HS4 subsector intelligence

Printed matter
HS4 4903 trade overview

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

HS4 49031995-2024 coverageDeclining
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
01

Latest trade

$1.5BGlobal subsector value
02

Annual change

+4.3%Latest year on year
03

Exporters

161Active reporting countries
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Importers

193Active reporting countries
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HS6 products

1Classifications inside HS4

The subsector read

$1.5B in trade, with -3.6% annualized growth over three years.

Printed matter is recorded across 4,165 active corridors, with 161 exporters and 193 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: $376.7M1996: $355.3M1997: $380.2M1998: $363.2M1999: $433.6M2000: $417.1M2001: $446.2M2002: $484.6M2003: $479.8M2004: $495.3M2005: $559.4M2006: $573.5M2007: $730.8M2008: $889.8M2009: $800.7M2010: $941.3M2011: $1.1B2012: $1.1B2013: $1.1B2014: $1.1B2015: $1.0B2016: $1.1B2017: $1.0B2018: $1.2B2019: $1.3B2020: $1.4B2021: $1.7B2022: $1.6B2023: $1.4B2024: $1.5B
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
1ChinaCHNUSA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$449.7M-3.6%111,883 kmNo
2ChinaCHNChina, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$116.2M-5.1%11,226 kmYes
3ChinaCHNUnited KingdomGBR$81.9M+3.2%19,217 kmNo
4ChinaCHNFranceFRA$38.8M+12.6%19,284 kmNo
5ChinaCHNCanadaCAN$35.8M-1.2%111,441 kmNo
6ChinaCHNGermanyDEU$35.1M+4.6%18,415 kmNo
7ChinaCHNNetherlandsNLD$31.3M+15.5%18,894 kmNo
8PolandPOLGermanyDEU$27.6M-26.6%1518 kmYes
9ChinaCHNAustraliaAUS$26.7M+5.7%18,024 kmYes
10ChinaCHNRepublic of KoreaKOR$25.2M-12%1867 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$1.0B1751
2GermanyDEU$72.8M1171
3PolandPOL$47.2M811
4China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$35.4M1031
5USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$29.4M1371
6IndiaIND$28.9M1311
7United KingdomGBR$28.0M1341
8CzechiaCZE$26.4M581
9ItalyITA$22.3M1031
10NetherlandsNLD$20.5M861
Top importers2024 ranking
RankCountryImportsPartnersHS6
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$499.1M761
2China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$117.8M281
3United KingdomGBR$108.3M541
4GermanyDEU$100.1M1011
5FranceFRA$73.3M721
6CanadaCAN$58.2M881
7NetherlandsNLD$51.2M601
8PolandPOL$40.3M611
9AustraliaAUS$33.9M401
10JapanJPN$32.1M281

HS6 product coverage

The products inside HS4 4903

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

1 classifications shownPrinted matter
01
Printed matter: children\'s picture, drawing or colouring booksHS6 490300

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.