The full trade-routes map, the member-state detail, and how the main estimates are built. The data and notebooks are at the end.
All steps of the chain, several at once if you like, with the number of routes shown. Press Play to watch the years go by.
Exports in US dollars; the EU is one block, trade between EU countries left out. Hover a route for details; click a country to show only its routes.
Natural graphite is split into stages by price per tonne: under US$1,300 is mined flake, US$1,300–4,000 refined (mostly spherical), US$4,000 and over coated anode material. The synthetic route (dashed) covers artificial graphite, which also includes some non-battery uses.
Source: CEPII BACI (HS12, V202601); own calculations. 2024 figures are provisional.
Which member states import each stage, and from whom, 2019 to July 2026.
Tonnes imported from outside the EU. Click a member state to see its suppliers.
From 2026 the EU records battery-grade artificial graphite under its own code (3801 10 10). Before that, it was mixed with all other artificial graphite.
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409, monthly data summed by year; own calculations. 2026 covers January–July.
Concentration index (HHI) of world exports at each step, 2012–2024. Above about 0.25 = highly concentrated.
HHI of world exports by value; 0 = many sellers, 1 = one seller.
Source: CEPII BACI (HS12, V202601); own calculations.
EU imports of coated natural graphite, 2022–24, and the share of each supplier’s refined input that came from China.
| Supplier | Share of EU coated imports (a) | Share of its refined input from China (b) | Chinese origin (a × b) |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 44% | 99% | 43% |
| China | 37% | 100% (own) | 37% |
| Japan | 15% | 95% | 14% |
| USA | 4% | 80% | 3% |
| Others | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Total | 100% | 98% |
Read the last column as: of every 100 € of coated material the EU imports, this much was made from Chinese refined graphite. It is an upper estimate, because it assumes suppliers coat the refined graphite they import rather than other material.
| Year | Directly from China | Including Chinese input |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 0% | 93% |
| 2019 | 2% | 94% |
| 2020 | 1% | 94% |
| 2021 | 0% | 95% |
| 2022 | 38% | 98% |
| 2023 | 37% | 98% |
| 2024 | 34% | 97% |
Source: CEPII BACI (HS12, V202601); own calculations. EU imports of coated material are small, so single years move a lot.
The measures China has taken on graphite and battery materials since 2023.
Sources: MOFCOM/GAC announcements as reported by CIRS Group, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Project Blue.
Every number on these pages can be rebuilt from the data, and you don’t need to be a programmer to do it.
Our learning notebook walks you through the analysis in 11 short steps, using the same trade data: how to read a customs record, sort shipments by price, measure how concentrated a market is, and trace graphite through Korea back to China. Each step has a small exercise, and the answers are included.
Then go further: change the price bands, pick another year or product, or test your own question about who supplies Europe.