Polysilicon: Movement

How ultra-clean chunks travel double-bagged around Asia

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 280461

World exports $3.54 bn 44 reporting exporters · about 157k t Largest exporter Germany 34.6% of world exports Largest importer China 37.3% of world imports India imports $31k
exports $353 #45 importer · #35 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 280461: 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 280461: largest exporters

Country	Share	Value (US$)	Tonnes
Germany	34.6%	$1.23 bn	47k
United States	30%	$1.06 bn	37k
China	16.7%	$592.3 m	48k
Malaysia	8.4%	$296.4 m	17k
Japan	7.6%	$267.9 m	4,241
South Korea	1.4%	$51.1 m	1,557
Italy	0.6%	$23.0 m	123
Singapore	0.3%	$9.68 m	498

HS 280461: largest importers

Country	Share	Value (US$)	Tonnes
China	37.3%	$895.6 m	40k
Japan	26.4%	$633.5 m	12k
South Korea	10.3%	$247.9 m	6,270
Malaysia	5.5%	$132.6 m	–
Singapore	4.3%	$103.8 m	1,838
United States	4.3%	$103.4 m	1,286
Germany	3.6%	$85.8 m	1,956
Thailand	2.2%	$53.5 m	2,533

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	moderate: most Chinese polysilicon is used in China; Wacker, OCI and Hemlock export to Asian wafer makers (indicative)
How it moves	Chunks in double-bagged clean packaging, granules in sealed containers; shipped by container; semiconductor grade by air in some cases (Conway)
Routes and chokepoints	Germany and Malaysia to China, Taiwan, Korea and Southeast Asia; China internal flows from Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Sichuan and Yunnan to wafer clusters. HS 280461.
India	India imports most wafers and some polysilicon from China; HS 280461 figures. HS 280461: India imported $31 thousand (0.0% of world imports, rank 45) and exported $0 thousand (0.0% of world exports, rank 35) (UN Comtrade 2024).
Handling in transit	Polysilicon is not dangerous goods; chlorosilane intermediates (TCS UN1295) are highly flammable and water-reactive but are not shipped far.