Asbestos: Movement
The route from Russian pits to Asian rooftops
What this tab covers How it flows between countries: the largest bilateral trade routes drawn on a world map, 2024 UN Comtrade export and import values with the top exporters and importers by share, plus shipping routes, chokepoints and trade restrictions.Asbestos trades under HS 2524, which splits crocidolite (2524.10) from other types, mainly chrysotile (2524.90). Flows run from Russia, Kazakhstan and Brazil to Asian construction markets. USGS expects demand there to continue for cement pipe and roofing sheets. Tilton and Guzman list China as the world's largest asbestos consumer. The US banned imports of asbestos fibre in May 2024. US imports in 2021-24 came only from Brazil. Some shipments recorded from China, Germany and Poland were probably misclassified.
No distinct HS trade code for this commodity, so trade flows are not charted.