Electrical switches, connectors and circuit protection (up to 1,000 V): South Korea exports and imports
HS 8536 · 전기회로의 개폐용ㆍ보호용ㆍ접속용 기기[예: 개폐기ㆍ계전기ㆍ퓨즈ㆍ서지(surge)억제기ㆍ플러그ㆍ소켓ㆍ램프홀더와 그 밖의 커넥터ㆍ접속함](전압이 1,000볼트 이하인 것으로 한정한다)와 광섬유용ㆍ광섬유 다발용ㆍ케이블용 커넥터 · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $378.9 million of electrical switches, connectors and circuit protection (up to 1,000 V) (HS 8536), up 1.4% from September 2026 and up 42.5% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of electrical switches, connectors and circuit protection (up to 1,000 V) (HS 8536) totalled $4.06 billion, up 13.5% from the 12 months before ($3.58 billion).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was Vietnam ($1.01 billion, 25.0% of the total), followed by China and the United States.
That was 0.9% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 85 (electrical machinery and electronics) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $253.6 million (up 28.3% from October 2025), leaving a surplus of $125.3 million for the month.
Official description of HS 8536: Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits, or for making connections to or in electrical circuits (for example, switches, relays, fuses, surge suppressors, plugs, sockets, lamp-holders and other connectors, junction boxes), for a voltage not exceeding 1,000volts; connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cables.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 8536
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8536.10 | Fuses | $96.6M | 2.4% | -2.6% | $8.6M |
| 8536.10.1000 | Of tube-type | $8.1M | 8.4% | +5.0% | $693K |
| 8536.10.9000 | Other | $88.5M | 91.6% | -3.3% | $8.0M |
| 8536.20 | Automatic circuit breakers | $244.4M | 6.0% | +22.9% | $21.4M |
| 8536.30 | Other apparatus for protecting electrical circuits | $27.5M | 0.7% | -9.7% | $2.0M |
| 8536.41 | For a voltage not exceeding 60 V | $142.7M | 3.5% | +7.2% | $11.3M |
| 8536.49 | Other | $83.8M | 2.1% | +2.8% | $7.7M |
| 8536.50 | Other switches | $377.0M | 9.3% | -1.0% | $30.8M |
| 8536.50.1000 | Rotary type | $47.4M | 12.6% | -11.4% | $2.5M |
| 8536.50.2000 | Push-button type | $36.2M | 9.6% | +3.2% | $3.0M |
| 8536.50.3000 | Micro-type | $2.5M | 0.7% | -3.1% | $305K |
| 8536.50.4000 | Of magnet switches (including magnetic contactors) | $85.2M | 22.6% | +6.4% | $5.6M |
| 8536.50.9010 | Electromechanical snap-action switches for a current not exceeding 11 A | $1.7M | 0.4% | -4.2% | $117K |
| 8536.50.9020 | Electronic AC switches consisting of optically coupled input and output circuits (Insulated thyristor AC switches) | $433K | 0.1% | +551.0% | $5,811 |
| 8536.50.9030 | Of temperature protected, consisting of a transistor and a logic chip (chip-on-chip technology) for a voltage not exceed | $21K | 0.0% | -37.5% | $43 |
| 8536.50.9090 | Other | $203.6M | 54.0% | -2.0% | $19.3M |
| 8536.61 | Lamp-holders | $3.8M | 0.1% | +19.4% | $280K |
| 8536.69 | Other | $1.39B | 34.2% | +8.2% | $126.2M |
| 8536.69.1000 | For co-axial cables and printed circuits | $1.11B | 80.2% | +6.2% | $100.8M |
| 8536.69.9000 | Other | $274.8M | 19.8% | +17.2% | $25.4M |
| 8536.70 | Connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cables | $10.7M | 0.3% | -12.8% | $939K |
| 8536.70.1000 | Of plastics | $8.7M | 81.5% | +22.4% | $589K |
| 8536.70.2000 | Of ceramic wares for laboratory, chemical or other technical uses | $711K | 6.7% | -62.0% | $88K |
| 8536.70.3010 | Cast, moulded, stamped or forged, but not further worked | $125K | 1.2% | -14.2% | $26K |
| 8536.70.3090 | Other | $1.1M | 10.7% | -63.4% | $236K |
| 8536.90 | Other apparatus | $1.69B | 41.5% | +24.2% | $169.6M |
| 8536.90.1000 | Junction boxes | $24.5M | 1.4% | -33.8% | $1.9M |
| 8536.90.2000 | Battery clamp of a kind used for motor vehicles of heading 87.02, 87.03, 87.04 or 87.11 | $1.7M | 0.1% | +42.5% | $192K |
| 8536.90.9010 | Connection and contact elements for wires or cables | $525.4M | 31.1% | +24.1% | $49.4M |
| 8536.90.9090 | Other | $1.14B | 67.3% | +26.6% | $118.1M |
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. 181 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 | $1.01B | 25.0% | +8.8% | 1 | $81.9M |
| 2 | China | $690.7M | 17.0% | +3.4% | 2 | $62.4M |
| 3 | United States | $459.1M | 11.3% | +28.3% | 3 | $55.3M |
| 4 | Taiwan | $251.4M | 6.2% | +24.7% | 5 | $29.8M |
| 5 | Hong Kong | $227.1M | 5.6% | +5.2% | 4 | $19.2M |
| 6 | India | $186.3M | 4.6% | +36.4% | 6 | $18.2M |
| 7 | Malaysia | $176.8M | 4.4% | +36.8% | 8 | $23.8M |
| 8 | Mexico | $148.3M | 3.7% | +8.8% | 7 | $14.7M |
| 9 | Philippines | $88.1M | 2.2% | +30.3% | 11 | $7.9M |
| 10 | Poland | $82.3M | 2.0% | -6.8% | 9 | $6.2M |
| 11 | Japan | $77.0M | 1.9% | +6.4% | 10 | $7.7M |
| 12 | Singapore | $50.2M | 1.2% | +40.1% | 15 | $4.1M |
| 13 | Indonesia | $47.9M | 1.2% | +8.0% | 12 | $3.3M |
| 14 | Thailand | $43.2M | 1.1% | +15.9% | 14 | $3.8M |
| 15 | Spain | $38.9M | 1.0% | +9.6% | 16 | $2.0M |
| 16 | Türkiye | $38.8M | 1.0% | +12.2% | 18 | $1.6M |
| 17 | Czechia | $37.5M | 0.9% | +7.2% | 17 | $2.8M |
| 18 | Serbia | $33.6M | 0.8% | +77.5% | 23 | $4.1M |
| 19 | Slovakia | $33.5M | 0.8% | +2.2% | 19 | $3.6M |
| 20 | Hungary | $25.9M | 0.6% | -30.9% | 13 | $1.5M |
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 | $378.9M | +42.5% | 7,266 t | $52.15 | $253.6M | 3,468 t |
| September 2026 | $373.8M | +11.0% | 7,431 t | $50.31 | $255.8M | 3,665 t |
| August 2026 | $329.9M | +14.0% | 6,043 t | $54.59 | $234.3M | 3,243 t |
| July 2026 | $399.3M | +17.6% | 8,168 t | $48.88 | $257.2M | 3,638 t |
| June 2026 | $357.2M | +15.8% | 7,060 t | $50.60 | $253.4M | 3,735 t |
| May 2026 | $325.2M | +4.9% | 6,533 t | $49.79 | $222.7M | 3,223 t |
| April 2026 | $360.0M | +14.5% | 6,960 t | $51.73 | $243.1M | 3,590 t |
| March 2026 | $325.5M | +13.1% | 6,973 t | $46.68 | $232.9M | 3,134 t |
| February 2026 | $264.9M | -8.9% | 5,193 t | $51.01 | $186.7M | 2,918 t |
| January 2026 | $330.6M | +27.2% | 6,147 t | $53.79 | $215.1M | 3,250 t |
| December 2025 | $319.5M | +8.7% | 6,497 t | $49.18 | $224.1M | 3,223 t |
| November 2025 | $296.1M | +4.7% | 5,496 t | $53.87 | $202.2M | 2,928 t |
| October 2025 | $265.9M | -8.2% | 5,024 t | $52.93 | $197.7M | 2,856 t |
| September 2025 | $336.8M | +25.6% | 7,092 t | $47.50 | $228.2M | 3,406 t |
| August 2025 | $289.3M | +4.9% | 5,472 t | $52.86 | $199.9M | 3,208 t |
| July 2025 | $339.4M | +8.8% | 6,545 t | $51.86 | $221.2M | 3,463 t |
| June 2025 | $308.5M | +10.4% | 5,953 t | $51.83 | $217.5M | 3,273 t |
| May 2025 | $310.0M | +3.9% | 5,735 t | $54.06 | $213.6M | 3,295 t |
| April 2025 | $314.4M | +9.8% | 6,340 t | $49.60 | $215.1M | 3,501 t |
| March 2025 | $287.7M | +10.3% | 5,802 t | $49.59 | $210.3M | 3,351 t |
| February 2025 | $290.6M | +17.0% | 5,510 t | $52.75 | $194.1M | 2,831 t |
| January 2025 | $259.9M | -4.9% | 4,840 t | $53.70 | $182.5M | 3,046 t |
| December 2024 | $294.0M | +29.8% | 5,787 t | $50.81 | $206.3M | 3,457 t |
| November 2024 | $282.7M | +8.9% | 5,465 t | $51.73 | $189.6M | 3,037 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.