🇺🇸 United States exports of polyethylene: 2024 trade data
The United States exported $16.51 billion of polyethylene in 2024 (14.00 million tonnes). It ranks 1st of 164 countries for exports of this product. That is close to the 2023 level. Over 2017-2024 the trade grew strongly, by about 12% a year on average.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Exports of polyethylene by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $16.51B | 14.00M t |
| 2023 | $16.41B | 13.67M t |
| 2022 | $16.75B | 10.63M t |
| 2021 | $14.21B | 9.21M t |
| 2020 | $11.40B | 11.07M t |
| 2019 | $11.35B | 9.62M t |
| 2018 | $9.96B | 6.81M t |
| 2017 | $7.58B | 5.23M t |
Where the United States exports polyethylene to
The largest buyer markets were China (16%), Mexico (14%), Brazil (10%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 40%. Among the main buyer markets, Brazil grew fastest (+43% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | $2.66B | 16% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $2.37B | 14% |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | $1.65B | 10% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $1.40B | 8.5% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $841.6M | 5.1% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $553.0M | 3.4% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $525.9M | 3.2% |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | $443.5M | 2.7% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $398.6M | 2.4% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $335.8M | 2% |
Types of polyethylene under HS 3901
| 3901.40 | Ethylene polymers: in primary forms, ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers, having a specific gravity of less than 0.94 | 34% |
| 3901.20 | Ethylene polymers: in primary forms, polyethylene having a specific gravity of 0.94 or more | 30% |
| 3901.10 | Ethylene polymers: in primary forms, polyethylene having a specific gravity of less than 0.94 | 27% |
| 3901.90 | Ethylene polymers: in primary forms, n.e.c. in heading no. 3901 | 5.9% |
| 3901.30 | Ethylene polymers: in primary forms, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers | 2.4% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 3901.
Average export price of polyethylene
The average declared value was about $1.18 per kg, close to the world average of $1.22.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United States also imports polyethylene
In 2024, the United States imported polyethylene worth $4.18 billion (3.72 million tonnes). That makes it the 2nd largest importer of this product worldwide, out of 213 countries. Canada alone supplied 82% of it.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $3.41B | 82% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $171.1M | 4.1% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $119.3M | 2.9% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $52.3M | 1.3% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $48.7M | 1.2% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | $43.7M | 1.1% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $40.2M | 1% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $38.5M | 0.9% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $32.0M | 0.8% |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | $28.7M | 0.7% |
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 3901: Polymers of ethylene, in primary forms.
Polyethylene trade in the United States: questions
What is the value of polyethylene imported by the United States?
The United States imported polyethylene worth $4.18 billion in 2024 (3.72 million tonnes).
Where does the United States import polyethylene from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Canada (82%), Mexico (4%), South Korea (3%).
What is the average import price of polyethylene in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $1.12 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $1.22 per kg.
Does the United States export polyethylene?
Yes. The United States exported polyethylene worth $16.51 billion in 2024, mainly to China, Mexico, Brazil.
What is the HS code for polyethylene?
Polyethylene falls under HS heading 3901 (Polymers of ethylene, in primary forms). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading polyethylene 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.
Polyethylene trade in other countries
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