# Activated carbon: Movement

How Indian coconut shells end up in US water filters

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/movement/

What this tab covers How it moves between countries: share of output traded, physical form and transport, the largest exporters and importers, main routes, India's trade, and handling rules in transit.

#### Trade in 2024 UN Comtrade, HS 380210
 World exports $2.32 bn 97 reporting exporters · about 1.05 m t Largest exporter China 19.3% of world exports Largest importer United States 10.4% of world imports India imports $76.7 m
exports $306.3 m #10 importer · #3 exporter

#### Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024

Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
 Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, HS 380210: shares of reported world exports and imports by value. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.

#### HS 380210: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | 19.3% | $446.7 m | 317k |
| **United States** | 17.4% | $402.4 m | 64k |
| **India** | 13.2% | $306.3 m | 178k |
| **Belgium** | 8.4% | $195.4 m | – |
| **Sri Lanka** | 6.6% | $153.9 m | 60k |
| **Philippines** | 5.2% | $119.6 m | 207k |
| **Netherlands** | 4.9% | $113.0 m | 28k |
| **Germany** | 4.5% | $103.7 m | 53k |

#### HS 380210: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **United States** | 10.4% | $240.3 m | 89k |
| **Germany** | 8.2% | $191.2 m | 85k |
| **China** | 7.8% | $180.7 m | 48k |
| **South Korea** | 6.3% | $145.8 m | 59k |
| **Japan** | 6.2% | $144.2 m | 80k |
| **Mexico** | 4.6% | $107.7 m | 20k |
| **Belgium** | 4.5% | $104.0 m | – |
| **France** | 4.3% | $99.2 m | 46k |

 UN Comtrade 2024, reported by each country (exports by exporters, imports by importers), all partners. Some countries (for example Russia and Iran) do not report, so their shares are missing. HS codes can be broader than the tile: check the code before reading a share as the whole market.

#### How it moves

| Measure | Figure |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Share traded** | about 30% of output (indicative, basis: about 0.92 Mt annualised HS 380210 imports (ICC Jan-Sep 2025) against about 3 Mt indicative output) |  |  |
| **How it moves** | Granules and powders in 25 kg bags and 500 kg-1 t big bags, shipped in containers. High value per tonne makes long-distance trade economic. |  |  |
| **Routes and chokepoints** | South India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Indonesia to the US, Europe, Japan and Korea by container; China to Asia, the Middle East and Europe. |  |  |
| **India** | India exported $258.7 million (2021), $311.6 million (2022) and $242.2 million (2023) of HS 380210 (TrendEconomy), and $306 million (178 kt, 13.2% of world export value) in 2024 against $77 million of imports (UN Comtrade); top buyers in 2023 were the US (16%), Germany (6.2%), Russia (5.2%), Sri Lanka (5.1%) and Belgium (5.0%). Imports were $72.8 million (2023), 48% from China (TrendEconomy). |  |  |
| **Handling in transit** | UN1362 carbon, activated, class 4.2 (self-heating) unless tests show it is not; most commercial grades are shipped as non-hazardous after testing. Spent carbon may be hazardous waste depending on adsorbates. |  |  |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/trading/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/activated_carbon/links/index.md)