# Pharmaceutical excipients: Movement

Why India is the world's top importer of cellulose ethers

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

Why India is the world's top importer of cellulose ethers 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 391239
 World exports $3.00 bn 100 reporting exporters · about 498k t Largest exporter Germany 25.8% of world exports Largest importer India 13.9% of world imports India imports $396.2 m
exports $16.9 m #1 importer · #10 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 391239: 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 391239: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Germany** | 25.8% | $773.9 m | 115k |
| **China** | 17% | $510.1 m | 180k |
| **United States** | 16.6% | $500.0 m | 35k |
| **South Korea** | 12.7% | $380.3 m | 69k |
| **Japan** | 7.3% | $218.7 m | 14k |
| **Belgium** | 7.2% | $216.5 m | 26k |
| **Netherlands** | 4.2% | $125.0 m | 19k |
| **Sweden** | 3.8% | $115.5 m | 24k |

#### HS 391239: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **India** | 13.9% | $396.2 m | 59k |
| **United States** | 8.7% | $248.6 m | 33k |
| **China** | 5.7% | $163.8 m | 16k |
| **Türkiye** | 4.7% | $135.4 m | 29k |
| **Germany** | 4.5% | $127.4 m | 12k |
| **Italy** | 3.8% | $108.2 m | 15k |
| **Brazil** | 3.7% | $106.4 m | 20k |
| **France** | 3.7% | $105.6 m | 13k |

 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** | not published |  |  |
| **How it moves** | Powders in bags and drums by container |  |  |
| **Routes and chokepoints** | Europe and US to Asia; Asian MCC to the world. HS 391239 (cellulose ethers) and other codes. |  |  |
| **India** | not published here; trade data. HS 391239: India imported $396 million (13.9% of world imports, rank 1) and exported $17 million (0.6% of world exports, rank 10) (UN Comtrade 2024). |  |  |
| **Handling in transit** | Not dangerous goods; combustible dust. |  |  |

## Other sections

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