Market evolution: Silk woven fabrics (CN 5007) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the European Union's external trade in woven fabrics of silk or silk waste (Combined Nomenclature code 5007) over the period 2015–2025. The analysis covers imports, exports, production dynamics, partner concentration, and trade vulnerability. The general overview reveals a market that has contracted significantly in volume while simultaneously shifting toward higher-value products, accompanied by a structural transformation in the EU's trade balance.

CN 5007 is a bundling heading that encompasses three subcategories:

• 500710 — Woven fabrics of noil silk
• 500720 — Woven fabrics containing ≥ 85% silk or schappe by weight
• 500790 — Woven fabrics containing predominantly, but < 85% silk or silk waste by weight

The segment 500720 overwhelmingly dominates both import and export flows, accounting for roughly 85–90% of trade value throughout the period.

1. A market in structural contraction with rising unit values

Import and export volumes have declined by half

Between 2015 and 2025, EU imports of silk woven fabrics fell from 2,155 tonnes to 1,060 tonnes (−50.8%), while exports dropped from 1,154 tonnes to 528 tonnes (−54.2%). The decline was not linear: both flows experienced a sharp trough around 2020, consistent with pandemic-related disruption in global textile supply chains and luxury fashion demand. A partial recovery followed in 2021–2022, but volumes failed to return to pre-2015 levels and resumed their downward trajectory thereafter.

The supplementary unit data (square metres) tells a broadly similar story, though with somewhat more volatility. Import volumes in square metres fell from 32.5 million m² to 15.1 million m² (−53.4%), and export volumes from 9.9 million m² to 5.6 million m² (−42.7%).

Unit prices have risen substantially, signalling a premium shift

Despite the contraction in volumes, unit values (value per tonne) have increased significantly. Import prices rose from €84,609/t to €108,900/t (+28.7%), and export prices climbed from €160,128/t to €204,671/t (+27.8%). Notably, the EU has consistently maintained a substantial price premium on exports relative to imports—export unit values are roughly double import unit values—reflecting the higher-value-added nature of European silk processing and finishing.

The per-square-metre price dynamics are more complex. Import supplementary prices (€/m²) rose from €5.61 to €7.63 (+35.9%), suggesting that the remaining imports are increasingly concentrated in higher-quality, denser fabrics. Export supplementary prices were relatively stable, edging up from €18.74 to €19.15 (+2.2%), indicating that while volumes fell, the price positioning of EU silk fabric exports in the global market remained firm.

The EU shifted from a marginal net exporter to a net importer

In 2015, the EU enjoyed a small trade surplus of €2.4 million in silk woven fabrics, suggesting approximate self-sufficiency with a slight export orientation. By 2025, this had reversed into a deficit of €7.3 million. The net import reliance indicator moved from −4.8% (net exporter) to +1.0% (net importer). While the shift is modest in absolute terms, its direction is unambiguous: the EU's competitive position in silk fabrics has eroded over the decade.

2. Geographic concentration and shifting partnerships

China dominates imports, with a resilient but declining share

The partner analysis reveals that China is by far the EU's leading import source for silk woven fabrics, accounting for €142.4 million in 2015 and €88.2 million in 2025 (−38.1%). Despite this decline in absolute terms, China's dominance has actually increased in proportional terms: its share of total EU silk fabric imports rose from approximately 78% in 2015 to roughly 76% in 2025, remaining overwhelmingly dominant.

The concentration of imports is reflected in the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), which stayed in the 5,800–7,100 range for imports—indicating a highly concentrated import structure. By contrast, the export HHI ranged from 740 to 1,190, confirming that EU exports are directed toward a much more diversified set of markets.

India, the second-largest source, halved its shipments over the period. Several smaller Asian suppliers (Thailand, Korea, Türkiye) experienced even steeper declines. The United Kingdom stands out as the only major partner to have increased its exports to the EU (+13.2%), likely reflecting post-Brexit trade reorientation and the persistence of integrated supply chains in luxury textiles. Viet Nam showed explosive growth (+253.6%) but from a very low base and with extreme volatility (coefficient of variation of 3.20), suggesting irregular, opportunistic trade rather than a stable supply relationship.

Export markets have shifted toward North Africa and away from traditional partners

On the export side, the most notable trend is the rise of Tunisia, which became the EU's top export destination by 2025 (€21.2 million, up 73.9% from €12.2 million in 2015). This is consistent with Tunisia's role in the Euro-Mediterranean textile value chain, where EU-origin silk fabrics are likely sent for garment assembly and re-export.

Conversely, several traditional markets contracted sharply:

Madagascar's dramatic decline (−66.9%) is striking given that it was the EU's largest single export destination in 2015 at €44.5 million. This likely reflects the winding down of specific industrial partnerships or contracts. Russia's collapse (−79.2%) mirrors the broader impact of sanctions and geopolitical deterioration following 2022. The United Kingdom's decline as an export market (−51.3%) contrasts with its growth as an import source, further underscoring the asymmetric impact of Brexit on silk trade flows.

The export shock analysis identifies a notable price shock in EU exports to the United Kingdom in 2021 (abnormality score of 19.6, +78.4% price shift), coinciding with the post-Brexit trade adjustment. A smaller shock was detected for Belarus in 2023 (+76.5% price shift), likely reflecting trade diversion effects of sanctions on Russia.

3. Italy anchors the EU's silk industry as other member states retreat

Italy dominates both production and trade

The reporter-level analysis reveals that Italy is the undisputed centre of the EU's silk woven fabric industry. In 2025, Italy accounted for:

• €81.6 million in imports (76% of the EU total, down from €124.4 million in 2015)
• €82.4 million in exports (76% of the EU total, down from €97.8 million in 2015)
• A Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) of 0.81 and an RCA of 9.50, indicating strong specialisation

Italy's dominance reflects its historical role as Europe's silk weaving hub, centred in the Como district of Lombardy, which processes imported raw silk into high-value finished fabrics for the global fashion industry.

France and Germany have experienced the steepest declines

France, once the EU's second-largest silk fabric exporter at €65.4 million in 2015, saw exports collapse to €18.0 million by 2025 (−72.5%). Its imports fell from €21.8 million to €9.6 million (−55.9%). Germany's decline was even more dramatic: exports dropped from €13.8 million to €2.4 million (−82.8%), and imports from €14.4 million to €2.8 million (−80.9%). These declines suggest a structural withdrawal from silk fabric processing in both countries, likely driven by cost competition, shifting fashion supply chains, and the long-term decline of European textile manufacturing.

Romania emerges as a growing importer

One counter-trend is Romania, whose imports grew from €1.5 million to €4.2 million (+182.9%), making it the only EU member state to show significant growth in silk fabric imports. This likely reflects Romania's expanding role in the EU textile and garment manufacturing value chain, where lower labour costs attract cut-make-trim operations that require imported fabrics.

EU production volumes have grown while values have fallen

The production data presents a paradox: measured in square metres, EU silk fabric production more than doubled from 16.8 million m² to 35.0 million m² (+108.2%). However, the value of that production fell from €592.6 million to €328.0 million (−44.6%). This divergence suggests a shift toward larger volumes of lower-value fabrics, or alternatively, a significant compression of margins within the domestic industry. It may also reflect changes in the product mix within the CN 5007 heading, with production shifting from high-value pure silk fabrics (500720) toward blended or lower-grade products.

The 500720 segment dominates but shows divergent trends by sub-product

The product segment breakdown confirms that 500720 (≥85% silk) accounts for the vast majority of trade. In imports, 500720 represented 1,926 tonnes (87% of total) in 2015 and 938 tonnes (86%) in 2025. In exports, it accounted for 788 tonnes (68%) in 2015 and 356 tonnes (67%) in 2025.

The noil silk segment (500710) remains marginal but exhibited striking volatility in export unit prices, rising from €92,814/t in 2015 to €242,994/t in 2025, suggesting either a shift toward premium niche products or significant data irregularities due to the small volumes involved. The mixed silk segment (500790) has contracted on both the import and export sides, though it retains a meaningful presence in exports (€27.8 million in 2025).

Conclusion

The EU's silk woven fabric market has undergone a pronounced contraction over the 2015–2025 period. Trade volumes have roughly halved, the trade balance has flipped from a slight surplus to a deficit, and the geographic footprint of the industry has narrowed. Italy has consolidated its position as the EU's sole major silk fabric producer and trader, while France and Germany have largely exited the sector. The market has simultaneously shifted toward higher unit values, suggesting that the remaining trade is increasingly concentrated in premium products for the luxury fashion industry.

Import dependency on China remains structurally high and has, if anything, intensified in relative terms despite the overall decline in volumes. The concentration of EU imports from a single supplier, combined with the erosion of domestic production capacity outside Italy, points to a growing vulnerability in this segment of the textile value chain. Meanwhile, the diversification of export markets has not kept pace with the loss of traditional destinations such as Madagascar, Russia, and the United States.

Looking ahead, the EU silk fabric sector appears to be settling into a smaller, more specialised, and more import-dependent configuration—one where Italy's artisanal and industrial expertise remains globally competitive, but where the broader European ecosystem continues to shrink under pressure from lower-cost Asian producers and evolving fashion industry supply chains.