Market evolution: Spark ignition engines (CN 840790) — 2015–2025
Introduction
This report examines the EU's external trade in spark-ignition reciprocating or rotary internal combustion piston engines classified under Combined Nomenclature code 840790, a residual subheading that covers engines excluding those for aircraft propulsion, marine outboard motors, and reciprocating piston engines used in vehicles of Chapter 87. The product range thus encompasses a heterogeneous set of engines destined for industrial, agricultural, small-power, and miscellaneous applications — from lawn-mower engines (≤250 cm³) to larger industrial power units (>250 cm³).
Over the 2015–2025 period, the EU's trade position in this product category underwent a striking transformation. Imports declined modestly while exports nearly tripled in value, turning a persistent trade deficit into a surplus. Behind these headline figures lie major shifts in partner geography, a dramatic restructuring of EU production, and diverging dynamics across sub-segments.
Full overview on the Trade Dashboard
1. From structural deficit to near-balance: the EU's shifting trade position
The headline trade reversal
The most striking development over the decade is the transformation of the EU's trade balance. In 2015, EU imports of CN 840790 stood at €391 million while exports reached only €143 million, yielding a deficit of €248 million. By 2025, imports had eased to €349 million (−10.7%) while exports surged to €429 million (+201.1%), producing a surplus of €80 million.
| Indicator | 2015 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU imports (€M) | 391.0 | 349.1 | −10.7% |
| EU exports (€M) | 142.5 | 429.2 | +201.1% |
| Trade balance (€M) | −248.4 | +80.0 | — |
| Net import reliance (%) | 44.0 | 1.0 | −97.7% |
Import volumes declined while unit values edged up
EU import volumes (in net tonnes) fell from 43,274 t in 2015 to 35,033 t in 2025 (−19.0%), and the number of imported items dropped from 3.05 million to 2.14 million units (−29.9%). Import prices per tonne, however, rose modestly from €9,034/t to €9,966/t (+10.3%), and the per-unit price increased from €128 to €163 (+27.4%), suggesting a compositional shift toward heavier, higher-value engines.
Export growth was driven by both volume and price
Export tonnage grew from 16,658 t to 30,649 t (+84.0%), while export unit values (per tonne) rose from €8,556/t to €14,002/t (+63.7%). The per-unit export price soared from €281 to €5,005 (+1,683%), reflecting a fundamental shift in the composition of exported engines — from high-volume, low-value small engines to far fewer but much more expensive industrial power units.
Production collapsed in volume but held in value
EU production data (from Prodcom, measured in number of items) reveals an extraordinary structural change: output fell from approximately 1.80 million units in 2015 to just 50,000 units in 2025 (−97.2%), while production value moved from €304 million to €400 million (+31.4%). This implies that the EU has largely exited the mass-production of small, low-cost spark-ignition engines and pivoted toward a much smaller volume of higher-value, more powerful units.
2. A reshuffling of trading partners on both sides
Import origins: China rises as the United States and Japan recede
The geographic composition of EU imports changed markedly. The United States was the leading import source in 2015 (€194 million, nearly half of all imports), but its share collapsed to €53 million by 2025 (−72.6%). Japan similarly halved from €37 million to €17 million. China, by contrast, grew from €106 million to €159 million (+49.0%), becoming the dominant supplier. Thailand held relatively stable (~€36–37 million), while several new or previously minor partners emerged:
| Partner | Imports 2015 (€M) | Imports 2025 (€M) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 106.4 | 158.6 | +49.0% |
| United States | 193.6 | 53.1 | −72.6% |
| Thailand | 37.1 | 36.1 | −2.8% |
| Japan | 37.0 | 17.5 | −52.7% |
| United Kingdom | 0.6 | 12.3 | +1,798% |
| Switzerland | 8.9 | 22.9 | +157.5% |
| Canada | 1.4 | 19.6 | +1,317% |
The surge in imports from the United Kingdom — from under €1 million to over €12 million — is consistent with post-Brexit reclassification of intra-EU flows as extra-EU trade, rather than a genuine structural shift. The sharp rise from Canada and Switzerland may reflect re-routing of supply chains or the growing role of multinational engine manufacturers operating from those countries.
Export destinations: consolidation in advanced markets, volatility in emerging ones
EU exports to the United States nearly doubled from €74 million to €143 million (+94.2%), making it by far the largest single export market. The United Kingdom grew from €14 million to €55 million (+284.5%), again partly reflecting post-Brexit trade reclassification. Finland's exports surged to an extraordinary €244 million in 2025 — likely reflecting a single large contract or reclassification event. Austria (€28M → €76M) and Germany (€28M → €70M) also showed strong growth as export destinations.
| Partner | Exports 2015 (€M) | Exports 2025 (€M) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 73.6 | 142.9 | +94.2% |
| United Kingdom | 14.3 | 54.8 | +284.5% |
| Morocco | 1.4 | 3.6 | +152.4% |
| Türkiye | 9.1 | 3.3 | −63.9% |
| Mexico | 1.3 | 8.8 | +557.5% |
| Tunisia | 0.8 | 0.1 | −82.6% |
Export flows to emerging markets such as Türkiye, Mexico, and Bangladesh showed very high volatility (coefficients of variation exceeding 1.8), consistent with lumpy, project-based demand rather than stable recurring trade. The coefficient of variation for EU exports to Indonesia reached 1.98, and to El Salvador 2.23 — the highest among tracked partners.
Declining concentration on both sides
The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for imports by value fell from 3,378 to 2,550 (−24.5%), and for exports from 2,879 to 1,832 (−36.4%). While imports remain moderately concentrated (China's growing weight partially offsets the diversification from the decline of the US), the export side has become substantially more diversified, reflecting the EU's expanding customer base.
3. Sub-segment restructuring: the shift from small to large engines
Small engines (≤250 cm³) remain the largest import category but are declining
Subheading 84079010 (engines ≤250 cm³) dominated imports by unit count throughout the period, accounting for over 2.6 million items in 2015. However, by 2025 this had fallen to 1.56 million items (−40.1% in unit count). The corresponding value declined from €232 million to €128 million (−44.7%). This decline is consistent with the global shift toward electric motors in small-power applications (garden equipment, small generators, etc.) and the offshoring of small-engine production to Asia.
High-power engines (>250 cm³, >10 kW) grew in both imports and exports
Subheading 84079090 (engines >250 cm³, >10 kW) told the opposite story: import value grew from €93 million to €186 million (+99.5%), and import volumes rose from 8,497 t to 14,862 t (+74.9%). On the export side, this subheading accounted for the lion's share — €412 million out of the total €429 million in 2025. The per-tonne export price for 84079090 engines rose from €9,276/t to €14,200/t (+53.1%), suggesting EU manufacturers are competing in higher-end industrial and power-generation engine segments.
| Subheading | Description | Imp. value 2015 (€M) | Imp. value 2025 (€M) | Exp. value 2015 (€M) | Exp. value 2025 (€M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84079010 | ≤250 cm³ | 232.1 | 128.3 | 22.3 | 12.1 |
| 84079090 | >250 cm³, >10 kW | 93.2 | 185.9 | 110.0 | 412.3 |
| 84079080 | >250 cm³, ≤10 kW | 65.6 | 34.7 | 9.3 | 4.3 |
| 84079050 | Rotary >250 cm³ for vehicle assembly | 0.04 | 0.15 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
Sub-segment divergence reflects structural industrial change
The data reveals a clear bifurcation: the EU is a net importer of small engines (84079010) where low-cost Asian production dominates, and a growing net exporter of larger, more powerful engines (84079090) where European engineering advantages and proximity to industrial end-users matter more. The low-power >250 cm³ segment (84079080) contracted on both sides, suggesting niche demand erosion. The rotary engine subheading (84079050) remained negligible throughout.
Belgium and Austria stand out as the most specialised EU producers
In 2025, Belgium had a revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) of 0.70 — by far the highest among EU Member States — with 47.5% of its machinery-sector production in this product category, against only 8.5% of total EU production. Austria followed with an RSCA of 0.40. Germany, despite being the largest single-country exporter by absolute value (€70 million in 2025), showed a slightly negative RSCA (−0.09), reflecting the breadth of its machinery sector rather than specialisation in this niche.
Conclusion
The EU's trade in spark-ignition engines under CN 840790 has undergone a decade-long structural transformation. Three dynamics stand out:
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Trade balance reversal: The EU moved from a €248 million deficit to an €80 million surplus, driven by a near-tripling of export values alongside a modest decline in imports. Net import reliance fell from 44% to virtually zero.
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Geographic reshuffling: On the import side, China consolidated its position while the United States and Japan saw dramatic declines. On the export side, the United States and the United Kingdom became the dominant markets. Post-Brexit reclassification accounts for part of the UK surge on both flows.
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Industrial upgrading: EU production of small engines collapsed in volume (−97.2% in unit count) while production value rose, and exports shifted decisively toward high-power engines (>250 cm³, >10 kW). This points to a European industry that has abandoned the mass-market small-engine segment to Asian competitors and repositioned itself in premium, higher-power industrial applications.
The transition is not without risks: import concentration has increased on China, and export flows to several emerging markets remain highly volatile. However, the overall trajectory suggests an EU industry that has adapted to global competition by moving up the value chain rather than competing on volume.