Korea Trade Data

Copper and articles thereof: South Korea exports and imports

HS chapter 74 · 구리와 그 제품 · latest month: October 2026

Exports, October 2026
$876.8M
-9.6% vs previous month
vs same month a year earlier
+53.7%
export value
Exports, last 12 months
$9.03B
+42.3% vs 12 months before
Imports, October 2026
$1.26B
Export value per kg
$14.45
net weight, October 2026

In October 2026, South Korea exported $876.8 million of copper and articles thereof (HS 74), down 9.6% from September 2026 and up 53.7% from October 2025.

Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of copper and articles thereof (HS 74) totalled $9.03 billion, up 42.3% from the 12 months before ($6.34 billion).

The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was China ($3.18 billion, 35.3% of the total), followed by the United States and Taiwan.

That was 0.9% of South Korea's total goods exports over the same 12 months.

Imports in October 2026 were $1.26 billion (up 92.6% from October 2025), leaving a deficit of $387.9 million for the month.

Last 24 months

Monthly exportsExport value in US dollars (FOB).
$0M$250M$500M$750M$1000MOct ’26May ’26Dec ’25Jul ’25Feb ’25November 2024: $455.3 millionDecember 2024: $565.7 millionJanuary 2025: $423.0 millionFebruary 2025: $401.8 millionMarch 2025: $440.6 millionApril 2025: $522.5 millionMay 2025: $574.0 millionJune 2025: $571.9 millionJuly 2025: $656.6 millionAugust 2025: $559.2 millionSeptember 2025: $602.0 millionOctober 2025: $570.4 millionNovember 2025: $633.6 millionDecember 2025: $697.4 millionJanuary 2026: $622.1 millionFebruary 2026: $518.0 millionMarch 2026: $605.2 millionApril 2026: $902.2 millionMay 2026: $861.2 millionJune 2026: $867.0 millionJuly 2026: $801.3 millionAugust 2026: $671.5 millionSeptember 2026: $969.5 millionOctober 2026: $876.8 million
Monthly importsImport value in US dollars (CIF).
$0B$0.5B$1B$1.5BOct ’26May ’26Dec ’25Jul ’25Feb ’25$1.26BNovember 2024: $524.4 millionDecember 2024: $611.7 millionJanuary 2025: $496.1 millionFebruary 2025: $489.8 millionMarch 2025: $686.5 millionApril 2025: $674.2 millionMay 2025: $643.5 millionJune 2025: $722.2 millionJuly 2025: $807.0 millionAugust 2025: $705.2 millionSeptember 2025: $776.9 millionOctober 2025: $656.8 millionNovember 2025: $718.6 millionDecember 2025: $841.9 millionJanuary 2026: $923.9 millionFebruary 2026: $793.3 millionMarch 2026: $1.10 billionApril 2026: $997.9 millionMay 2026: $933.0 millionJune 2026: $1.19 billionJuly 2026: $1.08 billionAugust 2026: $857.6 millionSeptember 2026: $1.24 billionOctober 2026: $1.26 billion

Headings under chapter 74

CodeProductExports, 12 monthsSharevs 12 months beforeOctober 2026
7403Refined copper and copper alloys, unwrought$3.13B 34.7%+68.3%$307.3M
7410Copper foil (up to 0.15 mm thick)$1.30B 14.4%+24.0%$112.0M
7404Copper waste and scrap$1.03B 11.4%+74.5%$107.6M
7409Copper plates, sheets and strip (over 0.15 mm thick)$974.4M 10.8%+28.1%$98.8M
7408Copper wire$779.1M 8.6%+28.8%$74.3M
7411Copper tubes and pipes$646.4M 7.2%+12.5%$71.5M
7407Copper bars, rods and profiles$446.0M 4.9%+32.8%$43.5M
7419Other articles of copper$212.9M 2.4%+13.1%$14.6M
7402Unrefined copper, etc.$192.5M 2.1%+49.2%$16.7M
7412Copper tube or pipe fittings, etc.$143.9M 1.6%+15.2%$14.2M
7413Stranded wire, cable, plaited bands and the like, of copper, etc.$52.2M 0.6%+38.9%$4.8M
7401Copper mattes, etc.$41.8M 0.5%+38.3%$4.5M
7405Master alloys of copper$35.3M 0.4%+15.7%$2.7M
7406Copper powders and flakes$29.4M 0.3%+95.8%$2.8M
7415Nails, tacks, drawing pins, staples and similar articles, etc.$16.9M 0.2%+7.8%$1.4M
7418Table, kitchen or other household articles and parts thereof, of copper, etc.$444K 0.0%+10.8%$62K

Top destinations

Export value over the 12 months to October 2026. 163 countries received this product from South Korea in the last 24 months; the table shows the largest 20.

RankCountryExports, 12 monthsSharevs 12 months before Rank beforeOctober 2026
1China $3.18B35.3%+14.1%1 $276.2M
2United States $1.68B18.6%+103.3%2 $64.7M
3Taiwan $875.7M9.7%+183.6%4 $210.8M
4Vietnam $576.7M6.4%+25.1%3 $49.1M
5Malaysia $450.7M5.0%+62.7%6 $49.6M
6Philippines $358.2M4.0%+18.9%5 $37.7M
7India $324.9M3.6%+53.9%7 $34.8M
8Thailand $267.4M3.0%+81.2%9 $29.4M
9Japan $265.0M2.9%+31.8%8 $33.5M
10Hong Kong $199.3M2.2%+36.1%10 $11.7M
11Australia $98.4M1.1%+34.4%12 $12.2M
12Canada $75.6M0.8%+520.8%28 $6.7M
13Saudi Arabia $70.7M0.8%+85.9%15 $3.8M
14Indonesia $66.5M0.7%+37.2%13 $9.1M
15Bangladesh $47.1M0.5%+358.0%29 $4.5M
16Panama $44.6M0.5%+122.1%19 $2.9M
17Hungary $38.4M0.4%-59.2%11 $2.0M
18Italy $37.7M0.4%+130.4%23 $3.9M
19France $34.9M0.4%+34.3%18 $7.8M
20United Kingdom $30.3M0.3%+72.5%21 $1.3M

Countries are linked when exports of this product to them reached $1,000,000 over 24 months.

Monthly figures

MonthExportsvs year earlierExport weightExport $/kg ImportsImport weight
October 2026$876.8M+53.7%60,682 t $14.45$1.26B84,714 t
September 2026$969.5M+61.1%66,147 t $14.66$1.24B85,542 t
August 2026$671.5M+20.1%46,971 t $14.30$857.6M60,281 t
July 2026$801.3M+22.0%57,714 t $13.88$1.08B76,659 t
June 2026$867.0M+51.6%63,071 t $13.75$1.19B85,249 t
May 2026$861.2M+50.0%64,069 t $13.44$933.0M71,149 t
April 2026$902.2M+72.7%71,582 t $12.60$997.9M75,494 t
March 2026$605.2M+37.3%47,905 t $12.63$1.10B86,078 t
February 2026$518.0M+28.9%40,439 t $12.81$793.3M63,875 t
January 2026$622.1M+47.1%50,355 t $12.35$923.9M79,412 t
December 2025$697.4M+23.3%63,226 t $11.03$841.9M77,786 t
November 2025$633.6M+39.2%65,442 t $9.68$718.6M67,926 t
October 2025$570.4M+13.0%58,044 t $9.83$656.8M64,607 t
September 2025$602.0M+21.1%60,550 t $9.94$776.9M78,075 t
August 2025$559.2M+4.6%56,983 t $9.81$705.2M70,527 t
July 2025$656.6M+8.4%64,526 t $10.18$807.0M79,163 t
June 2025$571.9M+2.1%57,344 t $9.97$722.2M70,374 t
May 2025$574.0M+7.1%57,349 t $10.01$643.5M65,279 t
April 2025$522.5M+39.0%53,867 t $9.70$674.2M69,767 t
March 2025$440.6M+28.2%43,149 t $10.21$686.5M72,939 t
February 2025$401.8M+10.8%44,562 t $9.02$489.8M52,646 t
January 2025$423.0M+0.1%48,087 t $8.80$496.1M53,569 t
December 2024$565.7M+45.5%62,526 t $9.05$611.7M67,864 t
November 2024$455.3M-4.7%52,391 t $8.69$524.4M55,673 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.