# Hydrochloric acid: Movement

Why hydrochloric acid rarely crosses a sea

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/hydrochloric_acid/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 280610
 World exports $413.2 m 93 reporting exporters · about 2.27 m t Largest exporter Germany 17.5% of world exports Largest importer United States 16.4% of world imports India imports $1.36 m
exports $10.6 m #49 importer · #11 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 280610: 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 280610: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Germany** | 17.5% | $72.5 m | 473k |
| **Canada** | 14.6% | $60.2 m | 278k |
| **Japan** | 7.7% | $32.0 m | 10k |
| **United States** | 6.7% | $27.7 m | 127k |
| **Belgium** | 6.2% | $25.6 m | 248k |
| **Netherlands** | 4.5% | $18.7 m | 165k |
| **Austria** | 4% | $16.3 m | 63k |
| **Spain** | 3.8% | $15.8 m | 151k |

#### HS 280610: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **United States** | 16.4% | $73.6 m | 317k |
| **France** | 9.4% | $42.5 m | 289k |
| **Germany** | 8.5% | $38.3 m | 223k |
| **Belgium** | 4.7% | $21.4 m | 133k |
| **China** | 3.9% | $17.7 m | 8,904 |
| **South Korea** | 3.5% | $16.0 m | – |
| **Canada** | 3.1% | $14.0 m | 41k |
| **Italy** | 3% | $13.4 m | 63k |

 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** | very small; acid is mostly sold within a few hundred km (indicative) |  |  |
| **How it moves** | 30-36% acid in rubber-lined or FRP road tankers, ISO tanks and rail cars; anhydrous HCl in cylinders for electronics |  |  |
| **Routes and chokepoints** | Cross-border trade between neighbours (US-Canada, US-Mexico, within the EU); Chinese exports rose 149% year on year in Q1 2026 but were only about 8,156 t (Procurement Resource). |  |  |
| **India** | India's HCl trade is small; not published here (HS 280610). |  |  |
| **Handling in transit** | UN1789 (hydrochloric acid), class 8 corrosive, packing group II; anhydrous HCl UN1050, class 2.3. |  |  |

## Other sections

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