India’s growing ceramic footprint

India is the 5th largest exporter of ceramic products, and its exports of ceramic products have grown at a CAGR of 16% over the past five years. This edition of IBT Data Point analyzes the current size, growth and potential for India’s ceramic exports in the world’s leading markets.

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India exported ceramics products worth US$ 2.31 billion in 2021. Exports have grown at a CAGR of 16% between 2017 and 2021. India’s top export markets for ceramics are the US (8.1% share); Saudi Arabia (7.6% share) & the UAE (5.6% share). Markets witnessing strongest CAGR during 2017-21 are Libya (141%); Indonesia (88%); Russia (67%), Jordan (52%) & Thailand (48%).

Notably, India has witnessed a positive CAGR across its top 25 export markets of ceramics products between 2017 and 2021. It also has a positive trade balance with all its top 25 export markets, except for Germany.

Source: Trade Map; Figures in US$ billion

Source: Trade Map; Figures in US$ billion

INDIA’S CERAMIC EXPORTS

Market wise share of India’s ceramics exports is quite diversified, with the top 10 importing countries accounting for only 13% of its exports. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq and Nepal account for Positions 2-5 among India’s top exporting markets, but are nowhere among the global top 10 importers. Only two of the top 10 markets globally – US & UK – figure in India’s top 10 export markets.

The leading markets where India has been unable to mark a significant presence are: Germany, France, Viet Nam, China, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Japan and lastly Canada. Vietnam is the fastest growing import market for ceramics among the top 10 between 2017-21, growing at a CAGR of 113.2%.

Source: Trade Map; Figures in US$ million; data at HS 4-digit level

HS code	Product label	India’s Top exports  to Viet Nam (in US$ mn)	Viet Nam’s top imports from the World (in US$ mn)
‘6907	Unglazed ceramic flags  …	13.828	633.579
‘6903	Retorts, crucibles, mufflers …	3.641	45.651
‘6902	Refractory bricks, blocks …	0.535	108.234
‘6910	Ceramic sinks, washbasins …	0.137	697.427
‘6911	Tableware, kitchenware …	0.052	340.117
‘6914	Ceramic articles, n.e.s. …	0.014	79.081
‘6912	Tableware, kitchenware …	0.001	21.96
‘6909	Ceramic wares for laboratory, …	0.001	78.83
‘6901	Bricks, blocks, tiles  …	0	1.127

FOCUS MARKET: VIETNAM

We have selected Vietnam for a deeper analysis into product groups. Import CAGR (2017-2021) of Viet Nam has been recorded at 113.2%. Vietnam’s imports of ceramic products mainly come from China. India’s exports account for very little share in Vietnam’s market. Therefore, India has a great opportunity to export to Vietnam as it’s the third largest exporter to the country following China and Japan.

While Vietnam’s imports from the world have grown by 113.2% over 2017-21, India’s growth in exports during the period to Viet Nam is just at 9.96%. Vietnam’s top imported products globally are from HS Codes ‘6910, ‘6907 and ‘6911. India’s exports to Vietnam in these categories are very low at US$ 0.14 million, US$13.83 million and US$ 0.05 million respectively. Out of these, HS Codes 6910 and 6907 have been strong for India, as they account for its top 2 global ceramics exports at the 4-digit level. So, these two product segments can be further explored for expansion by India in exports to Vietnam.