Trade in Goods (Commodities)

Exports by commodity

Road vehicles, power generating machinery and pharmaceuticals exports were the three largest commodity groups in the latest four quarter period. Exports of North East road vehicles alone were worth almost £4.5 billion, more than four times the next largest commodity group.

Recent changes
Exports of road vehicles from the North East increased by 25% in the latest quarter and were up by 61% compared to the same point last year. Power generating machinery and pharmaceuticals both saw decreases in the latest quarter.

Impact of Covid-19

Some commodity groups have experienced significant variation in recent quarters due to Covid-19 related disruption. Road vehicles exports for instance, saw significant declines in Q2 2020 and Q2 2021 due to Covid-19 and semi-conductor shortages. This had a large impact on the total value of regional goods exports, although exports of this commodity looked to have recovered to almost pre Covid-19 levels in the latest quarter.

Pharmaceutical exports in contrast increased to above pre Covid-19 levels in Q1 2021 and have remained so since that point. 

Data Source

The data for this page is from HM revenue and Customs (HMRC). The regional data is released on a quarterly basis. The North East region contains both the North East and Tees Valley LEP areas.

HMRC also releases total exports per region and markets which can be found elsewhere on the Evidence Hub. Data from the ONS trade in services release is also available.