Glycerine: Movement
Why so much crude glycerine sails to China
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 290545
World exports $1.75 bn 93 reporting exporters · about 2.31 m t Largest exporter Indonesia 28.9% of world exports Largest importer China 22.7% of world imports India imports $50.0 mexports $20.1 m #9 importer · #12 exporter
Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024
Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, HS 290545: shares of reported world exports and imports by value. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.HS 290545: largest exporters
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 28.9% | $505.3 m | 998k |
| Germany | 18.9% | $331.0 m | 247k |
| Malaysia | 15.8% | $276.8 m | 447k |
| Netherlands | 10.7% | $187.2 m | 213k |
| Brazil | 3.8% | $65.9 m | 123k |
| United States | 3.3% | $57.4 m | 37k |
| Denmark | 3% | $51.8 m | – |
| Belgium | 1.6% | $28.6 m | – |
HS 290545: largest importers
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 22.7% | $390.7 m | 709k |
| United States | 9% | $154.1 m | – |
| Denmark | 4.7% | $80.3 m | 27k |
| France | 4.5% | $77.6 m | – |
| Netherlands | 4.4% | $75.4 m | 104k |
| Japan | 4.1% | $69.9 m | 91k |
| United Kingdom | 3.9% | $67.1 m | – |
| Malaysia | 3.2% | $55.6 m | 115k |
HS 152000: largest exporters
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 35.2% | $288.9 m | 880k |
| Brazil | 18.1% | $148.2 m | 598k |
| Germany | 8.5% | $69.4 m | 232k |
| Malaysia | 5.7% | $46.9 m | 156k |
| Spain | 3.4% | $27.6 m | – |
| United States | 3.2% | $26.1 m | 56k |
| France | 2.8% | $22.7 m | – |
| Canada | 2.5% | $20.6 m | 49k |
HS 152000: largest importers
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 56.5% | $483.4 m | 1.58 m |
| Netherlands | 7.2% | $61.6 m | 191k |
| Germany | 5.4% | $46.0 m | 136k |
| India | 5.1% | $43.7 m | 128k |
| Denmark | 4.2% | $36.0 m | 131k |
| Malaysia | 3.1% | $26.1 m | 104k |
| United States | 2.9% | $24.5 m | 49k |
| Türkiye | 2% | $17.0 m | – |
How it moves
| Measure | Figure | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Share traded | high, roughly two-thirds or more (indicative, basis: 2.31 Mt refined and 2.34 Mt crude in UN Comtrade 2024 export weights, crude at about 80% purity, against about 5-6 Mt supply; includes re-exports) | ||
| How it moves | Refined in drums, IBCs, flexibags and ISO tanks; crude in bulk tankers and flexibags. Biodiesel regions ship surplus to China and refined grades to consumer markets. | ||
| Routes and chokepoints | South-East Asia to China, the US, Europe and India; South America (Santos, Rosario) to China; freight SE Asia to US East Coast $150-170/t and ARA to India $80-100/t (Argus, Mar 2026). | ||
| India | India imported 128 kt of crude glycerine ($44 million, 4th-largest importer) and $50 million of refined glycerine in 2024, and exported about 8 kt ($20 million) of refined (UN Comtrade). | ||
| Handling in transit | Not dangerous goods; crude glycerine with residual methanol may need flash point checks (indicative). |