Latest trade
$6.9BGlobal subsector valueHS4 subsector intelligence
Pens
HS4 9608 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
-1.3%Latest year on yearExporters
185Active reporting countriesImporters
200Active reporting countriesHS6 products
8Classifications inside HS4The subsector read
$6.9B in trade, with +3.6% annualized growth over three years.
Pens is recorded across 8,756 active corridors, with 185 exporters and 200 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 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $431.6M | +7.6% | 8 | 11,883 km | No |
| 2 | MexicoMEX | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $322.1M | +9.5% | 8 | 3,359 km | Yes |
| 3 | JapanJPN | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $212.3M | -5.1% | 8 | 10,872 km | No |
| 4 | JapanJPN | ChinaCHN | $152.2M | -9.1% | 8 | 1,763 km | No |
| 5 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | MexicoMEX | $140.3M | +9.3% | 8 | 3,359 km | Yes |
| 6 | ChinaCHN | GermanyDEU | $132.0M | +7.2% | 8 | 8,415 km | No |
| 7 | ChinaCHN | MexicoMEX | $114.7M | +20.2% | 8 | 12,928 km | No |
| 8 | ChinaCHN | United KingdomGBR | $111.2M | +14.9% | 8 | 9,217 km | No |
| 9 | JapanJPN | FranceFRA | $90.8M | +2.4% | 8 | 9,736 km | Yes |
| 10 | ChinaCHN | RussiaRUS | $84.4M | -4.9% | 8 | 6,831 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 | $2.6B | 199 | 8 |
| 2 | JapanJPN | $879.6M | 159 | 8 |
| 3 | GermanyDEU | $699.5M | 181 | 8 |
| 4 | FranceFRA | $413.2M | 174 | 8 |
| 5 | MexicoMEX | $379.6M | 111 | 8 |
| 6 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $262.4M | 164 | 8 |
| 7 | IndiaIND | $229.5M | 185 | 8 |
| 8 | ItalyITA | $169.8M | 156 | 8 |
| 9 | CzechiaCZE | $110.1M | 133 | 8 |
| 10 | NetherlandsNLD | $107.1M | 172 | 8 |
| Rank | Country | Imports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $1.2B | 102 | 8 |
| 2 | FranceFRA | $411.4M | 110 | 8 |
| 3 | GermanyDEU | $403.4M | 102 | 8 |
| 4 | MexicoMEX | $351.2M | 59 | 8 |
| 5 | United KingdomGBR | $244.0M | 91 | 8 |
| 6 | ChinaCHN | $220.7M | 84 | 8 |
| 7 | ItalyITA | $190.7M | 67 | 8 |
| 8 | SpainESP | $172.8M | 90 | 8 |
| 9 | NetherlandsNLD | $169.9M | 89 | 8 |
| 10 | CanadaCAN | $166.1M | 97 | 8 |
HS6 product coverage
The products inside HS4 9608
Six-digit classifications make the subsector specific. Browse the product workspace ↗
10 classifications shownPens
Pens: ball pointHS6 960810
Pens: felt tipped and other porous-tipped pens and markersHS6 960820
Pens: fountain, stylograph and other pensHS6 960830
Pens: Indian ink drawing pensHS6 960831
Pens: fountain, stylograph and other pens, excluding Indian ink drawing pensHS6 960839
Pencils: propelling or slidingHS6 960840
Pen and pencil sets: of articles from two or more of the foregoing sub-headingsHS6 960850
Pens: ball-point, refills comprising the ball point and ink-reservoirHS6 960860
Pens: nibs and nib pointsHS6 960891
Pens and pencils n.e.c. in heading no. 9608: duplicating stylos, pen-holders, pencil-holders, and similar holders, parts of the articles of heading no. 9608HS6 960899
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.