Thermionic, cold cathode or photo-cathode valves and tubes, etc.: South Korea exports and imports
HS 8540 · 열전자관ㆍ냉음극관ㆍ광전관[예: 진공관ㆍ증기나 가스를 봉입한 관ㆍ수은아크정류관ㆍ음극선관ㆍ텔레비전용 촬상관(camera tube)] · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $741,440 of thermionic, cold cathode or photo-cathode valves and tubes, etc. (HS 8540), down 31.4% from September 2026 and up 59.3% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of thermionic, cold cathode or photo-cathode valves and tubes, etc. (HS 8540) totalled $8.8 million, up 71.6% from the 12 months before ($5.1 million).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was the United States ($2.9 million, 32.4% of the total), followed by Taiwan and China.
That was 0.0% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 85 (electrical machinery and electronics) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $6.8 million (up 19.4% from October 2025), leaving a deficit of $6.0 million for the month.
Official description of HS 8540: Thermionic, cold cathode or photo-cathode valves and tubes(for example, vacuum or vapour or gas filled valves and tubes, mercury arc rectifying valves and tubes, cathode-ray tubes, television camera tubes).
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 8540
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8540.11 | Colour | $0 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 8540.12 | Monochrome | $0 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 8540.20 | Television camera tubes; image converters and intensifiers; other photo-cathode tubes | $443K | 5.0% | +374.2% | $62K |
| 8540.40 | Data/graphic display tubes, monochrome; data/graphic display tubes, colour, with a phosphor dot screen pitch smaller tha | $11K | 0.1% | -93.3% | $480 |
| 8540.60 | Other cathode-ray tubes | $51K | 0.6% | -19.6% | $0 |
| 8540.60.1000 | Colour | $0 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 8540.60.9000 | Other | $51K | 100.0% | -19.6% | $0 |
| 8540.71 | Magnetrons | $2.1M | 23.6% | +67.2% | $198K |
| 8540.79 | Other | $11K | 0.1% | – | $2,526 |
| 8540.79.1000 | Klystrons | $0 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
| 8540.79.9000 | Other | $11K | 100.0% | – | $2,526 |
| 8540.81 | Receiver or amplifier valves and tubes | $411K | 4.7% | +214.2% | $5,950 |
| 8540.89 | Other | $790K | 9.0% | +208.8% | $33K |
| 8540.89.1000 | Thermionic valves and tubes for transmitters | $338K | 42.8% | +1,427% | $22K |
| 8540.89.2000 | Discharge tubes | $18K | 2.3% | -82.3% | $5,650 |
| 8540.89.9000 | Other | $434K | 54.9% | +230.7% | $5,900 |
| 8540.91 | Of cathode-ray tubes | $176K | 2.0% | +96.8% | $39K |
| 8540.99 | Other | $4.8M | 54.9% | +57.0% | $400K |
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. 56 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 | $2.9M | 32.4% | +54.8% | 1 | $10K |
| 2 | Taiwan | $1.6M | 17.9% | +138.0% | 3 | $363K |
| 3 | China | $1.1M | 12.0% | -6.1% | 2 | $168K |
| 4 | Japan | $1.0M | 11.7% | +194.1% | 4 | $88K |
| 5 | Singapore | $741K | 8.4% | +168.1% | 5 | $43K |
| 6 | United Arab Emirates | $401K | 4.6% | – | 19 | $0 |
| 7 | Malaysia | $227K | 2.6% | -3.5% | 6 | $0 |
| 8 | Chile | $209K | 2.4% | – | – | $0 |
| 9 | Netherlands | $205K | 2.3% | -2.8% | 7 | $21K |
| 10 | United Kingdom | $76K | 0.9% | +114.3% | 11 | $8,880 |
| 11 | Saudi Arabia | $74K | 0.8% | – | – | $0 |
| 12 | Germany | $71K | 0.8% | +24.7% | 9 | $13K |
| 13 | Philippines | $50K | 0.6% | -51.7% | 8 | $480 |
| 14 | Brazil | $38K | 0.4% | – | 27 | $0 |
| 15 | Kiribati | $25K | 0.3% | +64.9% | 15 | $20K |
| 16 | India | $23K | 0.3% | – | 18 | $1,799 |
| 17 | Poland | $23K | 0.3% | – | – | $0 |
| 18 | South Africa | $21K | 0.2% | – | 38 | $0 |
| 19 | Indonesia | $16K | 0.2% | +10.1% | 16 | $3,005 |
| 20 | Papua New Guinea | $15K | 0.2% | -42.0% | 13 | $600 |
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 | $741K | +59.3% | 3.4 t | $216.29 | $6.8M | 11.2 t |
| September 2026 | $1.1M | +52.6% | 4.3 t | $249.26 | $4.8M | 4.6 t |
| August 2026 | $1.4M | +136.5% | 2.3 t | $608.02 | $8.3M | 15.6 t |
| July 2026 | $639K | +3.7% | 2.4 t | $264.99 | $5.4M | 6.9 t |
| June 2026 | $421K | -18.6% | 5.3 t | $78.78 | $5.1M | 9.7 t |
| May 2026 | $683K | +33.4% | 2.2 t | $303.74 | $7.2M | 7.8 t |
| April 2026 | $768K | +109.3% | 1.6 t | $476.96 | $9.0M | 6.8 t |
| March 2026 | $465K | +83.2% | 1.8 t | $253.11 | $6.3M | 8.1 t |
| February 2026 | $589K | +50.1% | 1.3 t | $463.66 | $6.6M | 6.5 t |
| January 2026 | $622K | +327.4% | 1.4 t | $437.76 | $6.3M | 17.2 t |
| December 2025 | $986K | +402.1% | 1.4 t | $705.86 | $5.3M | 8.2 t |
| November 2025 | $434K | +15.2% | 1.1 t | $379.98 | $8.5M | 8.7 t |
| October 2025 | $465K | -3.9% | 765 kg | $608.47 | $5.7M | 7.7 t |
| September 2025 | $708K | +163.6% | 1.5 t | $477.49 | $7.8M | 16.0 t |
| August 2025 | $584K | +0.1% | 1.0 t | $583.68 | $8.6M | 5.8 t |
| July 2025 | $616K | +52.2% | 1.1 t | $571.08 | $11.4M | 13.7 t |
| June 2025 | $518K | -47.7% | 1.7 t | $298.00 | $4.9M | 8.9 t |
| May 2025 | $512K | +47.0% | 1.6 t | $319.05 | $5.7M | 5.2 t |
| April 2025 | $367K | -37.4% | 1.8 t | $199.05 | $7.3M | 12.2 t |
| March 2025 | $254K | -54.2% | 1.4 t | $180.03 | $5.7M | 8.9 t |
| February 2025 | $392K | +7.2% | 1.2 t | $325.21 | $5.3M | 11.0 t |
| January 2025 | $145K | -80.5% | 645 kg | $225.49 | $6.7M | 9.2 t |
| December 2024 | $196K | -63.2% | 914 kg | $214.89 | $5.1M | 4.8 t |
| November 2024 | $376K | -39.8% | 1.5 t | $258.33 | $5.6M | 10.2 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.