🇺🇸 United States exports of clay: 2024 trade data
In 2024, the United States exported clay worth $439.1 million (1.27 million tonnes). That makes it the largest exporter of this product worldwide, out of 160 countries. That is 5% more than in 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Exports of clay by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $439.1M | 1.27M t |
| 2023 | $419.8M | 1.39M t |
| 2022 | $453.3M | 1.46M t |
| 2021 | $438.9M | 1.51M t |
| 2020 | $344.2M | 1.28M t |
| 2019 | $405.3M | 1.47M t |
| 2018 | $417.3M | 1.54M t |
| 2017 | $394.1M | 1.54M t |
Where the United States exports clay to
Most of it went to Canada (20%), Mexico (12%), Japan (9%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 41%. Among the main buyer markets, United Kingdom grew fastest (+43% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $89.7M | 20% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $50.6M | 12% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $41.1M | 9.4% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $32.7M | 7.5% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $22.7M | 5.2% |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | $20.1M | 4.6% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $17.1M | 3.9% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $14.6M | 3.3% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $13.0M | 3% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $12.1M | 2.8% |
Types of clay under HS 2508
| 2508.10 | Clays (excluding expanded clays of heading no. 6806): bentonite, whether or not calcined | 45% |
| 2508.40 | Clays (excluding expanded clays of heading no. 6806): n.e.c. in heading no. 2508, whether or not calcined | 35% |
| 2508.30 | Clays (excluding expanded clays of heading no. 6806): fireclay, whether or not calcined | 9.8% |
| 2508.60 | Clays (excluding expanded clays of heading no. 6806): mullite | 5.2% |
| 2508.50 | Clays (excluding expanded clays of heading no. 6806): andalusite, kyanite and sillimanite, whether or not calcined | 4.4% |
| 2508.70 | Clays (excluding expanded clays of heading no. 6806): chamotte or dinas earths | 0.7% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 2508.
Average export price of clay
The average declared value was about $0.35 per kg, 106% above the world average of $0.17. This usually points to higher-grade or processed goods.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United States also imports clay
In 2024, the United States imported clay worth $40.4 million (89.8 thousand tonnes). Its share of world imports was 2%. The largest suppliers were China (25%), Canada (24%), Mexico (11%). Among the main suppliers, Argentina grew fastest (+238% on the year before).
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | $10.2M | 25% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $9.9M | 25% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $4.3M | 11% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $4.3M | 11% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $2.2M | 5.5% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $1.7M | 4.2% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | $1.6M | 3.9% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $1.4M | 3.4% |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | $723K | 1.8% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $693K | 1.7% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United States?
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 2508: Clays; (not including expanded clays of heading no. 6806), andalusite kyanite and sillimanite, whether or not calcined; mullite; chamotte or dinas earth.
Clay trade in the United States: questions
What is the value of clay imported by the United States?
The United States imported clay worth $40.4 million in 2024 (89.8 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United States import clay from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were China (25%), Canada (24%), Mexico (11%).
What is the average import price of clay in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $0.45 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $0.17 per kg.
Does the United States export clay?
Yes. The United States exported clay worth $439.1 million in 2024, mainly to Canada, Mexico, Japan.
What is the HS code for clay?
Clay falls under HS heading 2508 (Clays; (not including expanded clays of heading no. 6806), andalusite kyanite and sillimanite, whether or not calcined). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading clay with the United States?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United States with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Clay trade in other countries
More trade data for the United States
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