Market evolution: Lead acid batteries (CN 850720) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the evolution of EU external trade in lead-acid accumulators excluding spent and starter batteries (customs code 850720) over the period 2015–2025. The product encompasses two sub-categories: accumulators working with non-liquid electrolyte (85072080), which dominate by volume, and accumulators working with liquid electrolyte (85072020). Over this decade, the EU market for these products underwent significant structural change: the bloc shifted from a near-balanced trading position to a modest net importer, import sources diversified markedly, and unit prices surged—particularly after 2022. EU domestic production, meanwhile, moved in opposite directions depending on whether one looks at cell count or value, suggesting a shift toward higher-value manufacturing. The following sections unpack these dynamics in detail.

For product definitions and scope, see the Overview dashboard.

From near-balance to net import dependence: the EU's shifting trade position

The trade balance turned persistently negative

At the start of the period (2015), the EU's trade balance for CN 850720 was a modest deficit of €26 million. By 2025, that deficit had widened to approximately €93 million, representing a cumulative deterioration of nearly 259%. The balance fluctuated over the decade—reaching a surplus of €61 million in one year before plunging to a deficit of €239 million at its worst—but the directional trend is clear: imports grew faster than exports in both value and volume.

Sources: General Overview — trade.

Import volumes grew twice as fast as export volumes

While EU imports of CN 850720 rose by 14.7% in mass over the period (from 262,948 t to 301,705 t), exports grew only 6.7% (from 192,429 t to 205,242 t). In value terms, the gap was even starker: imports surged 34.0% versus 25.8% for exports, driven partly by faster volume growth and partly by steeper price increases on the import side. The net import reliance ratio moved from −2.3% in 2015 (a slight net-export position) to +4.2% in 2025, confirming the EU's transition to a structurally import-dependent market.

The supplementary-unit picture tells a different volume story

The supplementary quantity data (measured in number of cells rather than tonnes) reveals that EU imports of cells surged from 94.3 million units in 2015 to 153.2 million in 2025 (+62.4%), while export cells rose from 14.7 million to 25.0 million (+69.5%). The divergence between mass-based and cell-based growth rates suggests that the average weight per imported cell may have decreased over the period—consistent with the growing market share of smaller sealed lead-acid batteries for applications such as UPS systems, solar storage, and mobility aids.

See the Autonomy & Vulnerability tab for the full net import reliance series.

Diversification of supply sources with Asia in the lead

China remained the dominant supplier, but its relative grip loosened

China was the EU's largest single import source throughout the period, with imports valued at €341 million in 2025. However, China's share of total imports eroded as other suppliers grew faster: China's import value rose only 9.0% over the decade, from €313 million in 2015. At its peak (around 2022, during the global commodity price surge), Chinese imports reached €462 million. The import Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for partner concentration fell from 2,327 in 2015 to 2,025 in 2025 (−13.0%), confirming a meaningful diversification of the EU's supplier base.

Viet Nam emerged as a transformative second source

The most dramatic shift in import origins was the rise of Viet Nam. EU imports from Viet Nam grew from €60 million in 2015 to €232 million in 2025—an extraordinary increase of 286%. By 2025, Viet Nam had become the EU's second-largest supplier, overtaking the United Kingdom, the United States, and Taiwan. This surge likely reflects both the relocation of battery manufacturing capacity to Southeast Asia and, potentially, transhipment of Chinese-origin products through Viet Nam—a pattern observed across multiple product categories in recent EU trade data.

Other Asian and Gulf suppliers also gained ground

Several other partners recorded notable growth:

Source: Partners tab.

India's imports rose 162% (from €7 million to €19 million), and the United Arab Emirates grew 62%, possibly reflecting Gulf-based re-export hubs. Conversely, the United States and the United Kingdom—both traditional suppliers—saw their import shares decline slightly.

EU exports pivoted sharply toward the United States and away from Russia

On the export side, the most striking development was the near-total collapse of EU exports to Russia, which fell from €69 million in 2015 to under €100,000 in 2025 (−99.9%). This is almost certainly a consequence of EU sanctions imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Conversely, exports to the United States surged from €42 million to €148 million (+247.6%), making the US the EU's top non-UK export destination by 2025. Other export markets that grew strongly include Türkiye (+86.7%), Australia (+71.7%), and Switzerland (+43.2%), while the United Kingdom remained the single largest export partner at €139 million.

Source: Partners tab — exports.

The 2022 price shocks reflected a global disruption

The volatility analysis reveals pronounced price shocks in 2022 across several export markets. The most extreme was the Russian Federation, where the price abnormality reached 652.4 (standard deviations from the trend) and the year-on-year shift was +142.3%. While the absolute value share of Russian exports was 8.5% of total EU exports that year, the shock likely reflects the disruption and repricing that accompanied the onset of sanctions. Similar, if less extreme, price shocks were detected for Morocco (abnormality 478.1, +57.5%) and Switzerland (abnormality 290.6, +59.5%). These coincided with a broader global surge in lead prices and energy costs in 2022.

Source: Volatility — supply shocks.

Rising unit values, divergent volume trends, and a production paradox

Unit prices rose substantially on both import and export sides

Over the full period, the average export price per tonne increased from €3,662 to €4,320 (+18.0%), while the average import price per tonne rose from €2,778 to €3,246 (+16.8%). The jump was concentrated in 2021–2022, when both lead commodity prices and energy costs spiked globally. For exports, the sub-category of non-liquid electrolyte accumulators (85072080) saw the steepest price increase—from €3,991/t in 2015 to €4,686/t in 2025—while the liquid electrolyte variant (85072020) rose from €3,302/t to €3,869/t.

Importantly, the supplementary-unit price (EUR per cell) moved in the opposite direction for exports: it fell from €47.8 to €35.5 (−25.8%). This divergence between mass-based and cell-based prices suggests that exported batteries became heavier on average over the period—possibly reflecting a shift toward larger industrial and energy-storage cells at the expense of lighter consumer products.

Domestic production declined in volume but gained in value

EU domestic production data for CN 850720, measured by the supplementary unit (number of cells), shows a decline from 21.3 million cells in 2015 to 16.7 million in 2025 (−21.4%). At the same time, production value rose from €1,388 million to €1,507 million (+8.6%). This divergence implies that EU manufacturers shifted their product mix toward higher-value cells, consistent with a move into premium industrial, standby, and renewable-energy storage batteries rather than competing on volume with Asian producers.

Source: Production volumes.

The EU's most specialised producers are small but highly competitive

Revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) data for 2025 shows that Greece (RSCA 0.91), Slovenia (0.68), Portugal (0.46), and Poland (0.35) are the most specialised EU member states in CN 850720 exports. Greece's extraordinary RCA of 20.3 reflects its very high export share relative to its overall trade, while Poland and France emerged as the largest absolute exporters among EU members (Germany remained the largest at €192 million, but its share declined). Germany and France, despite being the two largest EU exporters by value, are not among the most specialised, indicating that lead-acid battery exports represent a relatively small share of their broader export baskets.

Source: Specialisation tab.

Trade intensity remained high, signalling deep global integration

The EU's trade intensity for CN 850720 hovered around 78% throughout the period (78.7% in 2015, 77.8% in 2025), while export propensity (exports as a share of domestic production plus imports) declined modestly from 65.2% to 62.8%. These figures confirm that the lead-acid battery market remains heavily integrated into global value chains, with a large share of both production and consumption crossing EU borders.

Source: Trade intensity.

Conclusion

Over the 2015–2025 period, the EU's trade in non-starter lead-acid accumulators underwent three fundamental shifts. First, the bloc moved from a near-balanced trading position to a structural net importer, with imports growing roughly twice as fast as exports in volume terms. Second, the geography of supply was reshaped: while China retained its leading position, Viet Nam emerged as a major secondary source (+286%), and EU exports pivoted decisively away from Russia (−99.9%) toward the United States (+248%). Third, unit values rose significantly across the board—particularly after 2022—reflecting global commodity and energy cost pressures, while EU domestic production contracted in cell count but increased in monetary value, suggesting a deliberate move up the value chain.

These trends point to a market that is becoming more import-dependent and more price-sensitive, but also more geographically diversified on the supply side. The EU's remaining production base appears to be consolidating around higher-value industrial and energy-storage applications. Looking forward, the continued rise of alternative battery technologies (particularly lithium-ion, CN 850760) will be a key competitive dynamic for the lead-acid segment, though the technology's established role in stationary energy storage, UPS systems, and industrial applications ensures continued relevance for the foreseeable future.