Synthetic organic dyes and pigments: South Korea exports and imports
HS 3204 · 합성 유기착색제(화학적으로 단일한 것인지에 상관없다), 이것을 기본 재료로 한 조제품(이 류의 주 제3호의 것으로 한정한다), 형광증백제(螢光增白劑)나 루미노퍼(luminophore)로 사용되는 종류의 합성유기생산품(화학적으로 단일한 것인지에 상관없다) · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $56.0 million of synthetic organic dyes and pigments (HS 3204), down 3.1% from September 2026 and up 29.8% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of synthetic organic dyes and pigments (HS 3204) totalled $615.9 million, down 1.0% from the 12 months before ($622.4 million).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was China ($228.9 million, 37.2% of the total), followed by Pakistan and Vietnam.
That was 21.7% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 32 (dyes, pigments, paints and inks) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $73.9 million (up 16.7% from October 2025), leaving a deficit of $18.0 million for the month.
Official description of HS 3204: Synthetic organic colouring matter, whether or not chemically defined; preparations as specified in Note 3 to this Chapter based on synthetic organic colouring matter; synthetic organic products of a kind used as fluorescent brightening agents or as luminophores, whether or not chemically defined.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 3204
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3204.11 | Disperse dyes and preparations based thereon | $43.5M | 7.1% | +16.8% | $3.9M |
| 3204.11.1000 | Intermediate products for disperse dyes (press cake) | $2.2M | 5.0% | +81.8% | $109K |
| 3204.11.9000 | Other | $41.3M | 95.0% | +14.7% | $3.8M |
| 3204.12 | Acid dyes, whether or not premetallised, and preparations based thereon; mordant dyes and preparations based thereon | $7.6M | 1.2% | -20.8% | $528K |
| 3204.12.1000 | Acid dyes and preparations based thereon | $7.1M | 93.4% | -23.4% | $464K |
| 3204.12.2000 | Mordant dyes and preparations based thereon | $501K | 6.6% | +50.8% | $64K |
| 3204.13 | Basic dyes and preparations based thereon | $1.4M | 0.2% | +13.1% | $18K |
| 3204.14 | Direct dyes and preparations based thereon | $667K | 0.1% | -30.5% | $79K |
| 3204.15 | Vat dyes (including those usable in that state as pigments) and preparations based thereon | $679K | 0.1% | +100.6% | $76K |
| 3204.16 | Reactive dyes and preparations based thereon | $207.6M | 33.7% | +8.0% | $22.1M |
| 3204.17 | Pigments and preparations based thereon | $171.0M | 27.8% | -0.3% | $15.6M |
| 3204.18 | Carotenoid colouring matters and preparations based thereon | $161 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 3204.19 | Other, including mixtures of colouring matter of two or more of the subheadings 3204.11 to 3204.19 | $9.9M | 1.6% | 0.0% | $765K |
| 3204.19.1000 | Organic solvent dyes and preparations based thereon | $5.3M | 53.3% | +23.5% | $428K |
| 3204.19.3000 | Sulphide dyes and sulphide vat dyes and preparations based thereon | $0 | 0.0% | -100.0% | $0 |
| 3204.19.9000 | Other | $4.6M | 46.7% | -17.4% | $337K |
| 3204.20 | Synthetic organic products of a kind used as fluorescent brightening agents | $10.5M | 1.7% | +2.9% | $908K |
| 3204.90 | Other | $163.0M | 26.5% | -13.9% | $12.0M |
| 3204.90.1010 | For manufacturing organic light-emitting diodes(OLED) | $148.8M | 91.3% | -19.0% | $10.5M |
| 3204.90.1090 | Other | $9.9M | 6.1% | +541.3% | $1.2M |
| 3204.90.9000 | Other | $4.3M | 2.6% | +7.4% | $356K |
Six-digit codes are international; the indented ten-digit codes are South Korea's own subdivision. These rows are world totals; "Share" is the share of the row above.
Top destinations
Export value over the 12 months to October 2026. 101 countries received this product from South Korea in the last 24 months; the table shows the largest 20.
| Rank | Country | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | Rank before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $228.9M | 37.2% | -8.9% | 1 | $17.1M |
| 2 | Pakistan | $72.2M | 11.7% | +6.0% | 2 | $6.5M |
| 3 | Vietnam | $59.0M | 9.6% | +9.1% | 3 | $5.8M |
| 4 | Bangladesh | $49.0M | 8.0% | +16.0% | 4 | $5.4M |
| 5 | United States | $27.6M | 4.5% | -14.2% | 5 | $1.9M |
| 6 | Germany | $23.2M | 3.8% | -12.1% | 6 | $2.0M |
| 7 | Türkiye | $19.1M | 3.1% | -7.6% | 7 | $2.4M |
| 8 | Japan | $17.3M | 2.8% | +3.6% | 8 | $1.5M |
| 9 | Egypt | $17.0M | 2.8% | +28.0% | 10 | $2.2M |
| 10 | Indonesia | $16.7M | 2.7% | +4.6% | 9 | $1.9M |
| 11 | India | $14.7M | 2.4% | +16.7% | 11 | $1.2M |
| 12 | Guatemala | $9.8M | 1.6% | -4.4% | 12 | $731K |
| 13 | Uzbekistan | $6.9M | 1.1% | +16.6% | 13 | $863K |
| 14 | Peru | $5.6M | 0.9% | +11.7% | 14 | $1.4M |
| 15 | Mexico | $4.8M | 0.8% | +4.6% | 16 | $827K |
| 16 | Honduras | $4.7M | 0.8% | +0.4% | 15 | $108K |
| 17 | Taiwan | $4.7M | 0.8% | +16.0% | 18 | $362K |
| 18 | Thailand | $2.9M | 0.5% | -7.0% | 19 | $163K |
| 19 | Brazil | $2.7M | 0.4% | +54.3% | 23 | $247K |
| 20 | Spain | $2.4M | 0.4% | +1,047% | 46 | $410K |
Countries are linked when exports of this product to them reached $5,000,000 over 24 months.
Monthly figures
| Month | Exports | vs year earlier | Export weight | Export $/kg | Imports | Import weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $56.0M | +29.8% | 5,830 t | $9.60 | $73.9M | 3,388 t |
| September 2026 | $57.8M | +5.0% | 6,146 t | $9.40 | $62.8M | 4,085 t |
| August 2026 | $51.3M | +5.1% | 5,188 t | $9.89 | $60.4M | 2,960 t |
| July 2026 | $55.9M | +15.8% | 4,746 t | $11.78 | $80.0M | 3,296 t |
| June 2026 | $47.2M | -3.2% | 4,938 t | $9.56 | $71.4M | 3,434 t |
| May 2026 | $50.6M | +1.3% | 5,526 t | $9.16 | $50.0M | 3,631 t |
| April 2026 | $63.6M | +7.0% | 7,212 t | $8.81 | $82.3M | 4,912 t |
| March 2026 | $58.2M | +4.6% | 7,103 t | $8.20 | $64.5M | 3,971 t |
| February 2026 | $43.4M | -25.1% | 4,817 t | $9.01 | $46.7M | 3,188 t |
| January 2026 | $43.6M | -10.4% | 4,364 t | $10.00 | $77.3M | 3,487 t |
| December 2025 | $50.3M | -9.0% | 4,755 t | $10.57 | $60.5M | 3,494 t |
| November 2025 | $38.1M | -26.0% | 4,555 t | $8.36 | $51.4M | 3,346 t |
| October 2025 | $43.1M | -13.5% | 4,629 t | $9.31 | $63.3M | 2,948 t |
| September 2025 | $55.0M | +25.6% | 5,678 t | $9.69 | $85.7M | 3,832 t |
| August 2025 | $48.8M | +1.0% | 4,868 t | $10.03 | $41.1M | 3,312 t |
| July 2025 | $48.3M | -12.8% | 5,383 t | $8.97 | $70.0M | 3,848 t |
| June 2025 | $48.8M | -4.9% | 5,283 t | $9.23 | $64.7M | 3,478 t |
| May 2025 | $49.9M | -8.9% | 5,465 t | $9.13 | $59.2M | 3,739 t |
| April 2025 | $59.4M | +7.3% | 5,979 t | $9.94 | $69.3M | 3,748 t |
| March 2025 | $55.7M | +4.7% | 6,212 t | $8.96 | $59.0M | 3,579 t |
| February 2025 | $58.0M | +7.0% | 6,317 t | $9.18 | $66.7M | 3,281 t |
| January 2025 | $48.7M | -16.1% | 4,873 t | $10.00 | $60.8M | 3,324 t |
| December 2024 | $55.2M | +24.3% | 5,695 t | $9.70 | $57.4M | 3,377 t |
| November 2024 | $51.5M | +7.2% | 5,893 t | $8.73 | $54.4M | 3,365 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.