Cotton sewing, thread, whether or not put up for retail sale: South Korea exports and imports
HS 5204 · 면 재봉사(소매용인지에 상관없다) · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $23,473 of cotton sewing, thread, whether or not put up for retail sale (HS 5204), down 35.2% from September 2026 and up 7.1% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of cotton sewing, thread, whether or not put up for retail sale (HS 5204) totalled $312,967, down 17.1% from the 12 months before ($377,682).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was Poland ($105,789, 33.8% of the total), followed by Vietnam and Mexico.
That was 0.1% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 52 (cotton) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $58,040 (up 96.3% from October 2025), leaving a deficit of $34,567 for the month.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 5204
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5204.11 | Containing 85 % or more by weight of cotton | $173K | 55.4% | -29.4% | $9,142 |
| 5204.19 | Other | $133K | 42.5% | +16.0% | $14K |
| 5204.20 | Put up for retail sale | $6,608 | 2.1% | -62.1% | $0 |
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. 28 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 | Poland | $106K | 33.8% | -3.7% | 1 | $1,124 |
| 2 | Vietnam | $77K | 24.5% | +46.2% | 4 | $9,172 |
| 3 | Mexico | $42K | 13.5% | -51.0% | 2 | $7,343 |
| 4 | Philippines | $40K | 12.6% | -40.7% | 3 | $0 |
| 5 | Russia | $22K | 6.9% | +7.7% | 5 | $2,165 |
| 6 | China | $19K | 6.1% | +8.1% | 6 | $3,520 |
| 7 | Indonesia | $1,961 | 0.6% | – | 12 | $0 |
| 8 | Kenya | $1,320 | 0.4% | – | – | $0 |
| 9 | Taiwan | $1,255 | 0.4% | – | 9 | $0 |
| 10 | Bangladesh | $1,250 | 0.4% | – | – | $0 |
| 11 | Japan | $763 | 0.2% | – | 10 | $0 |
| 12 | United Kingdom | $289 | 0.1% | – | – | $0 |
| 13 | Singapore | $282 | 0.1% | – | 16 | $0 |
| 14 | New Zealand | $210 | 0.1% | – | 18 | $0 |
| 15 | Kazakhstan | $209 | 0.1% | – | – | $0 |
| 16 | Mongolia | $178 | 0.1% | – | 17 | $149 |
| 17 | Australia | $110 | 0.0% | – | 11 | $0 |
| 18 | United States | $101 | 0.0% | -99.4% | 7 | $0 |
| 19 | Kyrgyzstan | $40 | 0.0% | – | – | $0 |
| 20 | France | $12 | 0.0% | – | 8 | $0 |
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 | $23K | +7.1% | 7.1 t | $3.33 | $58K | 3.8 t |
| September 2026 | $36K | -13.0% | 6.1 t | $5.89 | $10K | 390 kg |
| August 2026 | $2,756 | – | 991 kg | $2.78 | $37K | 3.1 t |
| July 2026 | $34K | -22.9% | 6.7 t | $5.11 | $12K | 802 kg |
| June 2026 | $11K | -69.3% | 1.0 t | $10.80 | $59K | 2.7 t |
| May 2026 | $40K | +94.8% | 7.4 t | $5.40 | $37K | 3.9 t |
| April 2026 | $15K | -29.5% | 4.2 t | $3.45 | $31K | 2.2 t |
| March 2026 | $28K | -29.7% | 4.9 t | $5.69 | $67K | 2.2 t |
| February 2026 | $8,136 | -44.0% | 2.3 t | $3.61 | $22K | 811 kg |
| January 2026 | $42K | +42.9% | 7.4 t | $5.74 | $24K | 1.2 t |
| December 2025 | $49K | – | 7.3 t | $6.74 | $21K | 1.4 t |
| November 2025 | $23K | -75.8% | 2.4 t | $9.50 | $20K | 939 kg |
| October 2025 | $22K | -24.3% | 5.6 t | $3.94 | $30K | 1.9 t |
| September 2025 | $42K | +19.1% | 3.7 t | $11.20 | $14K | 573 kg |
| August 2025 | $7,705 | -58.3% | 335 kg | $23.00 | $14K | 1.5 t |
| July 2025 | $45K | +13.2% | 4.2 t | $10.75 | $28K | 4.9 t |
| June 2025 | $36K | +85.8% | 3.2 t | $11.09 | $28K | 1.8 t |
| May 2025 | $21K | -27.4% | 1.5 t | $13.83 | $142K | 8.8 t |
| April 2025 | $21K | +68.6% | 3.6 t | $5.78 | $48K | 2.1 t |
| March 2025 | $40K | +51.3% | 2.8 t | $14.02 | $16K | 919 kg |
| February 2025 | $15K | -25.1% | 1.3 t | $11.43 | $27K | 720 kg |
| January 2025 | $30K | -49.8% | 5.1 t | $5.81 | $42K | 2.4 t |
| December 2024 | $5,558 | -91.3% | 1.1 t | $4.94 | $26K | 1.9 t |
| November 2024 | $95K | +238.7% | 8.1 t | $11.76 | $30K | 1.7 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.