Latest trade
$15.8BGlobal subsector valueHS4 subsector intelligence
Containers
HS4 8609 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
+57.9%Latest year on yearExporters
184Active reporting countriesImporters
199Active reporting countriesHS6 products
1Classifications inside HS4The subsector read
$15.8B in trade, with -6.9% annualized growth over three years.
Containers is recorded across 5,530 active corridors, with 184 exporters and 199 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 | ChinaCHN | China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG | $4.8B | -12.7% | 1 | 1,226 km | Yes |
| 2 | ChinaCHN | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $1.6B | -18.5% | 1 | 11,883 km | No |
| 3 | ChinaCHN | Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHE | $787.0M | +23.1% | 1 | 9,034 km | Yes |
| 4 | ChinaCHN | SingaporeSGP | $625.1M | +12.4% | 1 | 3,797 km | Yes |
| 5 | ChinaCHN | GermanyDEU | $529.9M | +3.5% | 1 | 8,415 km | No |
| 6 | GuyanaGUY | Trinidad and TobagoTTO | $503.0M | +1,604.8% | 1 | 565 km | Yes |
| 7 | ChinaCHN | DenmarkDNK | $497.0M | -33.6% | 1 | 8,271 km | No |
| 8 | ChinaCHN | JapanJPN | $382.4M | +42% | 1 | 1,763 km | No |
| 9 | ChinaCHN | United KingdomGBR | $369.7M | +7.4% | 1 | 9,217 km | No |
| 10 | ChinaCHN | FranceFRA | $321.3M | +5.5% | 1 | 9,284 km | No |
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 | $11.9B | 180 | 1 |
| 2 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $547.3M | 162 | 1 |
| 3 | GuyanaGUY | $510.7M | 32 | 1 |
| 4 | NetherlandsNLD | $263.4M | 143 | 1 |
| 5 | GermanyDEU | $244.1M | 154 | 1 |
| 6 | PolandPOL | $242.2M | 97 | 1 |
| 7 | ItalyITA | $188.4M | 141 | 1 |
| 8 | FranceFRA | $180.9M | 148 | 1 |
| 9 | United KingdomGBR | $172.3M | 130 | 1 |
| 10 | MexicoMEX | $118.3M | 59 | 1 |
| Rank | Country | Imports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG | $4.8B | 30 | 1 |
| 2 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $2.0B | 93 | 1 |
| 3 | Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHE | $871.1M | 60 | 1 |
| 4 | GermanyDEU | $829.8M | 92 | 1 |
| 5 | SingaporeSGP | $743.5M | 59 | 1 |
| 6 | DenmarkDNK | $534.4M | 49 | 1 |
| 7 | FranceFRA | $514.2M | 87 | 1 |
| 8 | Trinidad and TobagoTTO | $512.0M | 29 | 1 |
| 9 | United KingdomGBR | $487.7M | 72 | 1 |
| 10 | JapanJPN | $448.3M | 41 | 1 |
HS6 product coverage
The products inside HS4 8609
Six-digit classifications make the subsector specific. Browse the product workspace ↗
1 classifications shownContainers
Containers: (including containers for transport of fluids) specially designed and equipped for carriage by one or more modes of transportHS6 860900
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.