Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Nylon (PA6, PA66): Movement

Sealed bags, because nylon soaks up water

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 390810

World exports $10.2 bn 83 reporting exporters · about 3.03 m t Largest exporter United States 19.2% of world exports Largest importer Germany 10.8% of world imports India imports $700.0 m
exports $28.3 m #3 importer · #26 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 390810: 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 390810: largest exporters

CountryShareValue (US$)Tonnes
United States19.2%$1.96 bn556k
Germany18%$1.84 bn525k
China16.2%$1.66 bn745k
Italy6.3%$640.0 m195k
France4.6%$468.7 m105k
Netherlands4.2%$433.2 m150k
Spain3.7%$374.2 m–
South Korea3.1%$312.3 m109k

HS 390810: largest importers

CountryShareValue (US$)Tonnes
Germany10.8%$1.12 bn364k
China9.6%$1.00 bn376k
India6.7%$700.0 m318k
Mexico6.4%$669.4 m210k
Italy6.4%$663.5 m232k
South Korea4.8%$501.8 m211k
United States4.6%$480.2 m–
Japan3.7%$386.5 m133k
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 tradedabout 20-30% of output crosses borders as chips and compounds (indicative)
How it movesDried chips in moisture-proof bags or bulk bags; compounds in bags. Not dangerous goods. Nylon absorbs water, so packaging must be sealed.
Routes and chokepointsChina to South and Southeast Asia; Europe and US to Mexico and Asia for auto compounds.
IndiaIndia imports nylon chips and PA66 compounds mainly from China, Taiwan and Europe (indicative). HS 390810: India imported $700 million (6.7% of world imports, rank 3) and exported $28 million (0.3% of world exports, rank 26) (UN Comtrade 2024).
Handling in transitNot dangerous goods. Upstream HMDA (UN2280, corrosive) and molten caprolactam need special handling.