Yarn of synthetic staple fibres, not put up for retail sale, etc.: South Korea exports and imports
HS 5509 · 합성스테이플섬유사(재봉사와 소매용은 제외한다) · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $1.8 million of yarn of synthetic staple fibres, not put up for retail sale, etc. (HS 5509), up 91.9% from September 2026 and up 116.5% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of yarn of synthetic staple fibres, not put up for retail sale, etc. (HS 5509) totalled $14.4 million, down 4.1% from the 12 months before ($15.0 million).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was Vietnam ($4.3 million, 29.6% of the total), followed by the United States and France.
That was 1.3% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 55 (man-made staple fibres) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $11.3 million (up 20.0% from October 2025), leaving a deficit of $9.6 million for the month.
Official description of HS 5509: Yarn (other than sewing thread) of synthetic staple fibres, not put up for retail sale.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 5509
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5509.11 | Single yarn | $626K | 4.4% | -57.4% | $1,062 |
| 5509.11.1000 | High tenacity yarn | $569K | 90.8% | -42.0% | $0 |
| 5509.11.9000 | Other | $58K | 9.2% | -88.2% | $1,062 |
| 5509.12 | Multiple (folded) or cabled yarn | $5.4M | 37.8% | +44.3% | $652K |
| 5509.12.1000 | High tenacity yarn | $4.8M | 89.1% | +61.9% | $551K |
| 5509.12.9000 | Other | $592K | 10.9% | -23.6% | $101K |
| 5509.21 | Single yarn | $130K | 0.9% | -57.9% | $116 |
| 5509.21.1000 | High tenacity yarn | $0 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 5509.21.9000 | Other | $130K | 100.0% | -57.9% | $116 |
| 5509.22 | Multiple (folded) or cabled yarn | $1.0M | 7.3% | -16.1% | $151K |
| 5509.22.1000 | High tenacity yarn | $810K | 77.6% | -10.4% | $138K |
| 5509.22.9000 | Other | $233K | 22.4% | -31.2% | $13K |
| 5509.31 | Single yarn | $709K | 4.9% | -2.9% | $89K |
| 5509.32 | Multiple (folded) or cabled yarn | $355K | 2.5% | +53.3% | $0 |
| 5509.32.1000 | Acrylic | $355K | 100.0% | +53.3% | $0 |
| 5509.32.2000 | Modacrylic | $0 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 5509.41 | Single yarn | $213K | 1.5% | -23.8% | $19K |
| 5509.42 | Multiple (folded) or cabled yarn | $472K | 3.3% | -4.1% | $9,354 |
| 5509.51 | Mixed mainly or solely with artificial staple fibres | $126K | 0.9% | -62.7% | $1,745 |
| 5509.52 | Mixed mainly or solely with wool or fine animal hair | $2.7M | 18.5% | +24.9% | $778K |
| 5509.53 | Mixed mainly or solely with cotton | $161K | 1.1% | -28.1% | $3,089 |
| 5509.59 | Other | $181K | 1.3% | – | $6,140 |
| 5509.61 | Mixed mainly or solely with wool or fine animal hair | $6,648 | 0.0% | -65.4% | $0 |
| 5509.61.1000 | Acrylic | $6,648 | 100.0% | -65.4% | $0 |
| 5509.61.2000 | Modacrylic | $0 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 5509.62 | Mixed mainly or solely with cotton | $1.6M | 11.0% | +14.7% | $18K |
| 5509.62.1000 | Acrylic | $56K | 3.5% | -15.8% | $9,932 |
| 5509.62.2000 | Modacrylic | $1.5M | 96.5% | +16.3% | $8,507 |
| 5509.69 | Other | $126K | 0.9% | -92.5% | $5,059 |
| 5509.69.1010 | Acrylic | $65K | 51.6% | +61.5% | $3,534 |
| 5509.69.1020 | Modacrylic | $55K | 43.5% | -96.6% | $0 |
| 5509.69.2010 | Acrylic | $6,130 | 4.9% | – | $1,525 |
| 5509.69.2020 | Modacrylic | $0 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 5509.91 | Mixed mainly or solely with wool or fine animal hair | $160K | 1.1% | -22.0% | $13K |
| 5509.91.1000 | Of nylon or other polyamides | $64K | 40.2% | -21.2% | $5,968 |
| 5509.91.9000 | Other | $96K | 59.8% | -22.6% | $7,395 |
| 5509.92 | Mixed mainly or solely with cotton | $3,317 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 5509.99 | Other | $374K | 2.6% | -23.3% | $38K |
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. 35 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 | Vietnam | $4.3M | 29.6% | +2.9% | 1 | $922K |
| 2 | United States | $3.1M | 21.4% | -24.5% | 2 | $281K |
| 3 | France | $2.1M | 14.7% | +1,411% | 12 | $108 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | $1.6M | 11.1% | -16.1% | 3 | $229K |
| 5 | China | $998K | 6.9% | +1.5% | 5 | $138K |
| 6 | Philippines | $448K | 3.1% | +1.3% | 7 | $82K |
| 7 | India | $432K | 3.0% | -70.3% | 4 | $97K |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | $401K | 2.8% | +10.7% | 8 | $0 |
| 9 | Japan | $258K | 1.8% | -51.7% | 6 | $23K |
| 10 | Mexico | $214K | 1.5% | -21.3% | 9 | $0 |
| 11 | Indonesia | $201K | 1.4% | +3.5% | 10 | $2,201 |
| 12 | Canada | $184K | 1.3% | +830.9% | 18 | $0 |
| 13 | Bangladesh | $80K | 0.6% | -5.2% | 13 | $8,301 |
| 14 | Brazil | $60K | 0.4% | -1.2% | 14 | $0 |
| 15 | Saudi Arabia | $23K | 0.2% | -61.5% | 15 | $0 |
| 16 | Hungary | $16K | 0.1% | -3.4% | 19 | $0 |
| 17 | Morocco | $6,928 | 0.0% | -57.1% | 20 | $0 |
| 18 | Taiwan | $2,254 | 0.0% | -92.2% | 16 | $1,414 |
| 19 | Cambodia | $838 | 0.0% | -96.5% | 17 | $0 |
| 20 | Singapore | $211 | 0.0% | – | – | $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 | $1.8M | +116.5% | 107 t | $16.62 | $11.3M | 3,974 t |
| September 2026 | $931K | +123.8% | 134 t | $6.97 | $9.9M | 3,552 t |
| August 2026 | $623K | -38.1% | 76.3 t | $8.17 | $8.3M | 3,217 t |
| July 2026 | $1.4M | +29.7% | 84.8 t | $16.98 | $10.0M | 3,855 t |
| June 2026 | $688K | -28.8% | 82.9 t | $8.30 | $8.9M | 3,262 t |
| May 2026 | $1.1M | +31.6% | 192 t | $5.81 | $8.6M | 3,179 t |
| April 2026 | $1.7M | +4.4% | 203 t | $8.15 | $8.0M | 3,166 t |
| March 2026 | $1.1M | -30.5% | 120 t | $9.29 | $7.3M | 2,885 t |
| February 2026 | $1.8M | +41.4% | 116 t | $15.13 | $6.4M | 2,789 t |
| January 2026 | $2.1M | +7.0% | 159 t | $13.32 | $9.4M | 3,967 t |
| December 2025 | $656K | -68.7% | 140 t | $4.68 | $11.6M | 5,021 t |
| November 2025 | $474K | -63.4% | 108 t | $4.39 | $10.4M | 4,004 t |
| October 2025 | $825K | +61.0% | 161 t | $5.13 | $9.4M | 3,743 t |
| September 2025 | $416K | -67.1% | 144 t | $2.88 | $9.7M | 3,625 t |
| August 2025 | $1.0M | -62.0% | 86.3 t | $11.67 | $9.4M | 3,732 t |
| July 2025 | $1.1M | -24.3% | 90.4 t | $12.28 | $9.3M | 3,726 t |
| June 2025 | $967K | -20.2% | 95.3 t | $10.15 | $10.0M | 3,916 t |
| May 2025 | $848K | -15.7% | 71.3 t | $11.88 | $8.3M | 3,201 t |
| April 2025 | $1.6M | +74.3% | 106 t | $15.03 | $9.7M | 3,628 t |
| March 2025 | $1.6M | +55.6% | 120 t | $13.45 | $7.3M | 2,865 t |
| February 2025 | $1.2M | +242.7% | 85.9 t | $14.43 | $8.2M | 3,588 t |
| January 2025 | $2.0M | +255.8% | 146 t | $13.63 | $10.8M | 4,445 t |
| December 2024 | $2.1M | +158.9% | 158 t | $13.26 | $12.3M | 4,896 t |
| November 2024 | $1.3M | +35.8% | 79.9 t | $16.19 | $10.0M | 4,065 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.