# Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE): Movement

Why pellets travel the world but ethylene does not

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/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 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 bn
exports $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 |

 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** | 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). |  |  |

## Other sections

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