Thailand Ball Bearing Exports After two months of growth, shipments abroad of ball bearings decreased by -25.7% to 141K tons in January 2024. In general, exports showed a slight shrinkage. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in November 2023 when exports increased by 19% m-o-m. In value terms, ball bearing exports reduced rapidly to $37M (IndexBox estimates) in January 2024. Over the period under review, exports saw a mild shrinkage. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in May 2023 with an increase of 17% m-o-m.

Exports by Country 

In January 2024, China (28K tons), followed by Hong Kong (30K tons), Japan (20K tons), Germany (12K tons) and the United States (5.7K tons) were the major exporters of ball bearings, together creating 68% of total exports. Vietnam (6.4K tons) and India (3.7K tons) took a relatively small share of total exports. From January 2023 to January 2024, the most notable rate of growth in terms of shipments, amongst the key exporting countries, was attained by Japan (with a CAGR of +1.1%), while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. In value terms, the largest ball bearing supplying countries from Thailand were China ($5.5M), Hong Kong ($4.4M) and Japan ($3.7M), together accounting for 34% of total exports. These countries were followed by Germany, Vietnam, the United States and India, which together accounted for a further 22%. Germany, with a CAGR of +1.8%, recorded the highest growth rate of the value of exports, among the main exporting countries over the period under review, while shipments for the other leaders experienced mixed trends in the exports figures. 

Export Prices by Country In January 2024, the ball bearing price amounted to $262 per ton (FOB, Thailand), increasing by 10% against the previous month. Overall, the export price showed mild growth. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in July 2023 when the export price increased by 11% month-to-month. As a result, the export price attained the peak level of $278 per ton. From August 2023 to January 2024, the the export prices remained at a lower figure. There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major exporting countries. In January 2024, the country with the highest price was Indonesia ($1,268 per ton), while Hong Kong ($148 per ton) was amongst the lowest. From January 2023 to January 2024, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by China (+2.4%), while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.