Market evolution: Insulating fittings and conduit (CN 8547) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the trade performance of the European Union in combined nomenclature code 8547 — insulating fittings for electrical machines, appliances and equipment (including ceramics, plastics, and other materials, as well as electrical conduit tubing of base metal lined with insulating material). Over the 2015–2025 period, the EU has consistently maintained a large trade surplus in this product category. The surplus nearly doubled in value terms, rising from approximately €560 million in 2015 to almost €1.09 billion in 2025. This expansion was driven not by volume growth alone but substantially by rising unit prices on both the export and import sides. Meanwhile, the geographic structure of EU trade in CN 8547 underwent significant shifts, with North African and Asian partners gaining prominence while traditional Western partners receded. Within the EU itself, production and trade became increasingly concentrated in a handful of Central and Western European member states.

The analysis below is organised around three main findings: (1) the divergence between volume and value dynamics; (2) the reorientation of trade flows toward new partner geographies; and (3) the evolving internal structure of EU production and specialisation.

Data sources and full interactive dashboards are available via the overview page on TradeDashboard.

1. Price-driven value growth masks divergent volume trends

The headline figures show robust growth in EU trade in CN 8547, but a closer look at volumes and unit prices reveals that much of the value expansion was driven by price increases rather than physical trade growth — and that exports and imports followed fundamentally different volume trajectories.

1.1 Exports grew in both value and volume, but prices led the way

EU extra-EU exports rose from €1.04 billion in 2015 to €1.75 billion in 2025, a gain of 68.0%. Over the same period, export volumes increased from 51,088 tonnes to 65,090 tonnes (+27.4%). The remaining gap was filled by a 31.9% rise in average export unit prices, from €20,407/t to €26,912/t. This indicates that the EU was able to expand volumes modestly while commanding significantly higher prices on world markets — consistent with a shift toward higher-value product mixes or stronger pricing power.

1.2 Import volumes contracted even as import values rose

EU imports followed a strikingly different pattern. Import values grew from €482 million to €663 million (+37.5%), but import volumes actually fell from 32,319 tonnes to 29,511 tonnes (−8.7%). The entire value increase was therefore driven by a 50.6% surge in import unit prices, from €14,924/t to €22,470/t. This suggests that the EU sourced fewer physical units from abroad while paying substantially more per unit — potentially reflecting supply-chain disruptions, input cost inflation, or a compositional shift toward higher-priced goods.

1.3 The trade surplus widened substantially

As a result of export values growing faster than import values, the EU trade surplus in CN 8547 expanded from €560 million in 2015 to €1,089 million in 2025 — a near-doubling (+94.3%). The EU's net import reliance remained deeply negative throughout (indicating strong net-exporter status), and export propensity rose from 43.2% to 163.1%, reflecting an increasingly outward-oriented sector. Trade intensity also climbed from 56.2% to 138.5%, underlining the growing integration of this product category into global supply chains.

1.4 The plastics sub-segment dominated, but ceramic prices surged fastest

Product-level data confirms that CN 854720 (insulating fittings of plastics) accounted for the lion's share of both imports and exports. In 2025, plastics fittings represented 21,151 tonnes of imports (€492 million) and 55,491 tonnes of exports (€1.52 billion). CN 854790 (other materials and conduit tubing) and CN 854710 (ceramics) were smaller segments.

However, unit prices rose most sharply in the ceramics segment. Import prices for CN 854710 climbed from €18,628/t in 2015 to €38,332/t in 2025 (+105.8%), while export prices for the same sub-heading rose from €14,894/t to €28,061/t (+88.4%). This likely reflects the growing use of advanced ceramic insulating components in high-performance electrical equipment and energy infrastructure.

2. Geographic reorientation: the rise of North Africa and the decline of traditional partners

The period 2015–2025 saw a marked reorientation of EU trade flows in CN 8547, with Morocco and Tunisia emerging as dominant export destinations and growing import sources, while the United Kingdom, Japan, and to some extent the United States lost ground.

2.1 Morocco transformed into the EU's top export partner

Perhaps the most striking shift was the surge in EU exports to Morocco, which rose from €110 million in 2015 to €310 million in 2025 (+180.8%), making Morocco the single largest extra-EU export destination by 2025. Similarly, exports to Tunisia grew from €66 million to €184 million (+176.7%). These two North African economies — both of which have industrial zones with significant automotive and electrical equipment assembly — appear to have become key nodes in EU-centred manufacturing supply chains for insulating components.

On the import side, Morocco also saw explosive growth: EU imports from Morocco surged from just €4 million to €73 million (+1,679.6%), although from a very low base. This suggests that Morocco is not only receiving EU-made insulating fittings for re-export in assembled products, but is also beginning to produce and ship these components back to the EU.

2.2 China consolidated its position as the leading import supplier

EU imports from China doubled from €105 million to €239 million (+127.9%), making China by far the largest extra-EU source of insulating fittings. This was accompanied by a modest increase in volumes for CN 854720 (plastics) on the import side, suggesting both volume and price contributions. The growing share of Chinese imports contributed to the increase in import-side concentration (HHI), which rose from 1,287 to 1,727 (+34.2%).

2.3 The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States lost share

Several traditional partners saw declines. EU imports from the United Kingdom fell from €33 million to €12 million (−63.7%), a decline that accelerated after Brexit and the associated introduction of customs formalities. Japan's share of EU imports dropped from €60 million to €36 million (−40.3%), reflecting possible supply-chain shifts toward lower-cost Asian producers. Imports from the United States also declined, from €89 million to €63 million (−28.9%), with a notable price shock detected in 2022 (an abnormal +37% price shift at an abnormality score of 4.6), likely linked to post-pandemic logistics cost spikes.

2.4 Volatility was highest for the most recently established trade relationships

The coefficient of variation analysis confirms that the most volatile import flows were those with the United Kingdom (CV 1.15) and Morocco (CV 0.92) — both of which underwent structural breaks during the period. By contrast, established flows with China (CV 0.15) and Mexico (CV 0.22) were comparatively stable. On the export side, volatility was generally lower, with the highest coefficients observed for North Macedonia (CV 0.40), Serbia (CV 0.27), and Ukraine (CV 0.26), reflecting the smaller scale and greater sensitivity of these trade relationships.

3. Industrial concentration within the EU: Germany and Czechia as twin engines

Inside the EU, the production and export of insulating fittings became increasingly concentrated in Germany and Czechia, while other member states saw mixed fortunes. The specialisation structure reveals a clear Central European manufacturing cluster.

3.1 Germany and Czechia dominated EU exports

Germany was by far the largest EU exporter throughout the period, with exports rising from €449 million to €751 million (+67.2%). Czechia's growth was even more dramatic in relative terms: exports surged from €108 million to €307 million (+184.3%), making it the second-largest EU exporter by 2025. Together, these two countries accounted for the majority of extra-EU exports in this product.

Hungary, the third-largest exporter, saw its exports decline from €151 million to €122 million (−19.0%), suggesting a possible loss of competitiveness or a reorientation of production. Italy and Austria also emerged as notable exporters, with Italy growing from €31 million to €86 million (+177.2%) and Austria from €37 million to €67 million (+79.5%).

3.2 Czechia's imports surged, reflecting its role as a processing hub

Czechia's imports of CN 8547 exploded from €13 million to €151 million (+1,047.7%), the largest proportional increase among all EU importers. This dramatic rise, combined with Czechia's strong export growth and its high revealed comparative advantage (RCA of 4.65), suggests that Czechia has become a major processing and re-export hub — importing raw or semi-finished insulating components and exporting finished products. Germany's imports remained relatively stable (€251 million to €263 million, +4.9%), indicating a mature market.

By contrast, several member states saw declining imports: Hungary (−34.8%), Belgium (−34.6%), and Romania (−64.3%), the latter falling from €27 million to €10 million.

3.3 Specialisation was concentrated in Central Europe

The specialisation analysis for 2025 reveals a clear Central European advantage:

Czechia and Hungary stood out as the most specialised EU economies in CN 8547, with normalised RCA values well above 1. This aligns with the broader Central European specialisation in electrical components and automotive supply chains. At the other end, large economies such as Ireland (RSCA −0.87) and Bulgaria (RSCA −0.87) showed no meaningful specialisation in this product.

3.4 EU production expanded strongly, supporting the export surge

EU production data (available via PRODCOM) shows that production value rose from €747 million in 2015 to €1,071 million in 2025 (+43.5%), while production volumes grew from 102,807 tonnes to 132,951 tonnes (+29.3%). The fact that export value (€1.75 billion) substantially exceeded production value (€1.07 billion) in 2025 suggests that the EU increasingly served as a high-value processing node — importing components, adding value, and re-exporting finished insulating fittings at higher prices. This interpretation is consistent with the rising trade intensity (138.5% by 2025) and export propensity (163.1% by 2025).

Conclusion

The EU's trade in insulating fittings and conduit (CN 8547) over the 2015–2025 period reveals a sector that expanded its global trade surplus by nearly 95%, reaching almost €1.1 billion by 2025. This performance was driven more by price appreciation than by volume growth, with export prices rising 32% and import prices rising 51% over the decade.

Geographically, the most significant development was the emergence of Morocco and Tunisia as key trade partners — reflecting the growing integration of North African assembly operations into European manufacturing supply chains. China consolidated its role as the dominant import supplier, while the United Kingdom's share collapsed following Brexit, and Japan and the United States also lost ground.

Within the EU, Germany and Czechia emerged as the twin engines of this trade, with Czechia in particular showing explosive growth in both imports and exports alongside strong revealed comparative advantage. The sector's concentration — both geographically and in terms of partner reliance — increased over the period, which, while reflecting efficiency gains, may also carry risks of supply-chain vulnerability should disruptions affect the key producing or sourcing countries.