Market evolution: Glass envelopes for lamps and tubes (CN 7011) — 2015–2025
Introduction
This report examines the trade dynamics of EU customs heading CN 7011 — covering glass envelopes, bulbs, and tubes for electric lamps, light sources, and cathode ray tubes — over the period 2015 to 2025. The decade was marked by a profound structural contraction: EU production of these goods collapsed by over 99% in volume, while both imports and exports declined steeply. Yet the story is not simply one of decline. The EU market reorganised around a much smaller, higher-value product mix, sourcing patterns shifted dramatically in response to Brexit, sanctions, and the global energy transition away from traditional lighting technologies, and the EU's net import reliance narrowed considerably. The three sections below explore these dynamics in turn.
1. A decade of structural contraction: EU production collapses and trade volumes shrink
EU production of glass envelopes virtually disappeared
The most striking feature of the 2015–2025 period is the near-total evaporation of EU domestic production. Output fell from 380,226 tonnes (€465 million) in 2015 to just 2,000 tonnes (€35 million) by 2025 — a volume decline of 99.5% and a value decline of 92.6%. This collapse reflects the global phase-out of incandescent and fluorescent lighting in favour of LEDs, which use far fewer (and different) glass envelope components. The EU, once a significant producer, effectively exited the volume segment of this market.
Trade volumes contracted on both sides of the ledger
The collapse in production fed through to a sharp contraction in trade volumes:
| Indicator | 2015 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export value (€) | 17,852,978 | 5,361,243 | −70.0% |
| Export quantity (t) | 6,910 | 159 | −97.7% |
| Import value (€) | 23,261,427 | 12,093,633 | −48.0% |
| Import quantity (t) | 5,970 | 2,440 | −59.1% |
Exports fell far more steeply than imports, both in value and volume. By 2025, the EU exported only 159 tonnes of glass envelopes — a residual quantity that suggests the export channel is now confined to very specialised or niche products.
The trade deficit narrowed as import reliance declined
Despite the faster export collapse, the EU's net import reliance actually improved, falling from 22.8% in 2015 to 6.2% in 2025. This paradox is explained by the simultaneous shrinkage of the entire market: as both imports and exports contracted, the residual gap (the trade deficit) stayed relatively moderate at around €6.7 million in 2025 versus €5.4 million in 2015 — a deterioration of only 24.5% despite the collapse in export capacity.
2. The shift to high-value niche products: rising unit prices amid volume decline
Export unit prices surged more than tenfold
The most dramatic price signal in the data is the explosion of EU export unit values. Average export prices rose from €2,582/t in 2015 to €33,195/t in 2025 — an increase of 1,185%. This pattern strongly suggests that as high-volume, low-value production exited the EU, what remained in the export channel was specialised, high-specification glass envelope products (e.g. for medical lighting, scientific instruments, or legacy applications).
Sub-product breakdown confirms the dual-track market
The product segment data reveals that the three sub-categories followed very different trajectories:
Imports — volume (tonnes) by sub-product:
| Sub-product | 2015 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 701110 — Electric lighting | 5,479 | 2,178 | −60.2% |
| 701190 — Other lamps & light sources | 476 | 262 | −44.9% |
| 701120 — Cathode ray tubes | 14.7 | 0.8 | −94.8% |
Exports — volume (tonnes) by sub-product:
| Sub-product | 2015 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 701110 — Electric lighting | 3,359 | 12.4 | −99.6% |
| 701190 — Other lamps & light sources | 3,547 | 135 | −96.2% |
| 701120 — Cathode ray tubes | 4.3 | 0.5 | −88.8% |
- 701110 (electric lighting) dominated both import and export volumes, but exports collapsed almost entirely (−99.6% in volume), while imports contracted more moderately (−60%). This sub-product is the workhorse of the category.
- 701190 (other light sources) saw export volumes shrink by 96% but import volumes only by 45%, indicating the EU retained some demand for specialty envelopes while losing the ability to produce for export.
- 701120 (cathode ray tubes) was already marginal in 2015 and has nearly vanished — consistent with the obsolescence of CRT technology.
Import prices rose more moderately, but with sharp sub-product divergence
Average import prices rose 27.3% overall (from €3,893/t to €4,954/t). However, the sub-product breakdown reveals enormous price volatility in the cathode-ray-tube segment (701120), where import unit values surged from €13,584/t to €479,336/t — reflecting extremely low volumes and likely one-off specialised orders. The electric lighting segment (701110) saw import prices rise from €3,788/t to €4,408/t (+16%), a much more moderate increase consistent with commodity-grade pricing.
3. A reshaped partner landscape: geopolitical shocks and sourcing realignment
Top import partners shifted significantly
The partner composition of EU imports underwent major changes:
| Partner | Import value 2015 (€) | Import value 2025 (€) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 12,513,029 | 3,973,066 | −68.2% |
| United Kingdom | 5,452,821 | 410,856 | −92.5% |
| Thailand | 1,377,672 | 2,821,461 | +104.8% |
| Taiwan | 536,344 | 1,958,383 | +265.1% |
| Russian Federation | 71 | 930,498 | n/a |
| United States | 1,412,217 | 816,526 | −42.2% |
| Ukraine | 649,325 | 289 | −100.0% |
- China remained the largest supplier but saw its share shrink by two-thirds, mirroring the overall market contraction.
- The United Kingdom collapsed as an import source (−92.5%), almost certainly driven by Brexit and the introduction of customs frictions from 2021.
- Thailand and Taiwan more than doubled their exports to the EU, suggesting a partial reallocation of Asian sourcing away from China and toward Southeast and East Asian suppliers.
- Russia appeared as a new import source (from near-zero to €930,498), a potentially surprising development given the sanctions environment — though this may reflect pre-sanctions data points or specific product carve-outs.
EU export destinations collapsed across the board
The partner composition of EU exports tells a story of near-universal decline:
| Partner | Export value 2015 (€) | Export value 2025 (€) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2,322,413 | 1,390,376 | −40.1% |
| Egypt | 1,630,540 | 5,755 | −99.6% |
| Belarus | 1,298,657 | 14 | −100.0% |
| Brazil | 1,155,707 | 26,697 | −97.7% |
| Tunisia | 288,010 | 18 | −100.0% |
| Russian Federation | 397,329 | 1,409 | −99.6% |
| Ukraine | 103,342 | 437 | −99.6% |
- Exports to Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine collapsed to near-zero — consistent with EU sanctions imposed from 2022 and the broader geopolitical disruption in Eastern Europe.
- Egypt, Tunisia, and Brazil also saw exports evaporate, suggesting these were historically tied to specific industrial or infrastructure projects that have ended.
- The United States remained the most resilient export market (−40.1%), still absorbing €1.4 million in 2025, likely for specialised applications.
Export concentration rose while import concentration fell
The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for imports fell from 3,536 to 2,026 (−42.7%), indicating that import sourcing became more diversified despite the market contraction. In contrast, the export HHI rose from 692 to 1,438 (+107.7%), reflecting the concentration of remaining exports into fewer destination markets — principally the United States.
Within the EU, Slovakia emerged as a growing importer
Among EU Member States, Slovakia stood out as a bright spot, with imports rising from €1.7 million to €4.8 million (+186.5%). Germany and Poland remained the largest importers but both contracted sharply (−57.6% and −29.6% respectively). On the export side, Czechia was the only major EU exporter to see growth (from €65,475 to €713,486), while Germany's exports fell by 61% and Poland's by 97.7%.
Conclusion
The EU market for glass envelopes (CN 7011) underwent a decade of profound structural transformation between 2015 and 2025. The overarching narrative is one of technological obsolescence — the global transition away from incandescent and fluorescent lighting eroded the industrial base for traditional glass envelopes. EU production collapsed by over 99%, and trade volumes shrank dramatically on both the import and export sides.
Yet within this contraction, several distinct dynamics stand out. The EU's remaining export activity shifted decisively toward high-value, specialised products, as evidenced by the more than tenfold increase in export unit prices. The partner landscape was reshaped by Brexit (which severed the UK as a major import and export partner), EU sanctions on Russia and Belarus (which eliminated key Eastern European trade flows), and a gradual reallocation of Asian sourcing from China toward Thailand and Taiwan. The EU's net import reliance actually improved — not because the EU became more self-sufficient, but because the entire market shrank to the point where the residual gap was small.
Looking ahead, the market is likely to remain at its current low volume, concentrated around niche applications where glass envelopes retain technical advantages over alternative materials. The key risks are further supply-chain disruption (given the growing dependence on a small number of Asian suppliers) and the potential for further sanctions-related volatility in partner-country flows.