Germanium: Movement
How Chinese export curbs rerouted the world's germanium
How Chinese export curbs rerouted the world's germanium 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.There is no separate international trade code for germanium metal, which falls under HS 8112.92 with other minor metals, so flows are described from USGS import data. USGS shows US imports in 2021–24 from Belgium (41%), China (23%), Canada (17%) and Germany (14%). Chinese export controls redirected flows. In 2025 China's metal exports went to Russia (28%), Belgium (26%), Germany (26%) and Japan (18%), and US metal imports fell 67%. Canadian dioxide filled part of the gap, as US dioxide imports rose 55%.
No distinct HS trade code for this commodity, so trade flows are not charted.