# Caustic soda: Movement

Unlike chlorine, caustic sails the world as lye

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/caustic_soda/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 281511
 World exports $681.3 m 92 reporting exporters · about 1.17 m t Largest exporter China 33.8% of world exports Largest importer Indonesia 5.9% of world imports India imports $7.06 m
exports $163.0 m #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 281511: 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 281511: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | 33.8% | $230.6 m | 473k |
| **India** | 23.9% | $163.0 m | 341k |
| **France** | 5.2% | $35.4 m | 58k |
| **Thailand** | 4.7% | $32.0 m | 48k |
| **Poland** | 4.4% | $29.9 m | 42k |
| **Saudi Arabia** | 4% | $27.0 m | 47k |
| **Belgium** | 3.2% | $21.8 m | – |
| **Kuwait** | 2.8% | $19.3 m | 33k |

#### HS 281511: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Indonesia** | 5.9% | $54.9 m | – |
| **Nigeria** | 4.7% | $43.8 m | – |
| **Iraq** | 4.2% | $39.2 m | 25k |
| **United States** | 4% | $36.8 m | – |
| **DR Congo** | 3.5% | $32.6 m | 41k |
| **Uzbekistan** | 3.2% | $29.9 m | – |
| **Côte d'Ivoire** | 2.9% | $27.0 m | 47k |
| **Tanzania** | 2.8% | $26.2 m | – |

#### HS 281512: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **United States** | 28.3% | $1.19 bn | – |
| **China** | 18.4% | $776.8 m | 2.60 m |
| **Japan** | 8% | $339.5 m | 1.87 m |
| **Netherlands** | 8% | $336.1 m | 1.68 m |
| **Belgium** | 7.7% | $324.7 m | – |
| **South Korea** | 4.6% | $195.0 m | – |
| **France** | 3.6% | $154.0 m | – |
| **Saudi Arabia** | 3.5% | $146.5 m | 525k |

#### HS 281512: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Australia** | 20.1% | $1.12 bn | – |
| **Brazil** | 11.5% | $643.2 m | 2.43 m |
| **Indonesia** | 8.2% | $456.3 m | 1.40 m |
| **United States** | 5.3% | $295.3 m | 1.04 m |
| **Canada** | 4.1% | $229.3 m | 283k |
| **Finland** | 4% | $221.2 m | – |
| **Netherlands** | 3.9% | $219.0 m | – |
| **Sweden** | 3.6% | $203.6 m | 680k |

 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 10-12% of world output crosses borders (indicative) |  |  |
| **How it moves** | 50% liquid in coated or stainless-steel chemical tankers and barges; flakes and pearls in 25 kg bags or big bags for remote buyers. Liquid caustic freezes at about 12 C, so tanks are heated in cold climates. |  |  |
| **Routes and chokepoints** | US Gulf to Latin America and Europe; NE Asia to Australia, South-East Asia and India; Middle East to India and East Africa. Panama Canal and Strait of Hormuz matter for some flows. |  |  |
| **India** | India's imports are small and fell 33% in FY2024-25, while exports rose about 25% (TPL Directors' Report FY2025). In 2024 India was the second-largest exporter of solid caustic (HS 281511), $163 million or 23.9% of world export value, and exported $65 million of lye against $61 million of lye imports (HS 281512, UN Comtrade). Export offers were about $400/dmt fob in Oct 2025 (Argus). |  |  |
| **Handling in transit** | UN1823 (solid) and UN1824 (solution), class 8 corrosive, packing group II. |  |  |

## Other sections

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