Latest trade
$9.4BGlobal sector valueHS2 sector intelligence
Lead
sector trade overview
A clear view of the lead economy: scale, momentum, market concentration, leading routes, and the products within it.
Explore the workspace Reported trade intelligence
Refreshed 2026-07-20
Refreshed 2026-07-20
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
Annual change
-2.7%Latest year on yearExporters
178Active reporting countriesImporters
193Active reporting countriesHS6 products
8Classifications in sectorThe sector read
$9.4B in trade, with +1.7% annualized growth over three years.
Lead is recorded across 3,655 active corridors, with 178 exporters and 193 importers in the latest available year.
Market signalStable+4.1% five-year CAGR
Annual trend
Momentum across three decades
Reported global trade from 1995 to 2024. Missing years remain unavailable rather than estimated. Read the methodology ↗
Top trade corridors
Where this sector moves
The leading exporter-to-importer relationships by latest reported sector trade value. See data sources ↗
Latest reported relationshipsTop 10 by trade value
| Rank | Exporter | Importer | Trade value | Growth | HS6 | Distance | FTA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CanadaCAN | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $354.3M | -7.8% | 8 | 556 km | Yes |
| 2 | AustraliaAUS | United KingdomGBR | $350.5M | -7.5% | 3 | 16,898 km | No |
| 3 | IndiaIND | SingaporeSGP | $287.6M | +481.6% | 4 | 4,145 km | Yes |
| 4 | Republic of KoreaKOR | IndiaIND | $242.4M | +18.1% | 5 | 4,692 km | Yes |
| 5 | IndiaIND | Republic of KoreaKOR | $237.4M | -0.8% | 6 | 4,692 km | Yes |
| 6 | Republic of KoreaKOR | Viet NamVNM | $226.1M | -0.7% | 6 | 3,599 km | Yes |
| 7 | MalaysiaMYS | IndiaIND | $204.7M | +63% | 7 | 3,834 km | Yes |
| 8 | BelgiumBEL | GermanyDEU | $169.0M | +2.4% | 8 | 653 km | Yes |
| 9 | MexicoMEX | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $152.6M | -2.3% | 6 | 3,359 km | Yes |
| 10 | MalaysiaMYS | ChinaCHN | $132.8M | +67.5% | 7 | 3,737 km | Yes |
Market structure
Where supply and demand concentrate
Exporter and importer rankings are separated so scale on one side of the market is not mistaken for demand on the other. Check coverage ↗
Top exporters2024 ranking
| Rank | Country | Exports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IndiaIND | $874.6M | 91 | 8 |
| 2 | AustraliaAUS | $795.9M | 64 | 8 |
| 3 | Republic of KoreaKOR | $761.0M | 60 | 8 |
| 4 | United KingdomGBR | $591.4M | 107 | 8 |
| 5 | GermanyDEU | $528.8M | 126 | 8 |
| 6 | MalaysiaMYS | $414.3M | 47 | 8 |
| 7 | CanadaCAN | $366.8M | 50 | 8 |
| 8 | BelgiumBEL | $366.8M | 77 | 8 |
| 9 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $283.3M | 129 | 8 |
| 10 | BulgariaBGR | $280.2M | 24 | 8 |
Top importers2024 ranking
| Rank | Country | Imports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IndiaIND | $1.1B | 116 | 8 |
| 2 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $921.8M | 73 | 8 |
| 3 | GermanyDEU | $603.2M | 66 | 8 |
| 4 | Viet NamVNM | $544.4M | 40 | 8 |
| 5 | SingaporeSGP | $506.6M | 43 | 8 |
| 6 | ChinaCHN | $444.4M | 66 | 8 |
| 7 | Republic of KoreaKOR | $427.3M | 57 | 8 |
| 8 | United KingdomGBR | $416.8M | 47 | 8 |
| 9 | CzechiaCZE | $379.5M | 43 | 8 |
| 10 | ItalyITA | $291.2M | 57 | 8 |
HS6 product coverage
The classifications inside this sector
Explore the six-digit product classifications that make up HS2 78.
10 classifications shownBrowse the product workspace ↗
Lead: unwrought, refinedHS6 780110
Lead: unwrought, unrefined, containing by weight antimony as the principal other elementHS6 780191
Lead: unwrought, unrefined, not containing by weight antimony as the principal other elementHS6 780199
Lead: waste and scrapHS6 780200
Lead: bars, rods, profiles and wireHS6 780300
Lead: sheets, strip and foil, of a thickness (excluding any backing) not exceeding 0.2mmHS6 780411
Lead: plates, sheets, strip and foil, of a thickness (excluding any backing) exceeding 0.2mmHS6 780419
Lead: powders and flakesHS6 780420
Lead: tubes, pipes and tube or pipe fittings (eg couplings, elbows, and sleeves)HS6 780500
Lead: articles n.e.c. in chapter 78HS6 780600
Definitions and coverage
Read the numbers with context
Clear definitions keep reported observations and calculated indicators in their proper context. Read our Responsible AI principles ↗
Reported values
Trade values describe reported merchandise trade for the HS2 classification. They are not company-level sales, retail quotes, or shipment records.
Calculated indicators
Growth, concentration, volatility, and peak comparisons are calculated from reported observations and should be read with their coverage period.
Missing data
A missing observation remains unavailable. It is not filled, interpolated, or presented as a forecast.
Coverage: 1995–2024 · Data refreshed 2026-07-20 09:34:08
Data source
OECD trade statistics with CEPII context
OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-27). 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.