HS4 subsector intelligence

Steel, stainless
HS4 7221 trade overview

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

HS4 72211995-2024 coverageDeclining
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
01

Latest trade

$1.8BGlobal subsector value
02

Annual change

-3.1%Latest year on year
03

Exporters

99Active reporting countries
04

Importers

162Active reporting countries
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HS6 products

1Classifications inside HS4

The subsector read

$1.8B in trade, with -9.8% annualized growth over three years.

Steel, stainless is recorded across 1,189 active corridors, with 99 exporters and 162 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: $906.0M1996: $726.2M1997: $813.3M1998: $707.7M1999: $701.9M2000: $916.5M2001: $742.9M2002: $793.5M2003: $960.4M2004: $1.4B2005: $1.5B2006: $2.0B2007: $2.9B2008: $2.5B2009: $1.1B2010: $2.1B2011: $2.5B2012: $2.0B2013: $1.9B2014: $2.2B2015: $1.8B2016: $1.6B2017: $1.9B2018: $2.0B2019: $1.7B2020: $1.5B2021: $2.4B2022: $2.8B2023: $1.8B2024: $1.8B
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
1FranceFRAItalyITA$106.0M-10.7%11,106 kmYes
2ItalyITASwitzerland, LiechtensteinCHE$100.2M-9.3%1684 kmYes
3TaiwanTWNChinaCHN$70.1M+10%1688 kmNo
4JapanJPNChinaCHN$66.7M-15%11,763 kmNo
5TaiwanTWNRepublic of KoreaKOR$62.8M+1.3%11,487 kmNo
6ChinaCHNViet NamVNM$59.6M-12.1%12,732 kmYes
7SwedenSWEGermanyDEU$45.1M-10%1811 kmYes
8TaiwanTWNThailandTHA$44.5M-3%12,524 kmNo
9SpainESPItalyITA$44.4M-27.3%11,366 kmYes
10FranceFRAGermanyDEU$39.3M-9%1881 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
1TaiwanTWN$327.1M361
2ChinaCHN$230.2M1081
3ItalyITA$228.5M501
4JapanJPN$210.9M251
5FranceFRA$180.5M481
6SwedenSWE$130.6M411
7IndiaIND$112.3M741
8SpainESP$83.7M291
9Republic of KoreaKOR$83.2M251
10United KingdomGBR$44.8M541
Top importers2024 ranking
RankCountryImportsPartnersHS6
1GermanyDEU$233.7M281
2ItalyITA$224.0M281
3ChinaCHN$184.7M201
4USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$145.5M231
5Republic of KoreaKOR$141.9M141
6Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHE$125.1M191
7Viet NamVNM$107.7M81
8ThailandTHA$105.1M151
9CzechiaCZE$82.2M171
10MalaysiaMYS$42.8M211

HS6 product coverage

The products inside HS4 7221

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

1 classifications shownSteel, stainless
01
Steel, stainless: bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coilsHS6 722100

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.