That dollar amount results from an average 39% increase for all bronze exporters over the 5-year period starting in 2019 when bronze exports were worth a total $372.2 million.
Year over year, the value of globally exported bronze fell by an average -19.9% compared to $646.2 million starting from 2022.
Bronze is an alloy made by combining copper with a smaller amount of tin, plus even smaller quantities of such elements as aluminum, zinc, lead or silver may be mixed in depending on demands of the final usage.
The most popular industrial uses for bronze are as an anti-corrosion additive or for coating iron or steel, a process called galvanization. The metallic brown alloy is used in fittings because it is generally free from corrosion and does not oxidize after exposure with polluted water or chemically treated solutions.
Less brittle than tin or iron but more durable than copper, bronze is also a key ingredient for manufacturing ships, boats, valves and other machine components, coins and sculptures.
Key Geographic Insights about Bronze Exports
By value, the world’s 5 most lucrative bronze exporters are Spain, Germany, Italy, Japan and Indonesia. Collectively, those 5 major suppliers generated approaching two-thirds (63.6%) of the overall dollar spend on exported bronze ores or concentrates during 2023.
Among continents, bronze suppliers located in Europe furnished the highest dollar worth of the brownish-gold metallic alloy during 2023 with shipments valued at $294.5 million or 56.9% of the worldwide total. In second place were bronze exporters in Asia at 30%, trailed by suppliers in North America at 7%, then another 5.2% for providers in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Tinier percentages came from providers in Africa (0.5%) and Oceania’s (0.4%) New Zealand and Australia only.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 740322 for unwrought bronze also called copper-tin base alloys.
Top Bronze Exports by Country
Below are the 25 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of bronze during 2023.
- Spain: US$89.1 million (17.2% of total bronze exports)
- Germany: $80.6 million (15.6%)
- Italy: $64.2 million (12.4%)
- Japan: $59.8 million (11.5%)
- Indonesia: $35.4 million (6.8%)
- United States: $33.4 million (6.5%)
- South Korea: $26.9 million (5.2%)
- Portugal: $22.8 million (4.4%)
- Brazil: $18.3 million (3.5%)
- India: $14.3 million (2.8%)
- Taiwan: $11.7 million (2.3%)
- United Kingdom: $8.2 million (1.6%)
- Netherlands: $7.9 million (1.5%)
- France: $5.9 million (1.1%)
- Ecuador: $4.3 million (0.8%)
- Türkiye: $3.3 million (0.6%)
- Canada: $2.7 million (0.5%)
- Greece: $2.3 million (0.4%)
- New Zealand: $2.1 million (0.4%)
- Belgium: $1.9 million (0.4%)
- Russia: $1.7 million (0.3%)
- Norway: $1.5 million (0.3%)
- Nicaragua: $1.4 million (0.3%)
- Sweden: $1.3 million (0.3%)
- Poland: $1.2 million (0.2%)
By value, the listed 25 countries shipped 96.1% of globally exported bronze in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of bronze since 2022 were: Indonesia (up 188.8%), Norway (up 69.9%), United States of America (up 29.2%) and Nicaragua (up 28.2%).
Listed suppliers that posted declines in their international sales of bronze were led by: Belgium (down -60.3% from 2022), Sweden (down -49.9%), France (down -43.4%), Canada (down -38.5%) and India (down -37.5%).
Countries Generating Greatest Surpluses from Global Bronze Trade
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for bronze during 2023. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported bronze and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Spain: US$85.4 million (net export surplus down -32.9% since 2021)
- Japan: $58.2 million (down -27.8%)
- Italy: $33.3 million (down -20.3%)
- Germany: $32.3 million (up 46.4%)
- Indonesia: $26.8 million (reversing a -$1.7 million deficit)
- South Korea: $25.9 million (down -24%)
- United States: $21.8 million (up 32.9%)
- Brazil: $17.5 million (up 11.3%)
- India: $12.9 million (down -38.8%)
- Portugal: $12.7 million (down -32%)
- Taiwan: $8.9 million (up 96.9%)
- Ecuador: $3.9 million (up 5.9%)
- Türkiye: $2.3 million (reversing a -$493,000 deficit)
- New Zealand: $2.1 million (down -22.5%)
- Russia: $1.6 million (up 2.4%)
World-leading Spain earned the highest surplus in the international trade of bronze. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms the strong Peruvian competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Incurring Worst Deficits from Global Bronze Trade
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for bronze during 2023. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported bronze purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- mainland China: -US$72.6 million (net export deficit down -31.1% since 2021)
- Thailand: -$27.1 million (down -10.6%)
- Mexico: -$19.9 million (reversing a $20.8 million surplus)
- France: -$18.6 million (down -10.5%)
- Switzerland: -$16.2 million (down -27.8%)
- Egypt: -$10.9 million (up 211.8%)
- Poland: -$9.3 million (down -38.5%)
- Malaysia: -$9 million (down -6.4%)
- Sweden: -$6.2 million (down -37.4%)
- Australia: -$5.5 million (up 21.6%)
- Philippines: -$5.4 million (up 90.9%)
- United Kingdom: -$5.3 million (down -27.6%)
- Canada: -$5.1 million (up 19.4%)
- Denmark: -$4.4 million (down -38.9%)
- Belgium: -$3.7 million (down -55.4%)
Mainland China recorded the highest deficit in the international trade of bronze. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights China’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for bronze-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful Chinese demand.
Major Exporters by Greatest Volume of Bronze Shipments by Weight
The following ranking reveals which counties exported the biggest volumes of bronze during 2023 in terms of shipment tonnage.
By weight, the 15 major suppliers below generated 89.5% of the total 61,730 tons of globally exported bronze in 2023. That volume reflects a -20.5% decline from 77,168 tons for 2022.
- Spain: 8,333 tons of bronze (13.5% of the world’s total)
- Germany: 8,079 tons (13.1%)
- Japan: 7,330 tons (11.9%)
- Italy: 6,667 tons (10.8%)
- Indonesia: 4,438 tons (7.2%)
- United States: 4,435 tons (7.2%)
- South Korea: 3,122 tons (5.1%)
- Brazil: 2,656 tons (4.3%)
- Portugal: 2,123 tons (3.4%)
- Madagascar: 1,900 tons (3.1%)
- Taiwan: 1,829 tons (3%)
- India: 1,608 tons (2.6%)
- Netherlands: 1,165 tons (1.9%)
- Ecuador: 794 tons (1.3%)
- United Kingdom: 784 tons (1.3%)
The world’s foremost seller of exported bronze, the European nation Spain is the leading bronze exporter in terms of both shipment volume and in dollar value.
Fastest growing among the top bronze shippers by weight were Indonesia (up 201.1% from 2022), Taiwan (up 38.4%), Madagascar (up 32.9%), United Kingdom (up 16.1%) then Brazil (up 14.1%).
Recording double-digit declines year over year were sellers in India (down -44.7% from 2022), Spain (down -31.8%), Japan (down -25.9%), Netherlands (down -19.5%) and South Korea (down -14.7%).
Average Unit Prices for Bronze Exports
The world average unit price for exported bronze was $8,383 per ton, flatlining by 0.7% compared to $8,323 per ton for 2022.
Below are the bronze exporters accepting the lowest average unit prices per ton in 2023.
- Togo: US$125 per ton (up 42% from 2022)
- Venezuela: $333 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Madagascar: $410 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Ivory Coast: $485 per ton (up 2.1%)
- Ethiopia: $512 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Paraguay: $687 per ton (down -88.6%)
- Philippines: $1,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Gabon: $1,228 per ton (down -12.9%)
- Senegal: $1,410 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Guatemala: $1,960 per ton (down -18.4%)
- Panama: $3,273 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Costa Rica: $4,814 per ton (down -13.5%)
- Ecuador: $5,370 per ton (up 2.4%)
- Iran: $5,500 per ton (down -43.1%)
- Honduras: $5,614 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
There were 5 decliners in the per-ton price for exported bronze among the above low-cost suppliers: Paraguay (down -88.6%), Iran (down -43.1%), Guatemala (down -18.4%), Costa Rica (down -13.5%) and Gabon (down -12.9%).
The following 15 bronze exporters charged the highest average unit prices per ton in 2023.
- Norway: US$80,053 per ton (down -37.4% from 2022)
- Ghana: $57,143 per ton (up 5,614%)
- Denmark: $20,688 per ton (up 5.4%)
- Peru: $18,667 per ton (up 22.8%)
- Thailand: $18,500 per ton (up 297.4%)
- Serbia: $16,000 per ton (down -5.9%)
- Bahrain: $16,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Ireland: $15,667 per ton (down -72.5%)
- Albania: $15,500 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Croatia: $14,750 per ton (down -62.2%)
- Romania: $13,346 per ton (up 60.7%)
- Switzerland: $11,913 per ton (down -53.7%)
- Türkiye: $11,905 per ton (up 6%)
- Malaysia: $11,470 per ton (down -4.3%)
- Sweden: $11,456 per ton (up 9%)
The greatest upticks in unit prices for imported bronze were realized by sellers in: Ghana (up 5,614% from 2022), Thailand (up 297.4%), Romania (up 60.7%) then Peru (up 22.8%).
Bronze Sales Companies
Below are 10 sample bronze producers, suppliers or brokers that represent established players engaged in the international trade of bronze. Their home country, either India or the United States of America, for each company’s headquarters is shown within parenthesis.
- Al-Arham Engineering Company (India)
- Alloyed Sustainables (India)
- Amardeep Steel Centre (India)
- AVI International (India)
- Commercial Metal Exchange (United States)
- Emcor Engineering (India)
- Metalmen Sales Inc (United States)
- Multi Metal Corporation (India)
- National Bronze Manufacturing (United States)
- United Engineering Corporation (India)
See also Top Sculptures Exporters by Country, Copper Ore Exports by Country Plus Average Prices, Iron Ore Exports by Country and Top Tin Exporters
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on December 1, 2024
Copper, Brass & Bronze, Bronze listing. Accessed on December 1, 2024
Enggpro, List of Bronze Manufacturers and Suppliers Companies. Accessed on December 1, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on December 1, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on December 1, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on December 1, 2024
Wikipedia, Bronze. Accessed on December 1, 2024