HS4 subsector intelligence

Paper and paperboard
HS4 4821 trade overview

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

HS4 48211995-2024 coverageStable
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
01

Latest trade

$6.0BGlobal subsector value
02

Annual change

+7.8%Latest year on year
03

Exporters

185Active reporting countries
04

Importers

200Active reporting countries
05

HS6 products

2Classifications inside HS4

The subsector read

$6.0B in trade, with +0.2% annualized growth over three years.

Paper and paperboard is recorded across 8,909 active corridors, with 185 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: $1.6B1996: $1.7B1997: $1.9B1998: $1.9B1999: $2.1B2000: $2.3B2001: $2.2B2002: $2.4B2003: $2.8B2004: $3.2B2005: $3.4B2006: $3.8B2007: $4.2B2008: $4.5B2009: $4.1B2010: $4.5B2011: $4.9B2012: $4.8B2013: $5.0B2014: $5.3B2015: $5.0B2016: $4.9B2017: $5.1B2018: $5.3B2019: $5.1B2020: $4.9B2021: $6.0B2022: $5.9B2023: $5.7B2024: $6.0B
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
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAMexicoMEX$245.0M+4%23,359 kmYes
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSACanadaCAN$189.6M+7.2%2556 kmYes
3CanadaCANUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$173.7M+5.6%2556 kmYes
4ChinaCHNViet NamVNM$166.4M-1.9%22,732 kmYes
5ChinaCHNChina, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$154.0M-8.9%21,226 kmYes
6MexicoMEXUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$120.6M+6.7%23,359 kmYes
7ChinaCHNUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$118.0M+6.3%211,883 kmNo
8ChinaCHNCambodiaKHM$94.8M+13.7%22,763 kmYes
9GhanaGHABeninBEN$89.4M-32.8%2441 kmYes
10GermanyDEUNetherlandsNLD$83.6M-1.7%2579 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
1ChinaCHN$1.3B1972
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$659.0M1632
3GermanyDEU$554.3M1662
4ItalyITA$308.0M1542
5NetherlandsNLD$251.0M1622
6China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$209.1M1542
7CanadaCAN$188.4M1362
8FranceFRA$184.7M1882
9PolandPOL$178.2M1232
10BelgiumBEL$160.3M1622
Top importers2024 ranking
RankCountryImportsPartnersHS6
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$548.6M1182
2GermanyDEU$346.9M1112
3MexicoMEX$304.1M682
4FranceFRA$286.4M1312
5Viet NamVNM$273.8M722
6NetherlandsNLD$235.0M1092
7CanadaCAN$226.5M1072
8United KingdomGBR$184.6M862
9China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$166.2M612
10BelgiumBEL$151.1M852

HS6 product coverage

The products inside HS4 4821

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

2 classifications shownPaper and paperboard
01
Paper and paperboard: labels or all kinds, printedHS6 482110
02
Paper and paperboard: labels of all kinds, unprintedHS6 482190

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.