🇺🇸 United States imports of printing equipment: 2024 trade data
Imports of printing equipment by the United States reached $104.8 million in 2024 (1.6 thousand tonnes). That makes it the 2nd largest importer of this product worldwide, out of 206 countries. Value fell 4% from 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable. The peak in this period was 2017, at $149.4 million.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of printing equipment by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $104.8M | 1.6K t |
| 2023 | $109.5M | 1.9K t |
| 2022 | $93.8M | 1.8K t |
| 2021 | $83.2M | 1.9K t |
| 2020 | $78.5M | 1.8K t |
| 2019 | $103.3M | 2.5K t |
| 2018 | $110.6M | 2.9K t |
| 2017 | $149.4M | 4.4K t |
Where the United States imports printing equipment from
The largest suppliers were Germany (27%), Switzerland (11%), China (8%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 46%.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $27.9M | 27% |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $11.3M | 11% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $8.5M | 8.1% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $8.2M | 7.9% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $6.6M | 6.3% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $6.4M | 6.1% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $5.6M | 5.3% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $5.0M | 4.7% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $4.9M | 4.7% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $4.1M | 3.9% |
Types of printing equipment under HS 8442
| 8442.30 | Machinery, apparatus and equipment (excluding machines of heading no. 8456 to 8465) for preparing or making printing components | 48% |
| 8442.50 | Plates, cylinders and other printing components: lithographic stones prepared for printing purposes (for example, planed, grained or polished) | 31% |
| 8442.40 | Machinery, apparatus and equipment (excluding machines of heading no. 8456 to 8465) for preparing or making printing components: parts thereof | 21% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 8442.
Average import price of printing equipment
The average declared value was about $63.61 per kg, 246% above the world average of $18.36. 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 printing equipment
In 2024, the United States exported printing equipment worth $79.8 million (1.0 thousand tonnes). That makes it the 3rd largest exporter of this product worldwide, out of 128 countries. Most of it went to Canada (23%), Mexico (18%), United Kingdom (7%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 48%. Among the main buyer markets, Jamaica grew fastest (+460% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $18.0M | 23% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $14.6M | 18% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $5.3M | 6.7% |
| 🇯🇲 Jamaica | $4.2M | 5.3% |
| 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | $3.5M | 4.4% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $3.0M | 3.7% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $2.1M | 2.6% |
| 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | $1.7M | 2.1% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $1.6M | 1.9% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $1.5M | 1.9% |
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 8442: Machinery, apparatus and equipment (excluding machines of headings 8456 to 8465) for preparing or making printing components; plates, cylinders and other printing components; lithographic stones prepared for printing purposes.
Printing equipment trade in the United States: questions
What is the value of printing equipment imported by the United States?
The United States imported printing equipment worth $104.8 million in 2024 (1.6 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United States import printing equipment from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Germany (27%), Switzerland (11%), China (8%).
What is the average import price of printing equipment in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $63.61 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $18.36 per kg.
Does the United States export printing equipment?
Yes. The United States exported printing equipment worth $79.8 million in 2024, mainly to Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom.
What is the HS code for printing equipment?
Printing equipment falls under HS heading 8442 (Machinery, apparatus and equipment (excluding machines of headings 8456 to 8465) for preparing or making printing compon). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading printing equipment 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.
Printing equipment trade in other countries
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