If you’ve shopped for a new D.I.D, Regina, RK, or EK chain lately, you’ve probably noticed it: prices are up. What used to be a standard maintenance item now feels like a serious purchase. In many cases, chains cost significantly more than they did just a couple of years ago.
This isn’t a case of brands getting greedy. The reality is that global economics, trade policy, and manufacturing costs have all changed — and chains sit right in the middle of it. Here’s what’s going on.
Tariffs + Steel = Higher Base Cost
Most premium chains are made overseas and are composed almost entirely of high-tensile steel. In 2025, the U.S. expanded and increased tariffs on imported steel and certain steel-containing products. Depending on the country of origin and how the product is classified at customs, chains and their components may now carry significantly higher import duty than before.
That cost gets added before the chain ever reaches a distributor or dealer. Some brands have absorbed part of it. Many haven’t been able to — because they’d lose money doing so.
So the starting price is simply higher than it used to be.
Raw Materials Aren’t Cheap Anymore
Even without tariffs, the ingredients that make a quality chain cost more today:
High-tensile alloy steel pricing has been volatile and generally elevated
O-rings and X-rings are petroleum-based polymers — so they follow energy costs
So the price climbs before manufacturing even begins.
Manufacturing Costs Have Gone Up Too
Chains aren’t simple parts. Premium chains go through:
Stamping
Heat treating
Shot peening
Surface finishing
Assembly / riveting
Inspection and testing
All of that takes energy, equipment, and skilled labor.
In key manufacturing regions like Japan and Europe, industrial energy and labor remain higher than pre-2022 levels. When it costs more to operate the factory, the price of the finished part has to go up.
Sealed Chains Are Now the Norm
There’s also been a shift in what riders — and OEMs — expect.
Most chains sold today are sealed O-ring, X-ring, or Z-ring designs. These last longer, hold lubrication better, and perform far beyond old-school unsealed chains. But they’re also:
More complex
More precise
More expensive to produce
And because demand for cheap unsealed chains has dropped, the “budget baseline” has basically disappeared. The standard replacement chain today is simply a higher-spec product than it used to be.
So What Does This Mean for Riders?
Sealed Chains Are Now the Norm
There’s also been a shift in what riders — and OEMs — expect.
Most chains sold today are sealed O-ring, X-ring, or Z-ring designs. These last longer, hold lubrication better, and perform far beyond old-school unsealed chains. But they’re also:
More complex
More precise
More expensive to produce
And because demand for cheap unsealed chains has dropped, the “budget baseline” has basically disappeared. The standard replacement chain today is simply a higher-spec product than it used to be.
