# Electronic specialty gases: Movement

Why helium boils away in transit at 1% a day

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/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 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 m
exports $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 |

 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** | 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. |  |  |

## Other sections

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