Market evolution: Decorative glassware (CN 701399) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the evolution of EU external trade in decorative glassware (CN 701399) — covering items used for toilet, office, indoor decoration and similar purposes, excluding lead crystal, tableware, mirrors and lighting fittings. Over the 2015–2025 period, the EU's trade position underwent a fundamental transformation: the bloc shifted from being a net exporter to a net importer, domestic production contracted sharply, and the value composition of trade changed dramatically. Prices per tonne rose steeply on both the import and export sides, while physical volumes declined. These dynamics point to a sector undergoing structural adjustment, with important implications for the EU's competitive position and import dependencies.

1. A Structural Shift from Net Exporter to Net Importer

The EU trade balance swung from surplus to deficit

At the beginning of the period, the EU was a net exporter of decorative glassware, with a trade balance of approximately –€21 million in 2015 (i.e., exports exceeded imports). By 2025, this had reversed to a deficit of around €49 million. The net import reliance indicator confirms the reversal: from –95% in 2015 (strongly export-oriented) to +31% in 2025 (import-dependent). This shift of 132 percentage points represents the single most significant structural change in the market over the decade.

Domestic production collapsed

EU production of decorative glassware in quantity (number of items) fell by 71.6%, from approximately 1.06 billion pieces in 2015 to just 300 million in 2025. Production value declined by 37.0%, from €635 million to €400 million. The fact that the value decline was far less severe than the quantity decline indicates a compositional shift: EU producers appear to have moved upmarket, producing fewer but more valuable items — likely higher-end or specialty decorative pieces rather than mass-market goods.

Import volumes held up even as export volumes collapsed

Export volume halved over the period, while import volume declined only modestly. Combined with a growing trade deficit, this confirms that the EU's consumption of decorative glassware increasingly relied on foreign supply. The supplementary unit data tells a more nuanced story: the number of exported items actually rose by 43.4% (from 69 million to 99 million pieces), while exported mass fell — consistent with a shift toward lighter, more design-oriented products. Similarly, imported item counts rose 23.0% while mass fell slightly, suggesting a similar light-weighting trend on the import side.

2. China Dominates Imports While Export Markets Diversify Geographically

China is the overwhelmingly dominant supplier

Among EU import partners, China accounted for €232 million in 2025 — representing approximately 72% of all EU imports by value. Chinese imports grew by 28.3% over the decade (from €181 million), having peaked at €326 million around 2022. The import concentration HHI for value stood at 5,422 in 2025 (up 13.5% from 4,778 in 2015), confirming that the supplier market became more, not less, concentrated. This is a moderately concentrated market, and the increasing dominance of China poses supply-chain risks.

Several secondary suppliers saw notable growth — Ukraine (+423%) and Egypt (+161%) — though from small bases. India, once the second-largest supplier, saw its share nearly halve. Imports from Russia collapsed by 98.6%, almost certainly reflecting the impact of EU sanctions imposed after 2022.

Export destinations are more diversified

EU exports showed a lower concentration (HHI of 1,083 in 2025), indicating a more diversified customer base. The United States was the largest single destination, growing from €49 million to €69 million (+40.3%). The United Kingdom, the second-largest partner, remained relatively stable at €31 million (–7.6%), while Switzerland grew to €20 million (+21.6%).

The most striking change on the export side is the collapse of trade with Russia, which fell by 75.2% — again mirroring the sanctions regime. Meanwhile, the US emerged as an even more important destination, reinforcing a transatlantic orientation for EU decorative glassware exports.

Austria and Italy are the EU's leading exporters; Poland's role shifted

Within the EU, Austria was by far the largest exporter, growing from €66 million to €80 million (+21.5%). Italy also expanded strongly (+29.6%). Poland, which was the third-largest exporter in 2015 (€29 million), saw its exports fall by 40% to €17 million — while, conversely, its imports surged by 332% (from €7 million to €28 million). This dramatic reversal suggests that Poland may have shifted from being a production hub for decorative glassware to more of a distribution or re-export node, or that its domestic production base was significantly restructured. Spain saw the steepest export decline among major players, falling by 49.9%.

3. Price Dynamics Reveal a Market Moving Upmarket

Export prices per tonne surged, import prices rose more modestly

The most striking price dynamic is the divergence in unit values. Export prices per tonne more than doubled, rising 138.8% from €5,623/t to €13,428/t — indicating that the EU increasingly exported higher-value, lighter-weight decorative items. Import prices per tonne rose by a more moderate 33.5% (from €2,311/t to €3,086/t), likely reflecting both global inflation and a possible modest move upmarket by Chinese and other suppliers.

However, the price per piece tells a different story: the supplementary unit price for exports fell by 22.2% (from €3.53/piece to €2.75/piece), even as the per-tonne price soared. This apparent contradiction is resolved by the compositional shift: EU exporters shipped many more individual items that were lighter in mass (e.g., thin-walled decorative vases, figurines, or Christmas ornaments), inflating the per-tonne figure while the per-piece value declined. On the import side, the per-piece price was essentially flat (–1.8%), indicating that imported items remained in a relatively stable price band per unit.

Specialisation data confirms a niche, high-value production profile

According to the 2025 specialisation analysis, Austria has a very strong revealed comparative advantage (RCA of 4.93) in decorative glassware, far above the threshold of 1.0 that indicates specialisation. Poland (RCA 1.74), Denmark (1.53), France (1.50), and Portugal (1.37) also show meaningful specialisation. At the other end, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Croatia have negligible domestic production in this category.

Trade with key partners shows varying degrees of volatility

Volatility analysis reveals that import flows from China are remarkably stable (coefficient of variation of just 0.14), underlining China's role as a steady, industrial-scale supplier. By contrast, imports from Ukraine (CV 0.69) and Russia (CV 0.78) were far more volatile — the latter driven by the sanctions-related collapse. On the export side, flows to Switzerland (CV 0.16) and Norway (CV 0.18) were the most stable, while exports to Türkiye (CV 0.72) and Algeria (CV 0.64) were notably erratic.

A notable shock event was detected in EU exports to Ukraine in 2023, where an abnormal price spike of +46.1% occurred with an abnormality score of 9.1 — likely linked to the disruption of normal trade patterns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which redirected some EU trade flows toward Ukraine and created pricing distortions.

Conclusion

The EU decorative glassware market (CN 701399) underwent a profound structural transformation between 2015 and 2025. The bloc shifted from being a net exporter to a net importer, with a trade deficit that reached €49 million by 2025. This was driven by a 72% collapse in domestic production volumes, even as production values fell by a more moderate 37% — suggesting an industry that is consolidating around higher-value niches.

China's dominance as a supplier intensified, accounting for roughly three-quarters of EU imports by value and driving an increase in import concentration. Meanwhile, the EU's export orientation strengthened toward the United States, which became the largest single destination. Geopolitical shocks — particularly EU sanctions on Russia and the fallout from the war in Ukraine — visibly reshaped trade flows on both sides.

The most telling indicator of the market's evolution is the divergence in price dynamics: EU export prices per tonne nearly tripled while volumes halved, pointing to a decorative glassware industry that is producing fewer, lighter, but more design-intensive and valuable items. The question going forward is whether this upmarket shift will be sufficient to offset the structural loss of production capacity and growing import dependence.