Latest trade
$20.2MGlobal subsector valueHS4 subsector intelligence
Cobalt ores and concentrates
HS4 2605 trade overview
A focused view of this HS4 subsector: market scale, momentum, leading routes, countries, and the HS6 classifications inside it.
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
Annual change
-63%Latest year on yearExporters
58Active reporting countriesImporters
64Active reporting countriesHS6 products
1Classifications inside HS4The subsector read
$20.2M in trade, with -31.2% annualized growth over three years.
Cobalt ores and concentrates is recorded across 180 active corridors, with 58 exporters and 64 importers.
Annual trend
Subsector momentum over time
Reported global trade from 1995 to 2024. Read the methodology ↗
Top trade corridors
Where the subsector moves
Leading exporter-to-importer relationships by latest reported value. See data sources ↗
Latest reported relationshipsTop 10 by trade value
| Rank | Exporter | Importer | Trade value | Growth | HS6 | Distance | FTA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the CongoCOD | United Arab EmiratesARE | $8.0M | +23.7% | 1 | 5,422 km | No |
| 2 | ItalyITA | FranceFRA | $3.9M | +89.2% | 1 | 1,106 km | Yes |
| 3 | LaosLAO | TaiwanTWN | $3.1M | +0% | 1 | 2,102 km | No |
| 4 | Democratic Republic of the CongoCOD | ChinaCHN | $1.7M | -64.9% | 1 | 11,798 km | No |
| 5 | TaiwanTWN | ChinaCHN | $752.5K | +63.3% | 1 | 688 km | No |
| 6 | ZambiaZMB | ChinaCHN | $644.1K | +163.7% | 1 | 11,183 km | No |
| 7 | ZambiaZMB | South AfricaZAF | $286.7K | +107.1% | 1 | 1,195 km | Yes |
| 8 | NetherlandsNLD | BelgiumBEL | $146.2K | -23.3% | 1 | 174 km | Yes |
| 9 | Republic of KoreaKOR | South AfricaZAF | $145.1K | +5.3% | 1 | 12,483 km | No |
| 10 | United KingdomGBR | United Arab EmiratesARE | $121.8K | +6.2% | 1 | 5,477 km | No |
Market structure
Where supply and demand concentrate
Exporter and importer rankings show the two sides of the subsector separately. Check coverage ↗
| Rank | Country | Exports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the CongoCOD | $9.7M | 5 | 1 |
| 2 | ItalyITA | $3.9M | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | LaosLAO | $3.1M | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | ZambiaZMB | $931.5K | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | TaiwanTWN | $771.0K | 4 | 1 |
| 6 | United KingdomGBR | $436.2K | 14 | 1 |
| 7 | NetherlandsNLD | $310.0K | 10 | 1 |
| 8 | Republic of KoreaKOR | $157.2K | 6 | 1 |
| 9 | GermanyDEU | $144.6K | 5 | 1 |
| 10 | AustriaAUT | $109.0K | 3 | 1 |
| Rank | Country | Imports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab EmiratesARE | $8.1M | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | FranceFRA | $3.9M | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | ChinaCHN | $3.1M | 10 | 1 |
| 4 | TaiwanTWN | $3.1M | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | South AfricaZAF | $431.8K | 4 | 1 |
| 6 | FinlandFIN | $240.7K | 19 | 1 |
| 7 | BelgiumBEL | $161.4K | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | MalaysiaMYS | $157.5K | 7 | 1 |
| 9 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $131.9K | 4 | 1 |
| 10 | NetherlandsNLD | $121.5K | 6 | 1 |
HS6 product coverage
The products inside HS4 2605
Six-digit classifications make the subsector specific. Browse the product workspace ↗
1 classifications shownCobalt ores and concentrates
Cobalt ores and concentratesHS6 260500
Definitions and coverage
Read the numbers with context
Reported observations and calculated indicators should be read with their coverage period. Responsible AI principles ↗
Reported values
Trade values describe reported merchandise trade for the HS4 classification, not company-level sales or shipment records.
Calculated indicators
Growth, concentration, volatility, and peak comparisons are calculated from reported observations.
Missing data
Unavailable observations remain unavailable. They are not filled, interpolated, or presented as forecasts.
Coverage: 1995-2024 · Data refreshed 2026-07-20 09:34:09
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.