Ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy, etc.: South Korea exports and imports
HS 7203 · 철광석을 직접 환원하여 제조한 철제품과 그 밖의 해면질의 철제품[럼프(lump)ㆍ펠릿(pellet)이나 이와 유사한 모양인 것으로 한정한다]과 순도가 최저 전 중량의 100분의 99.94인 철[럼프(lump)ㆍ펠릿(pellet)이나 이와 유사한 모양인 것으로 한정한다] · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $55,471 of ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy, etc. (HS 7203), down 70.2% from September 2026 and down 73.9% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy, etc. (HS 7203) totalled $1.5 million, down 5.6% from the 12 months before ($1.6 million).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was Thailand ($1.1 million, 73.8% of the total), followed by Malaysia and China.
That was 0.0% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 72 (iron and steel) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $161,874 (up 24.7% from October 2025), leaving a deficit of $106,403 for the month.
Official description of HS 7203: Ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy ferrous products, in lumps, pellets or similar forms; iron having a minimum purity by weight of 99.94 %, in lumps, pellets or similar forms.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 7203
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7203.10 | Ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore | $510 | 0.0% | -99.3% | $0 |
| 7203.90 | Other | $1.5M | 100.0% | -1.1% | $55K |
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. 20 countries received this product from South Korea in the last 24 months.
| Rank | Country | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | Rank before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand | $1.1M | 73.8% | +354.1% | 2 | $32K |
| 2 | Malaysia | $164K | 10.6% | +64.2% | 3 | $0 |
| 3 | China | $117K | 7.6% | +19.0% | 4 | $0 |
| 4 | Indonesia | $67K | 4.4% | – | 8 | $0 |
| 5 | Pakistan | $26K | 1.7% | – | – | $0 |
| 6 | Cambodia | $23K | 1.5% | – | – | $23K |
| 7 | United Kingdom | $3,298 | 0.2% | – | 16 | $0 |
| 8 | Japan | $2,660 | 0.2% | -99.8% | 1 | $0 |
| 9 | United States | $580 | 0.0% | – | 10 | $0 |
| 10 | Taiwan | $332 | 0.0% | – | 12 | $93 |
| 11 | Canada | $132 | 0.0% | – | – | $0 |
| 12 | Singapore | $92 | 0.0% | – | 13 | $0 |
| 13 | Hong Kong | $69 | 0.0% | – | 15 | $0 |
| 14 | Vietnam | $24 | 0.0% | – | – | $0 |
| – | Australia | $0 | 0.0% | – | 11 | $0 |
| – | Maldives | $0 | 0.0% | -100.0% | 5 | $0 |
| – | Micronesia | $0 | 0.0% | -100.0% | 6 | $0 |
| – | Saudi Arabia | $0 | 0.0% | – | 7 | $0 |
| – | Spain | $0 | 0.0% | – | 14 | $0 |
| – | Sri Lanka | $0 | 0.0% | – | 9 | $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 | $55K | -73.9% | 173 t | $0.32 | $162K | 29.0 t |
| September 2026 | $186K | +140.3% | 593 t | $0.31 | $282K | 54.1 t |
| August 2026 | $8,610 | -86.9% | 23.6 t | $0.36 | $366K | 250 t |
| July 2026 | $171K | +903.4% | 546 t | $0.31 | $442K | 262 t |
| June 2026 | $240K | +504.4% | 586 t | $0.41 | $136K | 47.5 t |
| May 2026 | $25K | -19.9% | 69.7 t | $0.35 | $327K | 149 t |
| April 2026 | $228K | +690.2% | 717 t | $0.32 | $346K | 232 t |
| March 2026 | $304K | – | 752 t | $0.40 | $11.0M | 30,414 t |
| February 2026 | $61K | +70.5% | 164 t | $0.37 | $105K | 23.5 t |
| January 2026 | $129 | – | 11 kg | $11.73 | $175K | 53.2 t |
| December 2025 | $213K | +1,586% | 474 t | $0.45 | $280K | 73.5 t |
| November 2025 | $51K | -95.4% | 144 t | $0.35 | $152K | 44.8 t |
| October 2025 | $213K | – | 638 t | $0.33 | $130K | 21.1 t |
| September 2025 | $78K | – | 240 t | $0.32 | $188K | 126 t |
| August 2025 | $66K | – | 110 t | $0.60 | $292K | 74.8 t |
| July 2025 | $17K | – | 142 t | $0.12 | $150K | 192 t |
| June 2025 | $40K | +192.6% | 105 t | $0.38 | $248K | 136 t |
| May 2025 | $31K | -18.5% | 10.0 t | $3.06 | $101K | 82.7 t |
| April 2025 | $29K | -6.7% | 6.9 t | $4.15 | $264K | 202 t |
| March 2025 | $4,393 | -77.3% | 642 kg | $6.84 | $169K | 62.2 t |
| February 2025 | $36K | +228.2% | 2.8 t | $12.86 | $135K | 139 t |
| January 2025 | $0 | -100.0% | 0 kg | – | $61K | 21.1 t |
| December 2024 | $13K | – | 2.0 t | $6.32 | $11.9M | 32,249 t |
| November 2024 | $1.1M | – | 73.8 t | $15.05 | $23.3M | 63,861 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.