HS4 subsector intelligence

Pigments
HS4 3212 trade overview

A focused view of this HS4 subsector: market scale, momentum, leading routes, countries, and the HS6 classifications inside it.

HS4 32121995-2024 coverageStable
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
01

Latest trade

$2.3BGlobal subsector value
02

Annual change

+6%Latest year on year
03

Exporters

152Active reporting countries
04

Importers

197Active reporting countries
05

HS6 products

2Classifications inside HS4

The subsector read

$2.3B in trade, with -2.7% annualized growth over three years.

Pigments is recorded across 4,743 active corridors, with 152 exporters and 197 importers.

Annual trend

Subsector momentum over time

Reported global trade from 1995 to 2024. Read the methodology ↗

Annual subsector tradeReported global trade from 1995 to 2024.1995: $775.7M1996: $801.2M1997: $908.8M1998: $1.0B1999: $1.3B2000: $1.5B2001: $1.5B2002: $1.5B2003: $1.5B2004: $1.7B2005: $1.8B2006: $2.0B2007: $2.3B2008: $2.4B2009: $2.0B2010: $2.4B2011: $2.5B2012: $2.4B2013: $2.5B2014: $2.4B2015: $2.2B2016: $2.3B2017: $2.3B2018: $2.4B2019: $2.3B2020: $2.0B2021: $2.5B2022: $2.4B2023: $2.2B2024: $2.3B
Reported global trade by year.

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
RankExporterImporterTrade valueGrowthHS6DistanceFTA
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAMexicoMEX$53.3M+10.7%23,359 kmYes
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSACanadaCAN$38.5M-5.7%2556 kmYes
3GermanyDEUItalyITA$36.0M-4.1%21,184 kmYes
4GermanyDEUChinaCHN$35.8M-12.7%28,415 kmNo
5JapanJPNChinaCHN$34.3M+0.6%21,763 kmNo
6GermanyDEUUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$33.9M-5.7%26,402 kmNo
7GermanyDEUFranceFRA$33.4M-7%2881 kmYes
8CanadaCANUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$33.3M+2.3%2556 kmYes
9USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAGermanyDEU$29.3M+2.4%26,402 kmNo
10GermanyDEUBelgiumBEL$27.9M-12.5%2653 kmYes

Market structure

Where supply and demand concentrate

Exporter and importer rankings show the two sides of the subsector separately. Check coverage ↗

Top exporters2024 ranking
RankCountryExportsPartnersHS6
1GermanyDEU$476.2M1562
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$215.5M1422
3ChinaCHN$197.6M1662
4JapanJPN$123.5M912
5FranceFRA$115.6M1342
6TaiwanTWN$113.2M1022
7ItalyITA$107.3M1372
8NetherlandsNLD$107.2M1272
9Republic of KoreaKOR$88.5M1072
10MalaysiaMYS$85.7M842
Top importers2024 ranking
RankCountryImportsPartnersHS6
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$214.5M592
2GermanyDEU$159.5M662
3ChinaCHN$157.1M562
4ItalyITA$102.3M532
5FranceFRA$95.6M682
6MexicoMEX$90.9M402
7BelgiumBEL$78.4M432
8IndiaIND$72.3M482
9PolandPOL$71.1M542
10SpainESP$68.8M592

HS6 product coverage

The products inside HS4 3212

Six-digit classifications make the subsector specific. Browse the product workspace ↗

2 classifications shownPigments
01
Pigments: of a kind used in the manufacture of paints, stamping foilsHS6 321210
02
Pigments: of a kind used in the manufacture of paints, other than stamping foilsHS6 321290

Definitions and coverage

Read the numbers with context

Reported observations and calculated indicators should be read with their coverage period. Responsible AI principles ↗

01

Reported values

Trade values describe reported merchandise trade for the HS4 classification, not company-level sales or shipment records.

02

Calculated indicators

Growth, concentration, volatility, and peak comparisons are calculated from reported observations.

03

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.