Market evolution: Mineral moulding machinery (CN 847480) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report analyses the evolution of the European Union's external trade in machinery classified under Combined Nomenclature (CN) 847480, covering the period from 2015 to 2025. This category encompasses machinery for agglomerating, shaping or moulding solid mineral fuels, ceramic paste, unhardened cements, plastering materials and other mineral products, as well as machines for forming foundry moulds of sand. The analysis draws exclusively on the provided data to identify the primary trends, shifts in trade geography, and structural changes in the EU's competitive position.

A Strong Divergence Between Falling Volumes and Rising Values

The most striking feature of the 2015-2025 period is a profound divergence between the physical quantity of machinery traded and its monetary value, particularly for exports. This indicates a significant shift in the composition and value-added of the products traded.

The collapse of export volumes accompanied by resilient export value

EU exports of CN 847480 machinery experienced a dramatic contraction in volume, falling by 50.7% from 101,806 tonnes in 2015 to 50,181 tonnes in 2025. Despite this, the total export value declined by a much more modest 9.3%, from €821 million to €745 million over the same period. This resilience in value was achieved through a steep 84.0% increase in the average unit export price, which rose from €8,069 per tonne to €14,846 per tonne. This suggests that the EU's export basket shifted towards more sophisticated, higher-value machinery or that significant inflation occurred in this sector.

Source: General Overview of EU trade for CN 847480

Imports grew in both value and volume, with falling prices

In contrast to exports, EU imports of this machinery grew in both value and quantity. Import value increased by 24.5% to €56.9 million, while import volumes surged by 84.2% to 8,236 tonnes. Consequently, the average unit import price fell by 32.4%, from €10,224 per tonne to €6,910 per tonne. This points to the EU sourcing more machinery from lower-cost suppliers, potentially for less specialized applications.

A stark divergence between the two main product sub-segments

The product-level breakdown reveals that the volume-price divergence was primarily driven by the main machinery sub-category (84748090). Exports of this sub-segment saw their quantity halved (-55.6%) while their unit price more than doubled (+93.7%). In contrast, exports of machinery for ceramic paste (84748010) showed more modest volume declines (-43.4%) and a significant price increase (+75.6%). For imports, the non-ceramic machinery (84748090) accounted for the vast majority of both volume and value growth.

Source: Product Segment Breakdown for CN 847480

A Major Reconfiguration of Export and Import Geographies

The EU's trade partnerships for CN 847480 machinery underwent substantial restructuring, influenced by geopolitical shifts and evolving competitive landscapes.

The collapse of exports to Russia and the rise of Turkey and India

The most dramatic change in export destinations was the near-complete disappearance of the Russian Federation as a market. Exports to Russia fell by 99.0%, from €75.3 million to €0.7 million, a clear consequence of the sanctions regime following 2022. This void was partially filled by growing trade with Türkiye (+176.8% to €106.9 million) and India (+110.1% to €69.9 million). The United States remained the largest single extra-EU market, though its share in value declined from €115.8 million to €81.1 million (-29.9%).

Source: Top export partners by value for CN 847480

Import sources shifted towards emerging economies and became more concentrated

The EU's import sources also shifted significantly. Imports from traditional suppliers like Switzerland collapsed by 91.8%. Conversely, imports from China (+178.4% to €24.5 million) and particularly Türkiye (+256.4% to €14.9 million) surged, making them the two largest sources of extra-EU imports by 2025. This concentration is reflected in the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for imports by value, which increased by 58.6% to 2,902, indicating a move towards a less diversified and more concentrated import base.

Source: Top import partners by value for CN 847480

Poland emerged as a key EU importer, while Germany's role diminished

Within the EU, the import dynamics were also volatile. Poland's imports of this machinery grew by an astonishing 957.0% to become the largest intra-EU importer at €8.4 million. In contrast, Germany, the EU's largest industrial economy, saw its imports fall by 81.4% to €2.6 million. Italy and Denmark strengthened their positions as the EU's leading and fourth-largest exporters, respectively, while Germany and Spain saw their export shares decline.

Evolving Structural Position: Strong Specialisation amid Rising Vulnerability

Assessing the EU's structural position reveals a sector where a strong traditional specialisation is juxtaposed with increasing vulnerability related to import dependency and trade concentration.

Italy and Germany maintain a clear comparative advantage

In 2025, Italy displayed the highest Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) in the EU for CN 847480 exports, with a score of 0.65 and accounting for 38% of EU export value. Germany followed with a strong RSCA of 0.26 and a 36% share. This confirms that the production of this machinery remains a core competency for these major EU economies, even as their export volumes and values have fluctuated.

The EU remains a massive net exporter, but import reliance is growing

The EU has maintained a consistent and substantial trade surplus in this machinery throughout the period, despite the decline in exports. The net import reliance (a measure of the trade balance relative to apparent consumption) was -343% in 2025, meaning the EU exported over three times the value of what it imported. However, this figure improved from -400% in 2015, indicating a relative decline in the net exporter position. This is corroborated by the slight decline in both trade intensity and export propensity ratios, suggesting the EU market is becoming marginally less outward-oriented in this specific segment.

Source: Net import reliance for CN 847480, Concentration HHI for CN 847480

Production data suggests resilience in domestic output

Available EU production data shows a 31.2% increase in quantity (from 16,000 to 21,000 tonnes) and a 1.5% increase in value (from €837 million to €850 million) between 2015 and 2025. This indicates that while export volumes fell sharply, domestic production did not contract to the same extent, implying either a greater focus on the EU internal market or a shift towards producing higher-value goods for export.

Conclusion

The EU trade in mineral moulding machinery (CN 847480) between 2015 and 2025 tells a story of profound transformation. The headline narrative is one of volume for value: the EU successfully navigated a collapse in export volumes by pivoting towards significantly higher-priced machinery, thereby protecting overall export revenue. This period was also marked by tectonic geopolitical shifts, most notably the loss of the Russian market and the dramatic rise of Türkiye as a key bilateral trade partner for both exports and imports. Structurally, the EU retains a strong and specialized industrial base, led by Italy and Germany. However, rising import concentration and a growing role for emerging suppliers like China and Türkiye point to evolving competitive pressures. The sector's resilience, demonstrated through maintained trade surpluses and stable production value, suggests the EU continues to command a high-value niche, but one that is increasingly exposed to new dynamics in global supply chains.

All data sourced from the EU Trade Dashboard for CN 847480.