Latest trade
$32.6BGlobal subsector valueHS4 subsector intelligence
Plastics
HS4 3921 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
-0.5%Latest year on yearExporters
184Active reporting countriesImporters
200Active reporting countriesHS6 products
6Classifications inside HS4The subsector read
$32.6B in trade, with -0.8% annualized growth over three years.
Plastics is recorded across 8,308 active corridors, with 184 exporters and 200 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 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | MexicoMEX | $1.3B | +7.2% | 6 | 3,359 km | Yes |
| 2 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | CanadaCAN | $671.0M | +6.3% | 6 | 556 km | Yes |
| 3 | CanadaCAN | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $637.7M | +1.7% | 6 | 556 km | Yes |
| 4 | JapanJPN | ChinaCHN | $548.1M | -8.9% | 6 | 1,763 km | No |
| 5 | ChinaCHN | Viet NamVNM | $512.2M | +5.2% | 6 | 2,732 km | Yes |
| 6 | Republic of KoreaKOR | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $384.1M | -0.2% | 6 | 11,077 km | Yes |
| 7 | JapanJPN | Republic of KoreaKOR | $373.4M | -7% | 5 | 1,155 km | No |
| 8 | GermanyDEU | PolandPOL | $360.5M | -0.1% | 6 | 518 km | Yes |
| 9 | GermanyDEU | FranceFRA | $353.1M | -1.7% | 6 | 881 km | Yes |
| 10 | Republic of KoreaKOR | ChinaCHN | $349.9M | -10% | 6 | 867 km | Yes |
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 | ChinaCHN | $4.4B | 199 | 6 |
| 2 | GermanyDEU | $3.9B | 171 | 6 |
| 3 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $3.5B | 166 | 6 |
| 4 | ItalyITA | $2.1B | 166 | 6 |
| 5 | JapanJPN | $1.9B | 128 | 6 |
| 6 | Republic of KoreaKOR | $1.6B | 142 | 6 |
| 7 | PolandPOL | $1.1B | 136 | 6 |
| 8 | FranceFRA | $985.0M | 165 | 6 |
| 9 | AustriaAUT | $909.8M | 147 | 6 |
| 10 | BelgiumBEL | $904.1M | 155 | 6 |
| Rank | Country | Imports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $3.3B | 107 | 6 |
| 2 | GermanyDEU | $2.3B | 110 | 6 |
| 3 | MexicoMEX | $2.2B | 85 | 6 |
| 4 | ChinaCHN | $1.8B | 87 | 6 |
| 5 | FranceFRA | $1.5B | 104 | 6 |
| 6 | PolandPOL | $1.2B | 81 | 6 |
| 7 | United KingdomGBR | $1.1B | 87 | 6 |
| 8 | NetherlandsNLD | $995.9M | 89 | 6 |
| 9 | CanadaCAN | $935.9M | 93 | 6 |
| 10 | Viet NamVNM | $924.2M | 62 | 6 |
HS6 product coverage
The products inside HS4 3921
Six-digit classifications make the subsector specific. Browse the product workspace ↗
6 classifications shownPlastics
Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of polymers of styrene, cellularHS6 392111
Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of polymers of vinyl chloride, cellularHS6 392112
Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of polyurethanes, cellularHS6 392113
Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of regenerated cellulose, cellularHS6 392114
Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of plastics n.e.c. in heading no. 3921, cellularHS6 392119
Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, other than cellularHS6 392190
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.