Electronic specialty gases: Movement
Why helium boils away in transit at 1% a day
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 281219
World exports $158.9 m 39 reporting exporters · about 16k t Largest exporter South Korea 32.9% of world exports Largest importer China 27.7% of world imports India imports $2.12 mexports $375k #8 importer · #12 exporter
Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024
Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, HS 281219: shares of reported world exports and imports by value. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.HS 281219: largest exporters
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 32.9% | $52.2 m | 227 |
| Japan | 21.7% | $34.5 m | 562 |
| Germany | 17.1% | $27.1 m | 8,794 |
| United States | 11.4% | $18.1 m | 442 |
| China | 8.1% | $12.9 m | 3,687 |
| Singapore | 4.6% | $7.30 m | 21.5 |
| Belgium | 2.1% | $3.33 m | 1,762 |
| France | 0.6% | $1.03 m | 5.43 |
HS 281219: largest importers
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 27.7% | $43.3 m | 504 |
| Singapore | 21.4% | $33.3 m | 109 |
| South Korea | 18.9% | $29.5 m | 1,270 |
| United States | 11.9% | $18.5 m | 6,390 |
| Japan | 7.8% | $12.1 m | 2,415 |
| Germany | 2.4% | $3.71 m | 1,867 |
| Belgium | 1.4% | $2.19 m | 1,341 |
| India | 1.4% | $2.12 m | 30.7 |
HS 281290: largest exporters
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 28.6% | $162.2 m | 6,805 |
| China | 20.2% | $114.3 m | 10k |
| United States | 18.7% | $105.9 m | 2,433 |
| Japan | 15.2% | $86.1 m | 2,603 |
| Germany | 6.6% | $37.6 m | 2,681 |
| France | 3% | $16.9 m | 881 |
| Singapore | 2.5% | $13.9 m | 198 |
| Malaysia | 1.5% | $8.36 m | 3,112 |
HS 281290: largest importers
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 16.6% | $63.5 m | 2,433 |
| Japan | 12.4% | $47.6 m | 1,862 |
| Singapore | 11.7% | $44.7 m | – |
| United States | 9.7% | $37.1 m | 4,150 |
| China | 6.8% | $26.0 m | 749 |
| Malaysia | 4.3% | $16.5 m | 3,104 |
| Spain | 4.2% | $16.0 m | 1,837 |
| Germany | 4% | $15.5 m | 552 |
How it moves
| Measure | Figure | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Share traded | high for specialty gases, which are made in a few countries and shipped to fab clusters; low for bulk gases, made on site (TECHCET 2025) | ||
| How it moves | Cylinders, tube trailers and ISO containers; liquid helium in 40-ft cryogenic ISO containers that boil off about 1% a day; toxic hydrides in sub-atmospheric cylinders | ||
| Routes and chokepoints | Korea and Japan to Taiwan, China and the US; China outward; Qatar and US helium via Hormuz and US Gulf ports. HS 281219 and 281290 for halides. | ||
| India | India imports all specialty gases and helium; HS 281219, 281290 and 280429 figures. HS 281219: India imported $2 million (1.4% of world imports, rank 8) and exported $375 thousand (0.2% of world exports, rank 12); HS 281290: India imported $2 million (0.5% of world imports, rank 25) and exported $359 thousand (0.1% of world exports, rank 21) (UN Comtrade 2024). | ||
| Handling in transit | NF3 UN2451, class 2.2 with oxidiser subsidiary; WF6 UN2196, class 2.3 toxic and corrosive; silane UN2203, class 2.1 (pyrophoric); arsine UN2188, class 2.3; helium UN1046/UN1963. |