UN Comtrade • Latest complete year: 2024
34 - Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster (HS 34)
Global exports
$76.51B
Global imports
$73.41B
Top exporter share
12.5%
Top importer share
8.8%
- In 2024, global exports of Soap & Cleaning Agents totaled $76.5B.
- Global imports for the same period reached $73.4B.
- Germany was the leading exporter, with sales of $9.6B, accounting for a 12.5% share of the global market.
- The United States was the largest importer, receiving goods valued at $6.5B, which is 8.8% of total world imports.
- The top three exporters—Germany, the United States, and China—collectively represented 33.8% of all exports.
- The top three importers—the United States, Germany, and China—accounted for 24.5% of global import value.
Top Exporters in 2024
The global export market for Soap, organic surface-active agents, and related products (HS2 34) was valued at $76.5B in 2024. The leading exporting countries play a significant role in this trade. Germany led the market with exports valued at $9.6B (12.5% share), followed by the United States with $8.3B (10.9% share), and China with $8.0B (10.4% share).
See also: GermanyUnited StatesChina
Top Importers in 2024
In 2024, global imports for this product category totaled $73.4B. The United States was the primary destination for these goods, with imports of $6.5B, representing an 8.8% share of the world total. Other major importers included Germany at $5.8B (7.9% share), China at $5.7B (7.8% share), and France at $3.6B (4.9% share).
Quick insights
- Germany is the top exporter (12.5% of reported exports).
- USA is the top importer (8.8% of reported imports).
- Top 3 exporter concentration: 33.8%.
- Top 5 exporter concentration: 44.4%.
Notes: Shares are relative to reported totals in the dataset for the selected year.
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Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster - 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
Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster - 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
Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster - 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 34 for 2024 (partner = World). Values are summed across reporting economies; coverage varies by reporter and year.
Exports
Coverage vs HS2: 99.6%
Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster - 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3402 | Organic surface-active agents (… | $38.35B | 50.1% |
| 3401 | Soap; organic surface-active pr… | $15.46B | 20.2% |
| 3403 | Lubricating preparations and th… | $10.92B | 14.3% |
| 3406 | Candles, tapers and the like | $4.00B | 5.2% |
| 3404 | Waxes; artificial, prepared | $3.66B | 4.8% |
| 3405 | Polishes, creams, scouring past… | $2.60B | 3.4% |
| 3407 | Modelling pastes, including tho… | $1.21B | 1.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3404 | Waxes; artificial, prepared | 7.6% | $3.66B |
| 3401 | Soap; organic surface-active pr… | 5.7% | $15.46B |
| 3402 | Organic surface-active agents (… | 4.6% | $38.35B |
| 3406 | Candles, tapers and the like | 4.4% | $4.00B |
| 3407 | Modelling pastes, including tho… | 3.7% | $1.21B |
| 3405 | Polishes, creams, scouring past… | 2.9% | $2.60B |
| 3403 | Lubricating preparations and th… | 2.6% | $10.92B |
Imports
Coverage vs HS2: 99.5%
Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster - 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3402 | Organic surface-active agents (… | $36.22B | 49.3% |
| 3401 | Soap; organic surface-active pr… | $14.36B | 19.6% |
| 3403 | Lubricating preparations and th… | $10.54B | 14.4% |
| 3406 | Candles, tapers and the like | $4.38B | 6.0% |
| 3404 | Waxes; artificial, prepared | $3.85B | 5.2% |
| 3405 | Polishes, creams, scouring past… | $2.65B | 3.6% |
| 3407 | Modelling pastes, including tho… | $1.03B | 1.4% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3406 | Candles, tapers and the like | 7.7% | $4.38B |
| 3404 | Waxes; artificial, prepared | 6.1% | $3.85B |
| 3401 | Soap; organic surface-active pr… | 5.2% | $14.36B |
| 3402 | Organic surface-active agents (… | 3.6% | $36.22B |
| 3405 | Polishes, creams, scouring past… | 3.3% | $2.65B |
| 3403 | Lubricating preparations and th… | 1.2% | $10.54B |
| 3407 | Modelling pastes, including tho… | 0.1% | $1.03B |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA (USA) | Canada (CAN) | $3.05B | 4.0% |
| Japan (JPN) | China (CHN) | $1.32B | 1.7% |
| Canada (CAN) | USA (USA) | $1.14B | 1.5% |
| Poland (POL) | Germany (DEU) | $1.04B | 1.4% |
| Mexico (MEX) | USA (USA) | $1.01B | 1.3% |
| USA (USA) | Mexico (MEX) | $900.81M | 1.2% |
| Netherlands (NLD) | Belgium (BEL) | $857.84M | 1.1% |
| France (FRA) | Germany (DEU) | $796.70M | 1.0% |
| Germany (DEU) | France (FRA) | $767.21M | 1.0% |
| Netherlands (NLD) | Germany (DEU) | $737.97M | 1.0% |
| China (CHN) | USA (USA) | $734.77M | 1.0% |
| Germany (DEU) | Poland (POL) | $621.31M | 0.8% |
| Germany (DEU) | Netherlands (NLD) | $612.42M | 0.8% |
| Germany (DEU) | China (CHN) | $573.19M | 0.7% |
| Germany (DEU) | Austria (AUT) | $563.31M | 0.7% |
Data notes & methodology
Source: UN Comtrade
Exports total: $76.51B • Imports total: $73.41B
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