file the entry with the Section 232 lines, the melt country and any antidumping deposits, and file the non-reimbursement certificate.
Partner truckers deliver the container to your warehouse, or a partner warehouse near the ports transloads the pallets to domestic trailers for delivery anywhere in the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the import tariff on fasteners from Taiwan?
Are steel nails from Taiwan subject to antidumping duty?
How do I prove fasteners are made in Taiwan and not China?
How many pallets of fasteners fit in a 20ft container?
Do imported bolts need to be marked Made in Taiwan?
Does the Fastener Quality Act apply to imported bolts?
Fasteners is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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