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Overview This page contains the latest trade data of Metals. In 2022, Metals were the world's 5th most traded product, with a total trade of $1.75T. Between 2021 and 2022 the exports of Metals grew by 6.18%, from $1.64T to $1.75T. Trade in Metals represent 7.37% of total world trade.

Metals include Iron & steel, Iron or steel articles, Aluminum articles, Copper articles, Miscellaneous metal products, Tools & cutlery, Nickel articles, Cermet articles, Zinc articles, and Lead articles, among others.

Exports In 2022 the top exporters of Metals  were China ($296B), Germany ($131B), United States ($84.7B), Japan ($69.7B), and Italy ($65.4B).

Imports In 2022 the top importers of Metals were United States ($196B), China ($144B), Germany ($131B), Italy ($66.6B), and France ($57.8B).

Ranking Metals ranks 13th in the Product Complexity Index (PCI).

Latest Data

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The following visualization shows the latest trends on Metals. Countries are shown based on data availability.

For a full breakdown of trade patterns, visit the trend explorer or the product in country profile.

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* Trade values are converted to USD using each month's exchange rate. For December 2023 data, the exchange rate from December 30, 2023 is used.

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Historical Data

Exporters and Importers

Top Origin (2022)China$296B
Top Destination (2022)United States$196B

In 2022 Metals were the world's 5th most traded product (out of 21).

In 2022, the top exporters of Metals were China ($296B), Germany ($131B), United States ($84.7B), Japan ($69.7B), and Italy ($65.4B).

In 2022, the top importers of Metals were United States ($196B), China ($144B), Germany ($131B), Italy ($66.6B), and France ($57.8B).

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Exporters of Metals (2022)
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Importers of Metals (2022)
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Market Dynamics

Color
Top Origin Growth (2021 -  2022)China$39.4B
Top Destination Growth (2021 -  2022)United States$23.7B

Between 2021 and 2022, the exports of Metals grew the fastest in China ($39.4B), Indonesia ($12.7B), United States ($10.3B), Canada ($5.43B), and Germany ($5.18B).

Between 2021 and 2022, the fastest growing importers of Metals were United States ($23.7B), Germany ($12.4B), India ($8.41B), Italy ($6.42B), and Canada ($5.33B).

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Exporters of Metals (2021 - 2022)

Importers of Metals (2021 - 2022)

Market Concentration

Value

This chart shows the evolution of the market concentration of exports of Metals.

In 2022, market concentration measured using Shannon Entropy, was 5.29. This means that most of the exports of Metals are explained by 39 countries.

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Value of Exports in Metals

Net Trade

TOP NET EXPORTER (2022)China$152B
TOP NET IMPORTER (2022)United States$111B

This map shows which countries export or import more of Metals. Each country is colored based on the difference in exports and imports of Metals during 2022.

In 2022, the countries that had a largest trade value in exports than in imports of Metals were China ($152B), Russia ($33B), Japan ($26.3B), Democratic Republic of the Congo ($22.5B), and Indonesia ($20.2B).

In 2022, the countries that had a largest trade value in imports than in exports of Metals were United States ($111B), Mexico ($21.9B), Thailand ($18.6B), France ($13.1B), and Vietnam ($11.4B).

Net Trade (2022)

Disaggregation

Value
Disaggregation

In 2022, the world most traded Metals, disaggragated by their HS6 level were Iron & steel ($563B), Iron or steel articles ($393B), Aluminum articles ($280B), Copper articles ($228B), and Miscellaneous metal products ($87.5B)

HS6 Disaggregation for Metals (2022)
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Country Comparison

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Ranking

This visualization shows the countries that have an important ratio of their trade related to Metals.
It is possible to select the main countries that export or import Metals in the world, or by continent, as well as select the measure of interest.

Top 10 Exporters Countries of Metals by percentage of total exports

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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TOP EXPORT POTENTIALUnited States+ $4.22B
TOP IMPORT POTENTIALChina+ $777M

Metals’s highest export potential is United States. With an export gap of $4.22B.  Metals’s highest import potential is China with an import gap of $777M.

See methodology.

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Product Complexity

Diversification Frontier

Specialization

The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk and the strategic value of a product's potential export opportunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth potential, lower income inequality, and lower emissions.

Relatedness vs Country Complexity (2022)

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