Market evolution: Plastic sanitary ware (CN 392210) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the EU's international trade in plastic baths, shower-baths, sinks and washbasins (customs code 392210) over the period 2015–2025, based on annual data excluding incomplete periods. The analysis covers trade flows with non-EU countries, including volumes, values, unit prices, partner concentration, and vulnerability indicators. Full details are available on the EU Trade Dashboard.

1. A Narrowing Trade Deficit Driven by Export Growth Outpacing Imports

The EU ran a persistent trade deficit in plastic sanitary ware throughout the period, but this deficit narrowed significantly thanks to far stronger export growth compared to imports.

EU exports grew almost twice as fast as imports in value terms

Source: General Overview — trade

Export value nearly reached €209 M at its peak (the maximum of the series), while the trade deficit shrank from €73.6 M to €41.6 M — an improvement of 43.5%. Notably, the traded volume of imports barely grew (+1.6% to 69,734 t) while import value rose 16.9%, reflecting a meaningful increase in average import prices. In contrast, EU export volumes rose much more strongly (+36.4%), indicating genuine market-share gains rather than mere price inflation.

The EU remains a high-price exporter and a low-price importer

The unit-price gap is striking: EU exports command roughly €8,000/t, while the average import price is only about €3,500/t. This points to significant product differentiation — EU-made plastic sanitary ware is likely positioned in higher-value segments (premium design, branded products, acrylic/composite materials), while imports — particularly from Asian suppliers — occupy the value segment. This structural price wedge persisted throughout the period.

Imports peaked around 2022 before a slight correction

Import value reached its maximum at €296.8 M, while the trade deficit bottomed out (i.e. the gap was widest in absolute negative terms, actually smallest in absolute deficit) at −€17.1 M at some point during the period. The subsequent retreat from peak import levels — coupled with continued export growth — is what drove the deficit's recent narrowing.

2. A Dramatic Reorientation of Trade Partners: China's Rise, Russia's Collapse, and New Frontiers

The partner landscape for this product shifted considerably over the decade, revealing both geopolitical disruptions and structural market changes.

China consolidated its position as the dominant import supplier

Source: Top partners

China's import share grew from €92.6 M (2015) to €158.6 M (2025), a 71.2% increase. At its peak, Chinese imports reached €198.1 M. Meanwhile, the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for import concentration rose from 2,828 to 4,530 — a 60.2% increase — largely driven by China's growing dominance. This rising concentration poses a supply-chain dependency risk for the EU for this product category.

EU export destinations diversified, with the UK, US, Norway, China and Ukraine all gaining substantially

Source: Top partners

The most dramatic shifts were:

• Russia's collapse: from €15.9 M to €4.8 M (−69.7%), a clear consequence of EU sanctions following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
• China as an export market: a tripling from €7.0 M to €21.3 M (+206.3%), suggesting Chinese demand for higher-end European sanitary products.
• The United States: from just €4.2 M to €12.0 M (+187.9%), one of the fastest-growing EU export destinations.
• Norway: doubling from €5.5 M to €12.6 M, despite being geographically proximate and already established.

The HHI for exports declined from 1,082 to 895 (−17.3%), reflecting the beneficial diversification of EU export destinations away from concentration in a few markets.

At the member-state level, Germany leads exports while the Netherlands and Poland saw the largest import surges

Germany and Italy were the leading EU exporters, contributing €52.6 M and €31.4 M respectively in 2025. Poland's export value more than doubled to €32.9 M, confirming the country's rise as a manufacturing hub. On the import side, the Netherlands (+193.9%) and Poland (+319.7%) recorded the most striking import growth among the top seven importers, while Germany's import share fell sharply (−61.0%).

Source: Top reporters

3. Geopolitical Volatility, Shifting Vulnerability, and the Strengthening of EU Production Capacity

The period was not only one of smooth structural evolution; it also featured discrete supply shocks, changing vulnerability indicators, and a notable expansion in EU domestic production.

Price shocks in third-country exports highlight the fragility of niche markets

The volatility analysis detected three notable shock events:

Equally noteworthy is the high volatility in certain bilateral flows. Exports to Russia (CV = 0.48), to the United States (CV = 0.71), and to Türkiye (CV = 0.79) displayed wide swings — consistent with geopolitical disruptions, trade policy changes, and exchange-rate turbulence (particularly the Turkish lira's depreciation). On the import side, the United Arab Emirates (CV = 1.04) and India (CV = 0.80) showed extreme volatility, though from small bases.

The EU shifted from marginal net-exporter to clear net-importer status

The net import reliance indicator tells a nuanced story:

Source: Autonomy & Vulnerability

In 2015, the EU was close to self-sufficient in terms of extra-EU trade balance (net import reliance of −0.6%). By 2025, it registered a positive net import reliance of 2.9%, having peaked near 6.9%. Meanwhile, both trade intensity and export propensity rose — meaning the EU's plastic sanitary ware sector became more internationally integrated, even as it moved into structural import dependence vis-à-vis third countries. The salience analysis identifies export propensity (score: 76.2) as the most salient dimension, slightly ahead of trade intensity (74.4).

After a mid-decade trough, EU production recovered strongly

Despite growing import reliance, the EU's domestic production volumes recovered meaningfully:

Production of plastic sanitary ware items grew 54.6% by quantity but only 5.7% by value, suggesting either margin compression or a shift towards lower-value product categories within the EU's domestic output. At its peak, EU production exceeded €1.87 billion and nearly 19.5 million items. The market structure specialisation data confirms that Southern and Central European economies — notably Croatia (RSCA: 0.74), Spain (0.58), Slovakia (0.41), and Poland (0.32) — show the strongest competitive specialisation in this product.

Conclusion

Over the 2015–2025 period, the EU's trade in plastic sanitary ware (CN 392210) was shaped by three overarching dynamics: (1) a structural narrowing of the trade deficit, powered by strong export growth (+50% in value) driven by diversification towards the UK, US, Norway, Ukraine and China; (2) a deepening import dependency on China, which raised import concentration to concerning levels (HHI +60%) even as the EU otherwise diversified its export base; and (3) a resilience-building recovery in domestic production volumes (+55%), though with weaker value growth pointing to competitive pressures. The period also bore the marks of geopolitical disruption — most visibly the collapse of EU exports to Russia after 2022 and periodic price shocks in smaller third-country markets. Looking forward, the narrowing deficit and rising export propensity suggest the EU's higher-value positioning remains competitive, but the concentration of imports from China warrants attention from a supply-security perspective.