# Sodium silicate: Movement

Why a product that is mostly water rarely travels

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/sodium_silicate/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 283911
 World exports $64.5 m 62 reporting exporters · about 100k t Largest exporter China 44.3% of world exports Largest importer Japan 13.9% of world imports India imports $319k
exports $528k #45 importer · #12 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 283911: 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 283911: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | 44.3% | $28.6 m | 82k |
| **Belgium** | 23.9% | $15.4 m | – |
| **Netherlands** | 8.4% | $5.39 m | 6,713 |
| **United States** | 5.2% | $3.39 m | 1,645 |
| **Poland** | 2.6% | $1.68 m | 886 |
| **Germany** | 1.8% | $1.16 m | 643 |
| **Spain** | 1.7% | $1.11 m | – |
| **Portugal** | 1.6% | $1.03 m | 110 |

#### HS 283911: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Japan** | 13.9% | $10.7 m | 25k |
| **Germany** | 12% | $9.30 m | 9,593 |
| **United States** | 9.6% | $7.46 m | 9,784 |
| **Canada** | 5.5% | $4.27 m | 5,121 |
| **Türkiye** | 3.6% | $2.77 m | 4,607 |
| **Dominican Republic** | 3.5% | $2.69 m | 7,387 |
| **Indonesia** | 3.1% | $2.39 m | 4,077 |
| **Italy** | 3% | $2.31 m | 2,801 |

 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** | small (indicative); solutions are mostly water and are made near customers, while glass lumps and powders travel further |  |  |
| **How it moves** | Solutions in road tankers and IBCs; glass lumps in bulk or bags; powders in bags. Making the glass near soda ash and dissolving near customers is common. |  |  |
| **Routes and chokepoints** | Regional road and rail; some sea trade in glass lumps and powders within Asia and Europe. |  |  |
| **India** | India is largely self-supplied by domestic furnace producers; trade figures for HS 283911 were not found. |  |  |
| **Handling in transit** | Neutral and high-ratio solutions are generally not regulated as dangerous goods; sodium metasilicate is UN3253, class 8. Solutions are alkaline (pH 11-13). |  |  |

## Other sections

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