🇬🇧 United Kingdom imports of storage media: 2024 trade data
Imports of storage media by the United Kingdom reached $1.23 billion in 2024 (17.4 thousand tonnes). Its share of world imports was 2%. That is 4% more than in 2023. Over 2017-2024 it shrank by about 9% a year on average. The peak in this period was 2017, at $2.37 billion.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of storage media by year, 2017-2024
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Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.23B | 17.4K t |
| 2023 | $1.18B | 18.4K t |
| 2022 | $1.39B | 21.3K t |
| 2021 | $1.34B | 53.2K t |
| 2020 | $1.55B | 59.4K t |
| 2019 | $1.89B | 30.0K t |
| 2018 | $2.31B | 34.1K t |
| 2017 | $2.37B | 38.2K t |
Where the United Kingdom imports storage media from
The largest suppliers were China (14%), Taiwan (12%), Austria (8%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 34%. Among the main suppliers, Vietnam grew fastest, more than tenfold on the year before.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | $172.8M | 14% |
| Taiwan | $142.9M | 12% |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | $100.0M | 8.1% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $96.1M | 7.8% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $94.0M | 7.6% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $85.8M | 7% |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | $72.3M | 5.9% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $68.1M | 5.5% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $50.4M | 4.1% |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $48.6M | 3.9% |
Types of storage media under HS 8523
| 8523.51 | Semiconductor media: solid-state non-volatile storage devices, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 38% |
| 8523.49 | Optical media: recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 25% |
| 8523.52 | Semiconductor media: smart cards, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 16% |
| 8523.80 | Media n.e.c. in heading 8523, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 14% |
| 8523.29 | Magnetic media: other than cards incorporating a magnetic stripe, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 3.6% |
| 8523.59 | Semiconductor media: other than smart cards, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 3.3% |
| 8523.21 | Magnetic media: cards incorporating a magnetic stripe, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 0.5% |
| 8523.41 | Optical media: unrecorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 0.4% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 8523.
Average import price of storage media
The average declared value was about $70.88 per kg, 63% below the world average of $190.33, which often means bulk or lower-grade product.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also exports storage media
Exports of storage media by the United Kingdom reached $645.5 million in 2024 (8.2 thousand tonnes). Its share of world exports was 1%. The largest buyer markets were Netherlands (15%), United States (13%), United Arab Emirates (11%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 40%. Among the main buyer markets, United Arab Emirates grew fastest (+97% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $98.3M | 15% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $87.1M | 14% |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $69.7M | 11% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $58.7M | 9.1% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $47.8M | 7.4% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $37.2M | 5.8% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $34.3M | 5.3% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $21.0M | 3.3% |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | $19.9M | 3.1% |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | $10.7M | 1.7% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Kingdom?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 8523: Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, smart cards and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, excluding products of Chapter 37.
Storage media trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of storage media imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported storage media worth $1.23 billion in 2024 (17.4 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import storage media from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were China (14%), Taiwan (12%), Austria (8%).
What is the average import price of storage media in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $70.88 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $190.33 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export storage media?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported storage media worth $645.5 million in 2024, mainly to Netherlands, United States, United Arab Emirates.
What is the HS code for storage media?
Storage media falls under HS heading 8523 (Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, smart cards and other media for the recording of sound or of oth). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading storage media with the United Kingdom?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United Kingdom with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Storage media trade in other countries
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