USA axe imports by country (2013)

S

Steve Tall

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Aug 28, 2010
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Trade statistics are available from the UN Comtrade site, including a category for "Axes, billhooks, and similar hewing tools". Here are the top suppliers (by weight) to the USA listed for this category in 2013:


China $22,729,389 Weight in kilograms 5,578,391

Mexico $7,494,345 Weight in kilograms 1,839,310

India $6,754,736 Weight in kilograms 1,657,790

Finland $4,664,715 Weight in kilograms 1,144,844

Other Asia, nes $2,970,224 Weight in kilograms 728,971

Sweden $1,447,212 Weight in kilograms 355,184


These results show that Finland (Fiskars mainly) supplies about three times the amount of axes (and billhooks), by weight, compared to what Sweden sends to the USA, but Sweden and Finland when combined are still supplying less than India. Mexico supplies more than India, but they are in the same ballpark. China supplies about three times what Mexico supplies.

Out of curiosity I calculated the reported value per weight ($/kg) for the axes for each of these countries, and the result was $4.07 per kg for all of them. In other words, a ton of axes from Sweden is assigned the same value as a ton of axes from China. For this reason, I am focusing on the weights, not the reported values.


http://comtrade.un.org/data/
1. Frequency: Annual
2. Classification: HS As reported
3. Select desired data
Periods (year): 2013
Reporters: USA
Partners: All
Trade flows: All
HS (as reported) commodity codes:
820140: Axes, billhooks, and similar hewing tools
 
Good question. I'd guess we're in there with Finland. Who's left here besides Council? TT is now making their True Americans here but out of Chinese steel. I think Vaughan is still making some stuff here. Other than that it's small hawk makers and such.
 
Snow & Nealley. The new US heads were available in a couple places I e-mailed to ask .... though I suppose they could be US made of foreign steel. I don't know.

Do you suppose the India and "other Asia" tools are knives/machetes of some kind?
 
The price data is really suspect, as you noted. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say most of it is incorrect. The actual weights from each country are probably correct.

Maybe they are reporting the value of the steel???
 
Liberatus1 said:
Estwing is here right?
Click to expand...

Yes, and Barco too.

Bo T said:
The price data is really suspect, as you noted. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say most of it is incorrect. The actual weights from each country are probably correct. Maybe they are reporting the value of the steel???
Click to expand...

Yeah, it doesn't make sense. Less than $2 a pound for an axe, regardless of whether it's from Sweden or China?
 
Considering all those imports from China, and the potential for "dumping", there was a law in the USA that allowed the affected manufacturers to file complaints and "non-US firms which sell below cost price in the US can be fined, and the money given to the US companies who made the complaint... (Wikipedia)"

This law (called the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 or CDSOA, or The Byrd Amendment) was in place from 2000 until 2006 or so, and during this time Ames True Temper and Council Tool (among others) reportedly got some money as a result of their claims. Some examples below.

Ames True Temper
2004: $782,043 disbursed as result of their claim.
2005: $691,166

Council Tool
2004: $816,052
2005: $660,293

As reported in Heavy Forged Hand Tools from China, by Jerald Tepper, et.al., U.S. International Trade Commission, 2006, page I-11
http://books.google.com/books?id=GZQ3Pp5SIyYC&lpg=PP1&pg=SL9-PA11#v=onepage&q&f=false
 
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