Wadding, felt, nonwovens and cordage: South Korea exports and imports
HS chapter 56 · 워딩(wadding)ㆍ펠트(felt)ㆍ부직포, 특수사, 끈ㆍ배의 밧줄(cordage)ㆍ로프ㆍ케이블과 이들의 제품 · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $70.9 million of wadding, felt, nonwovens and cordage (HS 56), up 16.3% from September 2026 and up 28.4% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of wadding, felt, nonwovens and cordage (HS 56) totalled $761.0 million, down 1.9% from the 12 months before ($775.6 million).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was the United States ($153.5 million, 20.2% of the total), followed by Vietnam and China.
That was 0.1% of South Korea's total goods exports over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $65.3 million (up 25.1% from October 2025), leaving a surplus of $5.6 million for the month.
Official description of HS 56: Wadding, felt and nonwovens; special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof.
Last 24 months
Headings under chapter 56
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5603 | Nonwovens, whether or not impregnated, coated, covered or laminated | $341.7M | 44.9% | +2.2% | $30.5M |
| 5601 | Wadding of textile materials and articles thereof, etc. | $202.3M | 26.6% | -9.1% | $18.2M |
| 5607 | Twine, cordage, ropes and cables, etc. | $114.0M | 15.0% | -11.0% | $11.1M |
| 5608 | Knotted netting of twine, cordage or rope, etc. | $38.5M | 5.1% | +3.6% | $5.6M |
| 5602 | Felt, whether or not impregnated, coated, covered or laminated | $37.0M | 4.9% | +23.2% | $3.3M |
| 5609 | Articles of yarn, strip, twine, cordage or rope | $9.3M | 1.2% | -1.2% | $766K |
| 5606 | Gimped yarn, chenille yarn and loop wale-yarn | $8.3M | 1.1% | +52.6% | $538K |
| 5604 | Rubber thread and cord, textile covered, etc. | $7.0M | 0.9% | +14.6% | $749K |
| 5605 | Metallised yarn, whether or not gimped, being textile yarn, etc. | $2.8M | 0.4% | +22.9% | $183K |
Top destinations
Export value over the 12 months to October 2026. 174 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 | United States | $153.5M | 20.2% | +19.2% | 1 | $15.2M |
| 2 | Vietnam | $81.1M | 10.7% | +19.1% | 2 | $6.0M |
| 3 | China | $67.3M | 8.8% | -0.3% | 3 | $7.0M |
| 4 | Indonesia | $64.5M | 8.5% | -1.1% | 5 | $5.9M |
| 5 | Japan | $59.8M | 7.9% | -8.8% | 4 | $5.5M |
| 6 | Russia | $52.3M | 6.9% | -8.6% | 6 | $4.0M |
| 7 | Mexico | $26.4M | 3.5% | -14.0% | 7 | $2.3M |
| 8 | India | $23.9M | 3.1% | +7.3% | 10 | $2.4M |
| 9 | Türkiye | $21.6M | 2.8% | -16.9% | 9 | $2.6M |
| 10 | United Arab Emirates | $19.5M | 2.6% | -35.3% | 8 | $1.9M |
| 11 | Thailand | $15.1M | 2.0% | +2.1% | 11 | $1.3M |
| 12 | Netherlands | $13.0M | 1.7% | -9.9% | 12 | $946K |
| 13 | Taiwan | $11.6M | 1.5% | -0.7% | 13 | $1.1M |
| 14 | Canada | $9.4M | 1.2% | +43.9% | 18 | $461K |
| 15 | Singapore | $7.7M | 1.0% | -8.6% | 16 | $444K |
| 16 | Germany | $7.2M | 1.0% | -13.2% | 17 | $721K |
| 17 | Spain | $7.2M | 0.9% | -27.0% | 15 | $472K |
| 18 | Philippines | $7.1M | 0.9% | -33.1% | 14 | $2.1M |
| 19 | Italy | $6.7M | 0.9% | +12.1% | 19 | $173K |
| 20 | Ghana | $5.1M | 0.7% | -5.7% | 21 | $442K |
Countries are linked when exports of this product to them reached $1,000,000 over 24 months.
Monthly figures
| Month | Exports | vs year earlier | Export weight | Export $/kg | Imports | Import weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $70.9M | +28.4% | 10,947 t | $6.48 | $65.3M | 20,491 t |
| September 2026 | $61.0M | -16.7% | 9,622 t | $6.33 | $69.2M | 22,115 t |
| August 2026 | $57.7M | -0.3% | 8,725 t | $6.61 | $59.0M | 18,227 t |
| July 2026 | $73.0M | +5.6% | 10,894 t | $6.70 | $65.9M | 20,907 t |
| June 2026 | $69.6M | +7.0% | 10,493 t | $6.64 | $70.9M | 22,539 t |
| May 2026 | $57.4M | -7.3% | 8,466 t | $6.78 | $64.4M | 20,452 t |
| April 2026 | $68.4M | -10.0% | 11,149 t | $6.14 | $66.9M | 22,822 t |
| March 2026 | $63.8M | -2.3% | 10,670 t | $5.98 | $57.3M | 19,139 t |
| February 2026 | $57.1M | -10.6% | 9,242 t | $6.18 | $48.8M | 16,321 t |
| January 2026 | $57.2M | +3.7% | 9,868 t | $5.79 | $55.7M | 18,988 t |
| December 2025 | $65.1M | +1.9% | 11,003 t | $5.92 | $62.9M | 20,532 t |
| November 2025 | $59.8M | -13.3% | 10,091 t | $5.92 | $54.9M | 17,561 t |
| October 2025 | $55.2M | -8.1% | 9,106 t | $6.06 | $52.2M | 17,135 t |
| September 2025 | $73.2M | +18.2% | 12,778 t | $5.73 | $65.6M | 22,299 t |
| August 2025 | $57.9M | -8.9% | 9,201 t | $6.29 | $55.7M | 19,117 t |
| July 2025 | $69.1M | +4.8% | 10,955 t | $6.31 | $61.7M | 20,868 t |
| June 2025 | $65.1M | +6.6% | 10,084 t | $6.45 | $56.4M | 18,959 t |
| May 2025 | $61.9M | -5.4% | 9,842 t | $6.29 | $58.0M | 19,315 t |
| April 2025 | $76.0M | +17.3% | 11,569 t | $6.57 | $65.2M | 21,603 t |
| March 2025 | $65.4M | -0.2% | 10,487 t | $6.23 | $54.3M | 17,293 t |
| February 2025 | $63.9M | +2.0% | 9,695 t | $6.59 | $49.1M | 16,437 t |
| January 2025 | $55.1M | -13.5% | 8,858 t | $6.22 | $51.4M | 17,213 t |
| December 2024 | $63.9M | +9.1% | 9,828 t | $6.50 | $53.4M | 18,338 t |
| November 2024 | $68.9M | +13.0% | 10,135 t | $6.80 | $50.2M | 16,797 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.