HS4 subsector intelligence

Sewing thread
HS4 5508 trade overview

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

HS4 55081995-2024 coverageDeclining
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
01

Latest trade

$606.1MGlobal subsector value
02

Annual change

-2.5%Latest year on year
03

Exporters

136Active reporting countries
04

Importers

190Active reporting countries
05

HS6 products

2Classifications inside HS4

The subsector read

$606.1M in trade, with -4.4% annualized growth over three years.

Sewing thread is recorded across 2,562 active corridors, with 136 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: $530.2M1996: $566.1M1997: $593.8M1998: $583.8M1999: $599.8M2000: $631.9M2001: $624.5M2002: $624.3M2003: $638.3M2004: $683.9M2005: $678.8M2006: $752.8M2007: $765.0M2008: $788.0M2009: $662.8M2010: $752.8M2011: $896.8M2012: $786.7M2013: $800.9M2014: $772.9M2015: $707.8M2016: $638.6M2017: $630.2M2018: $683.7M2019: $644.9M2020: $560.1M2021: $693.7M2022: $722.2M2023: $584.6M2024: $606.1M
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
1ChinaCHNViet NamVNM$42.4M-3.2%22,732 kmYes
2ChinaCHNRussiaRUS$29.0M+13.8%26,831 kmNo
3ChinaCHNCambodiaKHM$25.4M+1.7%22,763 kmYes
4EgyptEGYTurkeyTUR$19.5M-7.2%21,235 kmYes
5ChinaCHNBangladeshBGD$16.2M-19.8%23,168 kmNo
6ChinaCHNKyrgyzstanKGZ$14.1M+57.7%14,304 kmNo
7ChinaCHNIran (Islamic Republic of)IRN$13.3M+10.7%26,390 kmNo
8ChinaCHNGhanaGHA$13.2M+8%112,666 kmNo
9ChinaCHNIndonesiaIDN$12.7M-9.3%24,425 kmYes
10ChinaCHNNigeriaNGA$9.7M-9.8%212,241 kmNo

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$381.0M1802
2TurkeyTUR$22.7M1072
3EgyptEGY$22.0M252
4GermanyDEU$15.5M862
5USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$13.2M892
6Viet NamVNM$12.4M402
7Republic of KoreaKOR$11.3M662
8China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$11.2M592
9IndonesiaIDN$10.0M532
10HondurasHND$7.5M82
Top importers2024 ranking
RankCountryImportsPartnersHS6
1Viet NamVNM$57.0M292
2CambodiaKHM$38.5M182
3RussiaRUS$30.9M162
4TurkeyTUR$28.3M412
5BangladeshBGD$24.8M212
6IndonesiaIDN$18.2M312
7GermanyDEU$15.1M502
8MexicoMEX$14.3M212
9KyrgyzstanKGZ$14.1M62
10Iran (Islamic Republic of)IRN$13.5M32

HS6 product coverage

The products inside HS4 5508

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

2 classifications shownSewing thread
01
Sewing thread: of synthetic staple fibres, whether or not put up for retail saleHS6 550810
02
Sewing thread: of artificial staple fibres, whether or not put up for retail saleHS6 550820

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.