# Benzene: Movement

Korea, India and the Gulf feed China's import gap

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

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 $22k
exports $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 |

 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 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. |  |  |

## Other sections

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