The following list shows which Thai exports generated the most money from international sales. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level.
Specific data on export sales can help entrepreneurs identify precisely which products in which Thai has strong competitive advantages over other nations. For example, few researchers know that Thailand depends on the exports of air conditioners and jewelry to the global marketplace.
For the most recent four-digit HTS code data, please see the Searchable List of Thailand’s Most Valuable Exports Products section in the Thailand’s Top 10 Exports article. For a link to that article, see the See also paragraph above Research Sources below.
Highest Value Thai Export Products
Below are the 20 highest value export products shipped from Thailand in 2017. Shown within brackets is the year-over-year percentage change in value for each item.
- Computers, optical readers: US$11.8 billion (up 12.5% since 2016)
- Cars: $10.9 billion (down -6.5%)
- Integrated circuits/microassemblies: $8.3 billion (up 7.6%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $7.7 billion (up 11.5%)
- Trucks: $7.3 billion (up 13%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $6.1 billion (up 26.7%)
- Natural rubber: $6 billion (up 36.5%)
- Gold (unwrought): $5.7 billion (down -21.3%)
- Rice: $5.2 billion (up 18.1%)
- Air conditioners: $4.8 billion (down -0.6%)
- Rubber tires (new): $4.4 billion (up 23.4%)
- Phone system devices including smartphones: $4.2 billion (up 71.2%)
- Jewelry: $3.7 billion (up 3.3%)
- Ethylene polymers: $3.3 billion (up 9%)
- Printing machinery: $3 billion (up 1.5%)
- Computer parts, accessories: $2.9 billion (down -9%)
- Fish, caviar (preserved/prepared): $2.7 billion (up 4%)
- Sugar (cane or beet): $2.6 billion (up 13.8%)
- Miscellaneous meat (preserved/prepared): $2.5 billion (up 10.7%)
- Synthetic rubber: $2.5 billion (up 107.2%)
Among these top products, synthetic rubber was responsible for the greatest increase in Thai export sales up 107.2% from 2016 to 2017.
In second place were exported phone system devices including smartphones which appreciated 71.2% followed by Thai natural rubber shipments which were 36.5% more valuable.
Thailand’s refined petroleum oils (up 26.7%) and new rubber tires (up 23.4%) also attracted respectable gains.
Four year-over-year decliners were gold (down -21.3%), computer parts and accessories (down -9%), cars (down -6.5%) and air conditioners (down -0.6%).
See also Thailand’s Top 10 Major Export Companies, Thailand’s Top 10 Exports and Thailand’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on February 14, 2018
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Exports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on February 14, 2018
Trade Map, International Trade Centre, www.intracen.org/marketanalysis. Accessed on February 14, 2018