Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE): Movement
Why pellets travel the world but ethylene does not
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 390110
World exports $24.8 bn 107 reporting exporters · about 15.5 m t Largest exporter Saudi Arabia 18.7% of world exports Largest importer China 14.8% of world imports India imports $1.04 bnexports $171.4 m #4 importer · #23 exporter
Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024
Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, HS 390110: shares of reported world exports and imports by value. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.HS 390110: largest exporters
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 18.7% | $4.63 bn | 4.58 m |
| United States | 16.1% | $3.99 bn | – |
| Qatar | 9% | $2.24 bn | 2.09 m |
| Netherlands | 5.1% | $1.26 bn | 896k |
| Belgium | 4.9% | $1.22 bn | – |
| Germany | 4.7% | $1.16 bn | 733k |
| Singapore | 3.6% | $905.5 m | 780k |
| South Korea | 3.6% | $895.2 m | 687k |
HS 390110: largest importers
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 14.8% | $3.48 bn | 2.96 m |
| Türkiye | 5.7% | $1.34 bn | 1.13 m |
| Germany | 5.5% | $1.30 bn | 865k |
| India | 4.4% | $1.04 bn | 895k |
| Italy | 4.4% | $1.04 bn | – |
| Poland | 3.4% | $807.3 m | 575k |
| United States | 3.3% | $780.7 m | – |
| Mexico | 3.1% | $736.9 m | 618k |
HS 390140: largest exporters
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 32.7% | $5.97 bn | 5.68 m |
| Singapore | 14.6% | $2.66 bn | 2.12 m |
| Canada | 10.9% | $1.99 bn | 1.93 m |
| South Korea | 7.4% | $1.34 bn | 908k |
| Thailand | 5.6% | $1.02 bn | 730k |
| Netherlands | 5.6% | $1.01 bn | 645k |
| Spain | 4.9% | $886.8 m | 472k |
| Saudi Arabia | 3.2% | $587.0 m | 526k |
HS 390140: largest importers
| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 38.2% | $7.14 bn | 6.16 m |
| United States | 8.7% | $1.63 bn | 1.50 m |
| Brazil | 4.4% | $817.0 m | 696k |
| India | 3.8% | $715.8 m | 560k |
| Malaysia | 3.6% | $677.6 m | 677k |
| Singapore | 3.4% | $627.6 m | 605k |
| Mexico | 3% | $565.0 m | 508k |
| Germany | 2.9% | $535.5 m | 313k |
How it moves
| Measure | Figure | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Share traded | about 35-40% of PE output crosses borders (indicative, basis: US exports over 55% of its output and the Gulf exports most of its output) | ||
| How it moves | Dry pellets in 25 kg bags or 1 t big bags in 40 ft containers, or in bulk rail hopper cars in North America. Pellets are cheap to ship, so PE is made at low-cost ethylene sites and moved worldwide, unlike ethylene itself. | ||
| Routes and chokepoints | Gulf to India, China, East Africa and Turkey through the Strait of Hormuz; US Gulf to Latin America, Europe and, via Panama or the Cape, Asia; Singapore and Korea to China and Southeast Asia. Hormuz is the key chokepoint for India. | ||
| India | India imports about one-fifth of its PE and PP consumption, mostly from the Gulf, Singapore and Korea (CareEdge 2025; ChemOrbis). HS 390110: India imported $1.04 billion (4.4% of world imports, rank 4) and exported $171 million (0.7% of world exports, rank 23); HS 390140: India imported $716 million (3.8% of world imports, rank 4) and exported $193 million (1.1% of world exports, rank 14) (UN Comtrade 2024). | ||
| Handling in transit | Not regulated as dangerous goods (no UN number). Main risks are pellet loss to sea and dust in pneumatic handling; the 2021 X-Press Pearl fire off Sri Lanka spilled about 1,680 t of plastic pellets (indicative). |