Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Reagents and high-purity lab chemicals: Movement

Why high-end grades cross borders but basics stay local

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 382200

World exports $1.09 m 9 reporting exporters · about 10.2 t Largest exporter Lebanon 56.8% of world exports Largest importer Algeria 40.9% of world imports

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 382200: 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 382200: largest exporters

CountryShareValue (US$)Tonnes
Lebanon56.8%$618k4.64
Trinidad and Tobago23.3%$254k3.58
Antigua and Barbuda15.1%$165k1.08
Guyana2.4%$26k0.64
Cayman Islands0.9%$9,9800.08
Algeria0.7%$7,7620.07
Suriname0.5%$5,2160.10
Grenada0.2%$2,5030.02

HS 382200: largest importers

CountryShareValue (US$)Tonnes
Algeria40.9%$100.1 m629
Lebanon19.3%$47.2 m292
Iraq15.7%$38.5 m1,466
Trinidad and Tobago9%$22.0 m231
Guyana4.6%$11.3 m164
French Polynesia2.9%$7.05 m56.5
Suriname1.8%$4.39 m66.4
Yemen1.6%$4.01 m1,157
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

MeasureFigure
Share tradedhigh for high-end grades; standard grades are often made locally (indicative)
How it movesSmall glass and plastic bottles in cartons by courier, air and container; enzymes and kits by cold chain on dry ice.
Routes and chokepointsEurope and the US to Asia by air and container; regional distribution hubs.
IndiaIndia imports high-end reagents and diagnostic kits under HS 382200 and exports standard reagents. Not reported separately.
Handling in transitMany packs ship as dangerous goods in limited or excepted quantities (classes 3, 6.1, 8); dry ice is UN1845 (class 9).