🇺🇸 United States imports of pens: 2024 trade data
Imports of pens by the United States reached $1.14 billion in 2024 (56.7 thousand tonnes). It ranks 1st of 223 countries for imports of this product. Value rose 19% on 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of pens by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.14B | 56.7K t |
| 2023 | $962.7M | 44.7K t |
| 2022 | $1.17B | 62.5K t |
| 2021 | $1.01B | 45.3K t |
| 2020 | $885.0M | 43.9K t |
| 2019 | $1.09B | 51.8K t |
| 2018 | $1.09B | 53.0K t |
| 2017 | $1.11B | 56.6K t |
Where the United States imports pens from
Most of the value came from China (38%), Mexico (21%), Japan (20%). Among the main suppliers, Mexico grew fastest (+70% on the year before).
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | $436.5M | 38% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $243.3M | 21% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $225.0M | 20% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $43.8M | 3.8% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $37.1M | 3.3% |
| Taiwan | $21.9M | 1.9% |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $21.6M | 1.9% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $20.2M | 1.8% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $16.6M | 1.5% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $16.4M | 1.4% |
Types of pens under HS 9608
| 9608.10 | Pens: ball point | 44% |
| 9608.20 | Pens: felt tipped and other porous-tipped pens and markers | 39% |
| 9608.40 | Pencils: propelling or sliding | 7.7% |
| 9608.99 | Pens and pencils: duplicating stylos, pen-holders, pencil-holders, and similar holders, parts of the articles of heading 9608, including caps and… | 3.8% |
| 9608.30 | Pens: fountain, stylograph and other pens | 3.8% |
| 9608.60 | Pens: ball-point, refills comprising the ball point and ink-reservoir | 1.2% |
| 9608.91 | Pens: nibs and nib points | 0.7% |
| 9608.50 | Pen and pencil sets: of articles from two or more of the foregoing sub-headings | 0.4% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 9608.
Average import price of pens
The average declared value was about $20.17 per kg, 52% above the world average of $13.28. 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 exports pens
The United States exported $303.9 million of pens in 2024 (17.0 thousand tonnes). That makes it the 6th largest exporter of this product worldwide, out of 191 countries. Mexico alone took 54% of it.
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $164.6M | 54% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $55.5M | 18% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $12.1M | 4% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $7.8M | 2.6% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $6.9M | 2.3% |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | $6.4M | 2.1% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $4.2M | 1.4% |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | $3.5M | 1.2% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $2.5M | 0.8% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $2.3M | 0.8% |
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 9608: Pens; ball-point, felt tipped, other porous tipped pens; fountain pens, stylograph pens duplicating stylos, propelling or sliding pencils; parts of the foregoing, excluding those of heading no. 9609.
Pens trade in the United States: questions
What is the value of pens imported by the United States?
The United States imported pens worth $1.14 billion in 2024 (56.7 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United States import pens from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were China (38%), Mexico (21%), Japan (20%).
What is the average import price of pens in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $20.17 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $13.28 per kg.
Does the United States export pens?
Yes. The United States exported pens worth $303.9 million in 2024, mainly to Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom.
What is the HS code for pens?
Pens falls under HS heading 9608 (Pens; ball-point, felt tipped, other porous tipped pens; fountain pens, stylograph pens duplicating stylos, propelling o). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading pens 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.
Pens trade in other countries
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