Trade route overview
See the latest reported exports, the products that need a closer look, and the conditions that may make this route harder to plan.
What this page shows
In 2024, South Africa reported $25.4B in goods exports to China. 96 product types are marked for closer review, covering 66.7% of reported exports. This is not a forecast and does not mean trade will stop. It shows where to look more closely at demand, annual changes, product mix, tariffs, and buyer-market conditions.
How to read this page
This page separates the size of the trade from the conditions worth checking and the product types that make up the route.
This is the reported value of goods exported from South Africa to China in the latest available year.
$25.4B in 2024It marks product types where one or more conditions deserve a closer look. It is not a prediction, a guaranteed loss, or a warning that trade will stop.
66.7% needs reviewEach row is one HS6 product code. HS6 is the international six-digit code used to describe and compare traded goods.
280 product typesStart with the products
Compare the products, their buyer-market size, and the conditions that deserve a closer look.
Export history
The latest twelve years of reported exports from South Africa to China. Bar lengths are relative to the highest year shown.
Why this route needs review
A dollar amount can appear in more than one row. These rows show the conditions linked to the route; they are not separate losses.
How to read the numbers
These measures describe yearly swings, the gap from the route's highest year, and how concentrated the product mix is.
Largest product
Product code HS6 710812 makes up 29.5% of exports from South Africa to China. The main reason to review it is: A small number of products or suppliers carry much of the route.
See product rowsProducts to review
Each row is one six-digit HS6 product code. Compare the buyer market's imports, the product's fall from its highest year, annual variation, and review level.
| Rank | Product and code | Buyer-market imports | Below product high | Yearly variation | Review level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)HS6 710812 - six-digit product code | $80.8B | 7.4% | 0.4 | Watch |
| 2 | Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomeratedHS6 260111 - six-digit product code | $111.0B | 26.8% | 0.7 | High attention |
| 3 | Chromium ores and concentratesHS6 261000 - six-digit product code | $4.3B | 0% | 0.9 | High attention |
| 4 | Manganese ores and concentrates, including ferruginous manganese ores and concentrates with a manganese content of 20% or more, calculated on the dry weightHS6 260200 - six-digit product code | $3.7B | 9.4% | 0.9 | High attention |
| 5 | Ferro-alloys: ferro-chromium, containing by weight more than 4% of carbonHS6 720241 - six-digit product code | $3.6B | 11.8% | 0.7 | High attention |
| 6 | Metals: gold, semi-manufacturedHS6 710813 - six-digit product code | $17.6B | 63.3% | 0.5 | Critical attention |
| 7 | Metals: platinum, unwrought or in powder formHS6 711011 - six-digit product code | $2.7B | 0% | 0.7 | High attention |
| 8 | Diamonds: non-industrial, (other than unworked or simply sawn, cleaved or bruted), but not mounted or setHS6 710239 - six-digit product code | $2.8B | 72.8% | 1 | High attention |
| 9 | Copper: unrefined, copper anodes for electrolytic refiningHS6 740200 - six-digit product code | $6.8B | 25.1% | 1.5 | High attention |
| 10 | Zirconium ores and concentratesHS6 261510 - six-digit product code | $1.1B | 0% | 0.8 | Watch |
Buyer-market imports are total imports of that product into the buyer market, not only exports from South Africa. "Below product high" compares current exports with that product's highest reported year. Yearly variation is a calculated measure. Swipe sideways on a small screen to see every column.
Trade route conditions
Distance, tariffs, trade agreements, the buyer economy, and business rules add context to the export total.
Questions about this page
Definitions and limits for the figures above.
High attention means one or more conditions on these product types deserve a closer look. It is not a prediction that trade will stop or that a loss is certain.
South Africa reported $25.4B in goods exports to China in 2024.
66.7% of reported route exports are linked to product types marked for closer review. This points to where to investigate further.
An HS6 code is the international six-digit code used to describe and compare traded goods.
The page shows yearly export changes, product concentration, tariffs, distance, trade-agreement coverage, buyer-economy context, and business setup time where reported.
No. These are reported or calculated observations, not forecasts or guarantees.
Explore next
Use these pages when you need more detail before making a market or route decision.
Continue your research
Use the workspace to investigate which products, buyer conditions, and routes deserve attention.
Data source
OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.