HS4 subsector intelligence

Plastics
HS4 3917 trade overview

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

HS4 39171995-2024 coverageStable
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
01

Latest trade

$33.5BGlobal subsector value
02

Annual change

+0.3%Latest year on year
03

Exporters

198Active reporting countries
04

Importers

200Active reporting countries
05

HS6 products

10Classifications inside HS4

The subsector read

$33.5B in trade, with +1.6% annualized growth over three years.

Plastics is recorded across 10,722 active corridors, with 198 exporters and 200 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: $5.0B1996: $5.3B1997: $5.6B1998: $5.8B1999: $6.4B2000: $6.9B2001: $6.8B2002: $7.4B2003: $8.8B2004: $10.8B2005: $12.0B2006: $14.2B2007: $17.3B2008: $19.4B2009: $16.0B2010: $17.9B2011: $21.2B2012: $21.6B2013: $23.0B2014: $23.9B2015: $21.9B2016: $21.8B2017: $23.9B2018: $26.6B2019: $26.4B2020: $26.2B2021: $31.9B2022: $33.8B2023: $33.3B2024: $33.5B
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$1.5B+10.8%103,359 kmYes
2CanadaCANUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$744.7M+8.5%10556 kmYes
3MexicoMEXUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$735.1M+6.8%103,359 kmYes
4USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSACanadaCAN$647.0M+0.1%10556 kmYes
5ChinaCHNUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$595.0M-2.4%1011,883 kmNo
6Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHEGermanyDEU$352.4M+1.2%10674 kmYes
7GermanyDEUNetherlandsNLD$332.6M-2%10579 kmYes
8GermanyDEUSwitzerland, LiechtensteinCHE$322.8M-0.6%10674 kmYes
9GermanyDEUCzechiaCZE$316.1M-2.3%10280 kmYes
10GermanyDEUPolandPOL$312.9M-4.4%10518 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$4.6B18510
2ChinaCHN$4.3B19910
3USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$4.0B17910
4ItalyITA$2.0B17710
5PolandPOL$1.1B15810
6CzechiaCZE$1.0B15910
7United KingdomGBR$968.7M17410
8FranceFRA$960.2M17910
9SpainESP$950.2M17110
10MexicoMEX$949.1M13710
Top importers2024 ranking
RankCountryImportsPartnersHS6
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$3.9B12810
2GermanyDEU$2.6B11710
3MexicoMEX$2.1B9710
4FranceFRA$1.5B12310
5ChinaCHN$1.1B10910
6CanadaCAN$941.1M10910
7NetherlandsNLD$867.7M10210
8ItalyITA$828.9M8310
9PolandPOL$808.4M9910
10United KingdomGBR$780.2M9810

HS6 product coverage

The products inside HS4 3917

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

10 classifications shownPlastics
01
Plastics: artificial guts (sausage casings) of hardened protein or of cellulosic materialsHS6 391710
02
Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, rigid, of polymers of ethyleneHS6 391721
03
Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, rigid, of polymers of propyleneHS6 391722
04
Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, rigid, of polymers of vinyl chlorideHS6 391723
05
Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, rigid, of plastics n.e.c. in heading no. 3917HS6 391729
06
Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, flexible, having a minimum burst pressure of 27.6MPaHS6 391731
07
Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, other than those of item no. 3917.31, not reinforced or otherwise combined with other materials, without fittingsHS6 391732
08
Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, other than those of item no. 3917.31, not reinforced or otherwise combined with other materials, with fittingsHS6 391733
09
Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, n.e.s. in item no. 3917.30HS6 391739
10
Plastics: tube, pipe and hose fittings (e.g. joints, elbows, flanges)HS6 391740

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.