Surfactants, detergents and cleaning preparations: South Korea exports and imports
HS 3402 · 유기계면활성제(비누는 제외한다), 조제 계면활성제ㆍ조제 세제(보조 조제 세제를 포함한다)ㆍ조제 청정제(비누를 함유한 것인지에 상관없으며 제3401호의 물품은 제외한다) · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $75.5 million of surfactants, detergents and cleaning preparations (HS 3402), up 3.1% from September 2026 and up 24.9% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of surfactants, detergents and cleaning preparations (HS 3402) totalled $826.0 million, up 12.8% from the 12 months before ($732.4 million).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was China ($177.8 million, 21.5% of the total), followed by the United States and Japan.
That was 38.5% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 34 (soap, washing preparations and waxes) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $45.3 million (up 25.6% from October 2025), leaving a surplus of $30.2 million for the month.
Official description of HS 3402: Organic surface-active agents (other than soap); surface-active preparations, washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, whether or not containing soap, other than those of heading 34.01.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 3402
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3402.31 | Linear alkylbenzene sulphonic acids and their salts | $185.3M | 22.4% | +35.1% | $18.9M |
| 3402.39 | Other | $77.6M | 9.4% | +10.4% | $6.5M |
| 3402.41 | Cationic | $75.8M | 9.2% | +2.7% | $7.4M |
| 3402.42 | Non-ionic | $115.2M | 13.9% | +6.3% | $10.6M |
| 3402.42.1000 | Material for manufacturing agricultural chemicals (registered material under the Agricultural Chemicals Management Act) | $172K | 0.1% | +47.5% | $32K |
| 3402.42.9000 | Other | $115.0M | 99.9% | +6.3% | $10.6M |
| 3402.49 | Other | $40.2M | 4.9% | +5.4% | $3.9M |
| 3402.50 | Preparations put up for retail sale | $74.4M | 9.0% | -20.0% | $6.2M |
| 3402.50.1000 | Washing preparations | $56.9M | 76.6% | +6.3% | $4.3M |
| 3402.50.2000 | Cleaning preparations | $8.6M | 11.6% | -72.0% | $899K |
| 3402.50.9000 | Other | $8.8M | 11.8% | +3.9% | $960K |
| 3402.90 | Other | $257.6M | 31.2% | +21.6% | $22.0M |
| 3402.90.1000 | Surface-active preparations | $72.9M | 28.3% | +54.7% | $5.4M |
| 3402.90.2000 | Washing preparations | $19.5M | 7.6% | -12.3% | $1.3M |
| 3402.90.3000 | Cleaning preparations | $165.2M | 64.1% | +15.9% | $15.2M |
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. 170 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 | $177.8M | 21.5% | +15.0% | 1 | $16.9M |
| 2 | United States | $80.6M | 9.8% | +19.6% | 3 | $8.5M |
| 3 | Japan | $74.2M | 9.0% | +17.3% | 4 | $7.0M |
| 4 | Taiwan | $50.2M | 6.1% | -25.5% | 2 | $4.9M |
| 5 | Vietnam | $42.4M | 5.1% | -0.4% | 5 | $3.2M |
| 6 | Philippines | $27.9M | 3.4% | -8.2% | 6 | $1.4M |
| 7 | Malaysia | $27.4M | 3.3% | +35.1% | 10 | $2.1M |
| 8 | Indonesia | $25.0M | 3.0% | +13.8% | 9 | $2.0M |
| 9 | Russia | $24.9M | 3.0% | +13.0% | 8 | $1.9M |
| 10 | Colombia | $21.6M | 2.6% | -2.7% | 7 | $2.0M |
| 11 | Türkiye | $20.3M | 2.5% | +38.2% | 13 | $631K |
| 12 | Thailand | $20.2M | 2.4% | +6.7% | 11 | $2.7M |
| 13 | Singapore | $17.8M | 2.2% | +1.7% | 12 | $1.3M |
| 14 | Mozambique | $15.9M | 1.9% | +56.6% | 17 | $406K |
| 15 | Canada | $12.9M | 1.6% | +3.4% | 14 | $852K |
| 16 | Peru | $11.8M | 1.4% | +114.9% | 24 | $50K |
| 17 | Australia | $11.8M | 1.4% | +8.3% | 15 | $1.4M |
| 18 | Nigeria | $10.7M | 1.3% | +4.9% | 16 | $2.0M |
| 19 | Panama | $10.6M | 1.3% | +77.9% | 20 | $0 |
| 20 | Netherlands | $9.6M | 1.2% | +10.1% | 18 | $631K |
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 | $75.5M | +24.9% | 28,885 t | $2.61 | $45.3M | 12,622 t |
| September 2026 | $73.2M | +11.4% | 28,548 t | $2.56 | $42.7M | 11,656 t |
| August 2026 | $68.0M | +19.8% | 26,811 t | $2.54 | $37.7M | 11,540 t |
| July 2026 | $80.2M | +27.8% | 28,922 t | $2.77 | $45.8M | 13,861 t |
| June 2026 | $72.6M | +24.6% | 26,268 t | $2.76 | $48.4M | 14,946 t |
| May 2026 | $68.4M | +8.0% | 25,012 t | $2.73 | $42.4M | 13,076 t |
| April 2026 | $73.2M | +12.8% | 31,456 t | $2.33 | $45.6M | 14,217 t |
| March 2026 | $67.9M | +9.0% | 30,722 t | $2.21 | $35.9M | 11,633 t |
| February 2026 | $59.4M | -3.0% | 26,125 t | $2.27 | $34.8M | 10,327 t |
| January 2026 | $62.8M | +14.0% | 29,969 t | $2.10 | $35.9M | 12,160 t |
| December 2025 | $66.0M | +10.4% | 29,728 t | $2.22 | $38.6M | 12,550 t |
| November 2025 | $58.7M | -5.1% | 28,083 t | $2.09 | $33.5M | 10,879 t |
| October 2025 | $60.4M | -2.0% | 27,581 t | $2.19 | $36.1M | 10,760 t |
| September 2025 | $65.7M | +20.3% | 31,348 t | $2.10 | $46.9M | 14,594 t |
| August 2025 | $56.8M | -9.2% | 27,258 t | $2.08 | $34.7M | 12,365 t |
| July 2025 | $62.8M | -2.9% | 30,303 t | $2.07 | $43.5M | 13,546 t |
| June 2025 | $58.3M | -9.3% | 27,669 t | $2.11 | $39.1M | 12,332 t |
| May 2025 | $63.3M | +3.8% | 29,773 t | $2.13 | $41.7M | 13,320 t |
| April 2025 | $64.9M | -2.1% | 30,770 t | $2.11 | $39.8M | 12,128 t |
| March 2025 | $62.3M | +5.8% | 27,737 t | $2.25 | $38.3M | 13,165 t |
| February 2025 | $61.2M | +8.6% | 28,492 t | $2.15 | $35.3M | 11,947 t |
| January 2025 | $55.1M | -7.2% | 25,380 t | $2.17 | $35.2M | 12,003 t |
| December 2024 | $59.8M | +8.1% | 27,414 t | $2.18 | $39.9M | 14,967 t |
| November 2024 | $61.9M | +12.0% | 29,011 t | $2.13 | $32.2M | 12,060 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.