Benzene: Movement
Korea, India and the Gulf feed China's import gap
Korea, India and the Gulf feed China's import gap 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 290220
World exports $9.85 bn 45 reporting exporters · about 8.34 m t Largest exporter South Korea 30.5% of world exports Largest importer China 46.8% of world imports India imports $22kexports $1.46 bn #41 importer · #2 exporter
Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024
Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, HS 290220: shares of reported world exports and imports by value. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.HS 290220: largest exporters
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 30.5% | $3.01 bn | 3.03 m |
| India | 14.8% | $1.46 bn | – |
| Netherlands | 11.6% | $1.14 bn | 1.08 m |
| Brunei Darussalam | 5.5% | $545.2 m | 556k |
| Japan | 5.4% | $529.2 m | 543k |
| Thailand | 5.3% | $523.1 m | 508k |
| Germany | 4.6% | $456.0 m | 441k |
| Malaysia | 3% | $291.6 m | 300k |
HS 290220: largest importers
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 46.8% | $4.35 bn | 4.31 m |
| United States | 17.1% | $1.59 bn | 1.71 m |
| Saudi Arabia | 6.2% | $571.9 m | 573k |
| Belgium | 4.9% | $456.8 m | – |
| Netherlands | 4.4% | $407.1 m | 367k |
| Germany | 4.2% | $391.0 m | 373k |
| Portugal | 2.7% | $253.4 m | 239k |
| Italy | 2.5% | $235.5 m | 201k |
How it moves
| Measure | Figure | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Share traded | about 15-20% of output crosses borders (indicative); China's imports alone were about 5.6 Mt in 2025, about 10% of world demand (derived from OPIS shares) | ||
| How it moves | Liquid in chemical tankers (5,000-40,000 t parcels), barges and ISO tanks. Freezes at 5.5 C, so may need heating in cold weather. Usually made next to derivative units in integrated complexes. | ||
| Routes and chokepoints | Korea, Japan and India to China; Korea to the US Gulf when the arbitrage is open; Gulf producers to China and South Asia via Hormuz, disrupted from March 2026. | ||
| India | India exported 217,694 t of benzene to China in 2025 (OPIS). Official HS 290220 totals from DGCIS were not reached. | ||
| Handling in transit | UN1114, Class 3 flammable liquid, packing group II; carcinogen, so closed loading and vapour recovery are required. |