🇺🇸 United States exports of vacuum tubes: 2024 trade data
Exports of vacuum tubes by the United States reached $382.4 million in 2024 (339 tonnes). That makes it the largest exporter of this product worldwide, out of 127 countries. Value rose 16% on 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Exports of vacuum tubes by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $382.4M | 339 t |
| 2023 | $330.4M | 602 t |
| 2022 | $282.8M | 454 t |
| 2021 | $317.3M | 312 t |
| 2020 | $306.4M | 344 t |
| 2019 | $293.1M | 397 t |
| 2018 | $285.0M | 375 t |
| 2017 | $247.2M | 472 t |
Where the United States exports vacuum tubes to
The largest buyer markets were China (17%), Japan (15%), South Korea (8%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 40%. Among the main buyer markets, China grew fastest (+131% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | $66.8M | 18% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $57.0M | 15% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $30.1M | 7.9% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $25.6M | 6.7% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $18.6M | 4.9% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $14.8M | 3.9% |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | $14.1M | 3.7% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $13.5M | 3.5% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $13.5M | 3.5% |
| Taiwan | $12.6M | 3.3% |
Types of vacuum tubes under HS 8540
| 8540.20 | Tubes: television camera tubes, image converters and intensifiers, other photo-cathode tubes | 27% |
| 8540.79 | Tubes: microwave (for example klystrons, travelling wave tubes, carlinotrons), excluding magnetrons and grid-controlled tubes | 25% |
| 8540.89 | Valves and tubes: n.e.c. in heading no. 8540 | 15% |
| 8540.71 | Tubes: microwave, magnetrons, excluding grid-controlled tubes | 9.9% |
| 8540.81 | Valves and tubes: receiver or amplifier | 8.6% |
| 8540.99 | Valves and tubes: parts of the valves and tubes of heading no. 8540, excluding parts of cathode-ray tubes | 6.6% |
| 8540.91 | Tubes: parts of cathode-ray tubes | 4% |
| 8540.40 | Tubes: data/graphic display tubes, monochrome: data/graphic display tubes, colour, with a phosphor dot screen pitch smaller than 0.4mm | 1.7% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 8540.
Average export price of vacuum tubes
The average declared value was about $1,128.08 per kg, 1239% above the world average of $84.23. 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 vacuum tubes
Imports of vacuum tubes by the United States reached $257.7 million in 2024 (1.1 thousand tonnes). That makes it the largest importer of this product worldwide, out of 201 countries. Most of the value came from Germany (25%), Japan (24%), United Kingdom (15%). Among the main suppliers, Taiwan grew fastest, more than tenfold on the year before.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $65.4M | 25% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $61.3M | 24% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $39.4M | 15% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $19.9M | 7.7% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $17.8M | 6.9% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $10.2M | 4% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $8.0M | 3.1% |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | $5.8M | 2.3% |
| Taiwan | $4.6M | 1.8% |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | $4.3M | 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 8540: Thermionic, cold cathode or photo-cathode valves and tubes (e.g. vacuum, vapour, gas filled valves and tubes, mercury arc rectifying valves and tubes, cathode-ray and television camera tubes).
Vacuum tubes trade in the United States: questions
What is the value of vacuum tubes imported by the United States?
The United States imported vacuum tubes worth $257.7 million in 2024 (1.1 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United States import vacuum tubes from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Germany (25%), Japan (24%), United Kingdom (15%).
What is the average import price of vacuum tubes in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $235.97 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $84.23 per kg.
Does the United States export vacuum tubes?
Yes. The United States exported vacuum tubes worth $382.4 million in 2024, mainly to China, Japan, South Korea.
What is the HS code for vacuum tubes?
Vacuum tubes falls under HS heading 8540 (Thermionic, cold cathode or photo-cathode valves and tubes (e.g. vacuum, vapour, gas filled valves and tubes, mercury ar). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading vacuum tubes 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.
Vacuum tubes trade in other countries
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