HS4 subsector intelligence

Ethylene polymers
HS4 3915 trade overview

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

HS4 39151995-2024 coverageDeclining
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
01

Latest trade

$3.0BGlobal subsector value
02

Annual change

-4.6%Latest year on year
03

Exporters

175Active reporting countries
04

Importers

190Active reporting countries
05

HS6 products

4Classifications inside HS4

The subsector read

$3.0B in trade, with -3.5% annualized growth over three years.

Ethylene polymers is recorded across 3,240 active corridors, with 175 exporters and 190 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: $1.1B1996: $873.0M1997: $810.2M1998: $980.5M1999: $1.1B2000: $1.5B2001: $1.5B2002: $1.5B2003: $1.9B2004: $2.8B2005: $4.0B2006: $5.0B2007: $5.8B2008: $6.9B2009: $5.8B2010: $7.2B2011: $8.4B2012: $8.3B2013: $8.0B2014: $8.3B2015: $6.4B2016: $5.8B2017: $5.4B2018: $3.4B2019: $3.0B2020: $2.5B2021: $3.4B2022: $4.0B2023: $3.1B2024: $3.0B
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
1CanadaCANUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$82.8M-0.9%4556 kmYes
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSACanadaCAN$68.9M-8.9%4556 kmYes
3JapanJPNTaiwanTWN$68.6M+6.7%42,109 kmNo
4JapanJPNViet NamVNM$67.2M+1.4%44,327 kmYes
5JapanJPNMalaysiaMYS$65.3M-2.1%45,315 kmYes
6GermanyDEUNetherlandsNLD$51.4M-21.7%4579 kmYes
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAMexicoMEX$50.3M-0.6%43,359 kmYes
8MexicoMEXUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$44.8M-28.6%43,359 kmYes
9ThailandTHAUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$43.1M+100.6%413,951 kmNo
10NetherlandsNLDGermanyDEU$42.7M-1.5%4579 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$319.6M864
2JapanJPN$287.5M524
3USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$261.4M1084
4NetherlandsNLD$217.7M694
5United KingdomGBR$187.1M854
6BelgiumBEL$136.2M654
7FranceFRA$133.4M614
8CanadaCAN$99.7M424
9ItalyITA$85.5M754
10SpainESP$81.3M774
Top importers2024 ranking
RankCountryImportsPartnersHS6
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$342.7M814
2MalaysiaMYS$235.8M864
3GermanyDEU$209.1M774
4Viet NamVNM$199.0M664
5TurkeyTUR$175.7M754
6NetherlandsNLD$171.7M694
7TaiwanTWN$132.2M584
8BelgiumBEL$122.8M534
9SpainESP$115.5M864
10ItalyITA$107.2M644

HS6 product coverage

The products inside HS4 3915

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

4 classifications shownEthylene polymers
01
Ethylene polymers: waste, parings and scrapHS6 391510
02
Styrene polymers: waste, parings and scrapHS6 391520
03
Vinyl chloride polymers: waste, parings and scrapHS6 391530
04
Plastics n.e.c. in heading no. 3915: waste, parings and scrapHS6 391590

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.