China Memory Chip Exports: August 2026
Official customs data
Continue with HS 854232 trade data
Move from the analysis to the live memory-chip export page, partner-country cuts, and HS 85 context.
China's HS 854232 memory-chip exports reached $25.48 billion in August 2026, down 11.0% from July, but still 207.2% above August 2025. January-August exports reached $177.05 billion, up 219.5% from the same eight months of 2025. The latest observation tempers the July record without erasing the large year-on-year increase.
This refresh uses the published GACC-derived export series checked on September 21, 2026. All values below are nominal US dollars.
August changes the momentum story
| Period | Memory-chip exports |
|---|---|
| June 2026 | $28.51B |
| July 2026 | $28.64B |
| August 2026 | $25.48B |
| January-August 2026 | $177.05B |
| January-August 2025 | $55.41B |
July held close to June's elevated value. August moved lower by about $3.16 billion, so the latest release no longer supports a description of exports holding at that monthly plateau. At the same time, August's value was more than three times the same month a year earlier. A monthly decline and a large annual increase can coexist because they use different comparison bases.
The cumulative comparison uses January through August in both years. Comparing eight months of 2026 with seven months of 2025 would overstate growth. Use the HS 854232 memory-chip export series to examine the individual months behind the total.
The August destination ranking has changed
| Recorded destination | August exports |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | $11.59B |
| South Korea | $4.47B |
| Taiwan | $3.42B |
| Malaysia | $2.66B |
| India | $1.04B |
These are the latest-month leaders, not the January-August ranking. The earlier July table placed Vietnam second; that ranking should not be carried forward as an August result. Hong Kong alone represented about 45.5% of the recorded August total.
Customs destinations do not identify the final consumer or where a chip is ultimately installed. Re-export, assembly and distribution can separate the recorded trading partner from the end market. The ranking therefore describes cross-border flows, not national shares of final memory consumption.
What export value can and cannot explain
HS 854232 isolates memories within electronic integrated circuits. It is more specific than the broader semiconductor or electrical-machinery category, but it still does not provide a company-level shipment ledger or a reliable split between every commercial memory technology.
The published HS6 monthly payload does not provide a comparable quantity series for this analysis. Consequently, the August value change cannot be decomposed into shipment volume, prices and product mix here. Higher customs value alone does not establish stronger unit demand, and a decline does not establish a fall in chip prices. The earlier discussion of broader semiconductor quantity growth should not be read as an August measurement for this memory-chip code.
How to follow the next release
Compare September with both August 2026 and September 2025, then recompute the matched year-to-date periods. Check whether the destination mix changes along with the total. These published observations can be revised as source coverage changes; this article records the release checked on September 21.
For related context, use the HS 85 electronics category, China integrated circuit production, and the semiconductor manufacturing comparison. Production, export value and final demand measure different things. The API documentation explains access to the published trade series.
Explore integrated circuit trade
Chip manufacturing output and customs trade values are not interchangeable. The broad integrated-circuit heading and the narrower memory line help separate product markets.
Electronic integrated circuits trade data (HS 8542) — Explore the integrated-circuit heading across published product types.