UN Comtrade • Latest complete year: 2024
25 - Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement (HS 25)
Global exports
$47.12B
Global imports
$63.09B
Top exporter share
7.2%
Top importer share
18.9%
- Global exports of Salt, Sulphur, Earths, Stone, Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement (HS2 25) reached $47.1B in 2024.
- Global imports of Salt, Sulphur, Earths, Stone, Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement (HS2 25) totaled $63.1B in 2024.
- Australia was the top exporter, contributing 7.2% of global exports with $3.4B.
- China led global imports, accounting for 18.9% of the total at $12.0B.
- The United States was a significant trader, exporting $3.3B and importing $5.9B.
- Portland cement (HS4 2523) was the largest sub-category, representing 22.8% of exports within this HS2 group.
Global Trade Dynamics for HS2 25 in 2024
In 2024, the global trade for Salt, Sulphur, Earths, Stone, Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement (HS2 25) saw total exports of $47.1B and imports of $63.1B. The primary exporting countries included Australia, with exports valued at $3.4B (7.2% share), followed by the United States ($3.3B, 7.0%), China ($3.2B, 6.8%), Türkiye ($3.1B, 6.6%), and Germany ($2.5B, 5.4%). On the import side, China was the largest buyer, importing $12.0B (18.9%), with the United States ($5.9B, 9.3%), India ($4.6B, 7.3%), Germany ($2.1B, 3.3%), and the Netherlands ($2.0B, 3.2%) also being major importers.
See also: AustraliaUnited StatesChina
Key Product Categories and Trends within HS2 25
Within the HS2 25 category, several sub-categories drive the trade. Portland cement (HS4 2523) is a dominant product, accounting for 22.8% of exports and 18.7% of imports in 2024. Other significant sub-categories include Mineral substances not elsewhere specified or included (HS4 2530) and Salt (HS4 2501). Notable import growth was observed for Quartz (HS4 2506), which increased with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.18% between 2019 and 2024.
See also: IndiaGermanyNetherlands
Quick insights
- Australia is the top exporter (7.2% of reported exports).
- China is the top importer (18.9% of reported imports).
- Top 3 exporter concentration: 21.0%.
- Top 5 exporter concentration: 33.0%.
Notes: Shares are relative to reported totals in the dataset for the selected year.
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Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement - product groups (4-digit) by top countries (Exports), 2024 (USD)
Top 10 countries with the leading 6 product groups (4-digit); remainder grouped as Other.
Flow: Exports | Year: 2024 | Unit: USD | Snapshot: 20251222 | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement - country rank by trade value (Exports), 2015-2024 (USD)
Ranks show the top 10 countries by latest-year value (rank 1 is largest).
Flow: Exports | Years: 2015-2024 | Unit: USD | Snapshot: 20251222 | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
Global export trend
Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement - exports over time (Exports), 2015-2024 (USD)
Annual reported exports across available years.
Flow: Exports | Years: 2015-2024 | Unit: USD | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
HS4 drilldown
Built: 2026-01-12T08:07:46Z • Snapshot: 20251222
HS4 subcategories within HS 25 for 2024 (partner = World). Values are summed across reporting economies; coverage varies by reporter and year.
Exports
Coverage vs HS2: 98.1%
Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement - top 4-digit product groups by export share (Exports), 2024 (USD)
Leading 4-digit product groups by export value.
Flow: Exports | Year: 2024 | Unit: USD | Snapshot: 20251222 | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
| HS4 | Subcategory | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2523 | Portland cement, aluminous ceme… | $10.75B | 22.8% |
| 2530 | Mineral substances not elsewher… | $5.19B | 11.0% |
| 2501 | Salt (including table salt and… | $3.26B | 6.9% |
| 2517 | Pebbles, gravel, crushed stone… | $2.67B | 5.7% |
| 2510 | Natural calcium phosphates; nat… | $2.67B | 5.7% |
| 2505 | Sands of all kinds; natural, wh… | $2.41B | 5.1% |
| 2508 | Clays; (not including expanded… | $2.14B | 4.5% |
| 2503 | Sulphur of all kinds; other tha… | $1.90B | 4.0% |
| 2519 | Natural magnesium carbonate (ma… | $1.83B | 3.9% |
| 2515 | Marble, travertine, ecaussine a… | $1.67B | 3.5% |
| 2507 | Kaolin and other kaolinic clays… | $1.63B | 3.5% |
| 2529 | Feldspar; leucite; nepheline an… | $1.31B | 2.8% |
Subcategory names are truncated; hover to see the full description.
Fastest-growing HS4 (CAGR 2019–2024)
Filter: start-year value ≥ $1.00M
| HS4 | Subcategory | CAGR | 2024 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2502 | Iron pyrites; unroasted | 23.3% | $72.46M |
| 2530 | Mineral substances not elsewher… | 18.0% | $5.19B |
| 2506 | Quartz; (other than natural san… | 10.5% | $884.65M |
| 2505 | Sands of all kinds; natural, wh… | 8.6% | $2.41B |
| 2528 | Natural borates and concentrate… | 6.0% | $415.73M |
| 2512 | Siliceous fossil meals (e.g. ki… | 4.8% | $172.01M |
| 2510 | Natural calcium phosphates; nat… | 3.9% | $2.67B |
| 2522 | Quicklime, slaked lime and hydr… | 3.7% | $1.26B |
Imports
Coverage vs HS2: 97.7%
Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement - top 4-digit product groups by import share (Imports), 2024 (USD)
Leading 4-digit product groups by import value.
Flow: Imports | Year: 2024 | Unit: USD | Snapshot: 20251222 | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
| HS4 | Subcategory | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2523 | Portland cement, aluminous ceme… | $11.78B | 18.7% |
| 2530 | Mineral substances not elsewher… | $6.76B | 10.7% |
| 2503 | Sulphur of all kinds; other tha… | $5.29B | 8.4% |
| 2501 | Salt (including table salt and… | $4.71B | 7.5% |
| 2510 | Natural calcium phosphates; nat… | $4.42B | 7.0% |
| 2517 | Pebbles, gravel, crushed stone… | $3.45B | 5.5% |
| 2508 | Clays; (not including expanded… | $2.34B | 3.7% |
| 2505 | Sands of all kinds; natural, wh… | $2.33B | 3.7% |
| 2515 | Marble, travertine, ecaussine a… | $1.94B | 3.1% |
| 2506 | Quartz; (other than natural san… | $1.90B | 3.0% |
| 2519 | Natural magnesium carbonate (ma… | $1.89B | 3.0% |
| 2520 | Gypsum; anhydrite; plasters (co… | $1.86B | 2.9% |
Subcategory names are truncated; hover to see the full description.
Fastest-growing HS4 (CAGR 2019–2024)
Filter: start-year value ≥ $1.00M
| HS4 | Subcategory | CAGR | 2024 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2502 | Iron pyrites; unroasted | 30.3% | $271.09M |
| 2506 | Quartz; (other than natural san… | 21.2% | $1.90B |
| 2530 | Mineral substances not elsewher… | 20.3% | $6.76B |
| 2510 | Natural calcium phosphates; nat… | 10.9% | $4.42B |
| 2528 | Natural borates and concentrate… | 6.1% | $475.84M |
| 2525 | Mica, including splittings; mic… | 4.9% | $266.23M |
| 2503 | Sulphur of all kinds; other tha… | 4.3% | $5.29B |
| 2512 | Siliceous fossil meals (e.g. ki… | 3.5% | $232.55M |
Explore country profiles
Jump from this HS2 product to the country trade pages for the largest exporters and importers.
Top exporters
Top trade routes
Top exporter → importer routes among the largest exporters (bounded at build-time).
| Exporter | Importer | Value | Share of exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (AUS) | China (CHN) | $3.05B | 6.5% |
| Canada (CAN) | USA (USA) | $1.30B | 2.8% |
| USA (USA) | Canada (CAN) | $950.97M | 2.0% |
| India (IND) | China (CHN) | $802.06M | 1.7% |
| Germany (DEU) | Netherlands (NLD) | $633.51M | 1.3% |
| USA (USA) | China (CHN) | $625.40M | 1.3% |
| Türkiye (TUR) | China (CHN) | $538.05M | 1.1% |
| Brazil (BRA) | China (CHN) | $522.20M | 1.1% |
| Türkiye (TUR) | USA (USA) | $521.55M | 1.1% |
| Mexico (MEX) | USA (USA) | $506.80M | 1.1% |
| Netherlands (NLD) | Belgium (BEL) | $499.49M | 1.1% |
| Netherlands (NLD) | Germany (DEU) | $461.82M | 1.0% |
| Belgium (BEL) | Netherlands (NLD) | $423.09M | 0.9% |
| China (CHN) | Japan (JPN) | $398.36M | 0.8% |
| USA (USA) | Mexico (MEX) | $327.21M | 0.7% |
Data notes & methodology
Source: UN Comtrade
Exports total: $47.12B • Imports total: $63.09B
Canonical: https://tradevedia.com/product/hs2/25/