South Korea exports to South Africa

남아프리카공화국 · latest month: October 2026

Exports, October 2026

$58.3M

-13.4% vs previous month

vs same month a year earlier

+55.0%

export value

Exports, last 12 months

$813.2M

+8.0% vs 12 months before

Rank among destinations

of 239, last 12 months

Imports, last 12 months

$3.16B

balance -$2.35B

In October 2026, South Korea exported $58.3 million of goods to South Africa, down 13.4% from September 2026 and up 55.0% from October 2025.

Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of goods to South Africa totalled $813.2 million, up 8.0% from the 12 months before ($753.0 million).

South Africa ranked 60th of 239 destinations for Korean goods over the 12 months to October 2026, down from 57th in the 12 months before.

The largest chapter was vehicles, parts and accessories (HS 87), with $181.6 million or 22.3% of exports to South Africa.

Imports from South Africa in October 2026 were $182.0 million (up 30.4% from October 2025), leaving a deficit of $123.7 million for the month.

Last 24 months

Monthly exportsExport value in US dollars (FOB).

Monthly importsImport value in US dollars (CIF).

What South Korea exports to South Africa: chapters

Export value by HS chapter over the 12 months to October 2026; the largest 25 of 85.

Code	Product	Exports, 12 months	Share	vs 12 months before	October 2026
87	Vehicles, parts and accessories	$181.6M	22.3%	+17.8%	$15.4M
84	Machinery, boilers and computers	$115.0M	14.1%	-20.0%	$7.0M
76	Aluminium and articles thereof	$69.9M	8.6%	+20.7%	$3.7M
39	Plastics and articles thereof	$60.3M	7.4%	+8.7%	$3.9M
72	Iron and steel	$59.9M	7.4%	+19.3%	$1.8M
85	Electrical machinery and electronics	$58.5M	7.2%	+21.7%	$3.4M
27	Mineral fuels, oils and their products	$38.3M	4.7%	+35.8%	$1.1M
29	Organic chemicals	$28.9M	3.6%	+128.3%	$6.2M
48	Paper and paperboard	$26.5M	3.3%	+58.1%	$2.5M
40	Rubber and articles thereof	$25.6M	3.2%	+27.9%	$2.2M
90	Optical, measuring and medical instruments	$19.8M	2.4%	-17.7%	$1.7M
38	Miscellaneous chemical products	$13.6M	1.7%	+37.8%	$588K
03	Fish, crustaceans and other seafood	$12.6M	1.5%	+118.5%	$853K
33	Essential oils, perfumery and cosmetics	$12.2M	1.5%	+59.9%	$1.1M
30	Pharmaceutical products	$11.1M	1.4%	+70.7%	$59K
82	Tools and cutlery of base metal	$9.5M	1.2%	-6.3%	$1.3M
34	Soap, washing preparations and waxes	$9.5M	1.2%	+279.0%	$2.2M
19	Preparations of cereals, flour or milk, and bakery products	$7.9M	1.0%	+10.6%	$92K
28	Inorganic chemicals	$5.4M	0.7%	+62.2%	$293K
73	Articles of iron or steel	$5.0M	0.6%	-7.9%	$254K
54	Man-made filaments	$4.7M	0.6%	-0.7%	$172K
32	Dyes, pigments, paints and inks	$4.3M	0.5%	+25.4%	$334K
68	Articles of stone, plaster, cement or mica	$4.0M	0.5%	-6.5%	$326K
74	Copper and articles thereof	$2.9M	0.4%	-53.1%	$182K
55	Man-made staple fibres	$2.5M	0.3%	+5.0%	$49K

Largest 4-digit headings

The 30 largest of 567 headings exported to South Africa in the same 12 months.

Code	Product	Exports, 12 months	Share	vs 12 months before	October 2026
8703	Passenger cars	$91.6M	11.3%	+8.3%	$8.1M
7606	Aluminium plates, sheets and strip	$63.9M	7.9%	+14.8%	$3.7M
8704	Motor vehicles for the transport of goods	$57.0M	7.0%	+65.5%	$5.9M
8708	Parts and accessories of motor vehicles	$29.9M	3.7%	-3.1%	$1.3M
7208	Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel, hot-rolled	$29.8M	3.7%	+36.8%	$0
2710	Refined petroleum oils	$21.7M	2.7%	+166.6%	$1.1M
4810	Paper and paperboard coated with kaolin or other inorganic substances	$21.0M	2.6%	+82.4%	$1.8M
8504	Electrical transformers, static converters and inductors	$20.7M	2.5%	+68.0%	$55K
8429	Bulldozers, excavators and other earth-moving machinery	$16.5M	2.0%	-33.5%	$239K
4011	New pneumatic tyres, of rubber	$16.4M	2.0%	+75.0%	$1.3M
2707	Coal tar distillation oils (benzene, toluene, xylene)	$14.8M	1.8%	-20.0%	$0
8431	Parts for cranes, excavators and other heavy machinery	$14.1M	1.7%	+26.1%	$902K
8409	Parts for internal combustion engines	$12.2M	1.5%	-26.1%	$1.1M
0303	Fish, frozen (excluding fillets)	$11.6M	1.4%	+187.2%	$300K
3901	Polymers of ethylene, in primary forms	$11.4M	1.4%	+25.2%	$149K
3304	Beauty, make-up and skin care preparations	$10.9M	1.3%	+56.8%	$961K
3902	Polymers of propylene, in primary forms	$10.6M	1.3%	+2.9%	$451K
7217	Wire or iron or non-alloy steel	$10.0M	1.2%	+11.3%	$1.0M
9018	Medical, surgical and dental instruments	$8.9M	1.1%	+9.8%	$755K
8430	Other earth-moving, boring and pile-driving machinery	$8.6M	1.1%	+12.8%	$709K
7210	Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel, coated or plated	$8.5M	1.0%	+1.6%	$369K
3402	Surfactants, detergents and cleaning preparations	$8.2M	1.0%	+1,337%	$2.1M
8517	Telephones, smartphones and network equipment	$7.8M	1.0%	-10.1%	$255K
4002	Synthetic rubber	$7.7M	1.0%	-15.3%	$709K
8427	Fork-lift trucks	$7.4M	0.9%	+16.2%	$797K
8415	Air conditioners	$7.3M	0.9%	-7.9%	$203K
1902	Pasta and noodles (including instant noodles)	$7.3M	0.9%	+12.0%	$33K
8458	Lathes(including turning centres) for removing metal	$7.2M	0.9%	-0.1%	$990K
2917	Polycarboxylic acids and their derivatives	$7.0M	0.9%	+3,445%	$5.4M
2902	Cyclic hydrocarbons	$7.0M	0.9%	+270.3%	$37K

A chapter is linked when exports to South Africa reached $1,000,000 over 24 months, a heading when they reached $5,000,000. "Share" is the share of all exports to South Africa.

Featured industry: cosmetics exports to South Africa, by 6-digit product.

Monthly figures

Month	Exports	vs year earlier	Export weight	Export $/kg	Imports	Import weight
October 2026	$58.3M	+55.0%	19,856 t	$2.93	$182.0M	665,104 t
September 2026	$67.3M	-37.4%	20,616 t	$3.27	$307.2M	1,645,763 t
August 2026	$76.6M	+3.0%	24,347 t	$3.15	$292.7M	1,662,142 t
July 2026	$69.5M	+2.9%	23,236 t	$2.99	$267.2M	1,147,562 t
June 2026	$76.5M	+22.6%	22,491 t	$3.40	$224.5M	664,824 t
May 2026	$62.7M	+11.4%	17,567 t	$3.57	$286.4M	1,058,962 t
April 2026	$79.9M	+9.6%	30,330 t	$2.64	$147.9M	228,997 t
March 2026	$78.3M	+15.7%	41,151 t	$1.90	$266.8M	1,215,098 t
February 2026	$48.0M	+7.0%	20,897 t	$2.30	$312.8M	1,197,231 t
January 2026	$62.8M	+58.0%	26,813 t	$2.34	$383.2M	1,464,724 t
December 2025	$77.7M	+7.0%	53,943 t	$1.44	$278.1M	843,076 t
November 2025	$55.6M	+12.4%	12,105 t	$4.59	$213.9M	1,349,058 t
October 2025	$37.6M	-22.0%	10,436 t	$3.60	$139.6M	432,122 t
September 2025	$107.6M	+113.9%	30,978 t	$3.47	$173.4M	942,211 t
August 2025	$74.4M	+25.1%	45,158 t	$1.65	$165.2M	637,045 t
July 2025	$67.5M	+4.2%	20,402 t	$3.31	$154.5M	565,383 t
June 2025	$62.4M	-13.7%	21,049 t	$2.96	$118.2M	465,237 t
May 2025	$56.2M	+8.4%	14,922 t	$3.77	$129.7M	343,414 t
April 2025	$72.9M	+31.7%	25,911 t	$2.81	$207.8M	1,068,729 t
March 2025	$67.7M	+1.4%	20,614 t	$3.28	$114.2M	451,861 t
February 2025	$44.9M	-20.3%	12,496 t	$3.59	$242.9M	1,246,254 t
January 2025	$39.7M	-32.7%	10,271 t	$3.87	$263.4M	1,238,556 t
December 2024	$72.6M	+11.3%	20,636 t	$3.52	$330.6M	2,044,747 t
November 2024	$49.5M	-22.0%	16,893 t	$2.93	$240.9M	862,411 t

Exports FOB, imports CIF, US dollars. Weight is net weight. "vs year earlier" compares export value with the same month one year before and is left blank when that month was under $10,000. Source: Korea Customs Service, via data.go.kr.