Exporting to Germany: what it imports and how to enter
Germany reported 1,109 billion USD of imports across the 15 chapters it buys most (2025). The top three are electrical machinery and equipment and parts…
Published on 27 September 2026Updated on 29 September 2026Exporting from Spain
Germany reported 1,109 billion USD of imports across the 15 chapters it buys most (2025). The top three are electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof, machinery and mechanical appliances and vehicles. It is in the European Union, so there is no customs clearance, but intra-EU VAT obligations do apply.
Fact sheet
- Code
- DE
- European Union
- Yes
Most imported chapters
USD · 2025| Chapter | Imports (USD) |
|---|---|
| 85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound… | 226,360,935,915 |
| 84 · Machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers, nuclear… | 190,139,583,943 |
| 87 · Vehicles; other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and… | 157,931,462,418 |
| 27 · Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their… | 115,528,009,818 |
| 30 · Pharmaceutical products | 85,438,507,719 |
| 90 · Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring… | 54,621,253,804 |
| 39 · Plastics and articles thereof | 50,984,461,100 |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | 40,311,890,658 |
| 71 · Natural, cultured pearls; precious, semi-precious stones… | 33,573,272,694 |
| 73 · Iron or steel articles | 29,455,325,380 |
| 72 · Iron and steel | 27,419,591,290 |
| 94 · Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions… | 26,040,797,106 |
| 61 · Apparel and clothing accessories; knitted or crocheted | 25,203,007,089 |
| 38 · Chemical products n.e.c. | 23,332,961,000 |
| 76 · Aluminium and articles thereof | 22,894,419,815 |
Imports declared by each country from the world. Countries report with a delay: the period is the latest with consolidated data.
Source: UN ComtradeData for 2025Verified on 29 September 2026
Trade fairs in this country
What Germany buys
The chapter Germany imports most is electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof, at 226 billion USD in 2025, followed by machinery and mechanical appliances (190 billion USD) and vehicles (158 billion USD). Demand is spread across several chapters, with none clearly dominant.
The table ranks two-digit chapters, which are broad product families. To judge whether this market fits you, you need to go down to your six-digit heading: within one chapter sit products with very different demand, duties and requirements. If you do not know yours, look it up in the HS Code finder.
As an EU market there is no customs clearance and no duty on a sale from Spain, but the intra-EU transaction still has to be declared, the customer's VAT number checked and the product's labelling and safety rules met, which apply inside the single market too. Product requirements are listed in Access to Markets.
Frequently asked questions
What does Germany import?
In 2025, its largest imports by chapter were electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof, machinery and mechanical appliances and vehicles. The table on this page lists the top 15 with the reported figure for each, according to UN Comtrade.
What duty will I pay?
None: Germany is in the European Union, and a sale from Spain is an intra-EU transaction, with no duty and no customs clearance. What you do have to settle is the VAT treatment and the product rules.
Where do I start if I do not have a tariff heading?
By finding it: it is the field the duty, the entry requirements and the trade statistics all hang from. The first six digits are common to every country applying the Harmonized System. You can search for yours in the HS Code finder and confirm it with your customs agent, who is the one answerable for the classification.
Does this data mean there is demand for my product?
It means that chapter enters the country, and in what volume, which is the first filter. It does not say at what price, through which channel or against which competitors, and those three decide whether the deal works. The figure is from 2025: countries report with a lag, so it is for comparing markets against each other, not for forecasting next month.
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