ASEAN Overtakes EU As Top Destination for China‑Made Silicone Products
A change is happening in China’s silicone export market – and it’s big enough that buyers should pay attention.
According to freshly released customs data, ASEAN has now overtaken the European Union as the top destination for Chinese-made silicone finished products. The numbers are clear: 28.6% of all China’s silicone exports now go to ASEAN countries, compared to 27.9% to the EU.
That’s a narrow gap. But it’s a real shift.
What the numbers say
China’s total silicone finished-goods export value reached USD 9.8 billion in 2025, up 9.7% from the previous year. That’s steady growth overall.
But the regional breakdown tells a more interesting story:
- ASEAN: 28.6% market share – now No.1
- EU: 27.9% – dropped to No.2
- Middle East + Latin America: combined 32% – growing fast
What’s driving ASEAN’s rise? RCEP tariff benefits are a big factor. Export of silicone kitchenware and daily-use items to ASEAN jumped 21.4% year-over-year. The region’s manufacturing supply chain also depends heavily on Chinese components, so silicone parts and semi-finished goods are moving there in larger volumes.
Meanwhile, direct exports to North America keep shrinking under tariff pressure. Some orders are still moving through third-country transit, but that adds 4-8% in extra logistics costs – a hit that many buyers are starting to feel.
Which products are moving where
Breaking it down by category:
- Silicone kitchenware (spatulas, baking mats, ice trays) hit USD 1.87 billion in exports. Still the biggest single category. One thing worth noting: 86% of food-contact silicone kitchenware now carries FDA or LFGB certification. That used to be a selling point. Now it’s just table stakes.
- Pet silicone supplies – this is the category that surprised us. Amazon and TikTok cross-border sellers are driving fast growth here. It’s still smaller than kitchenware, but the growth curve is steep. We wrote about this category in detail in our previous post.
- Industrial and medical-grade silicone – up 12.6% year-on-year. These require tighter quality control and higher investment, which means most small factories can’t do them. Larger integrated factories are the ones capturing this growth.
What this means for buyers
If you’re sourcing silicone products from China, here’s what we’re paying attention to:
1. Don’t put all your orders in one basket. This isn’t just about tariffs anymore. Geopolitical uncertainty and shipping route disruptions can hit any single region hard. Spreading your orders across multiple suppliers – and multiple regions – is simply smart risk management.
2. Compliance is no longer optional. With 86% of kitchenware products already FDA/LFGB certified, having these certs doesn’t make you stand out. Not having them means you’re out of the game. When we talk to buyers now, the question isn’t “do you have FDA?” – it’s “how do you maintain batch-to-batch consistency under FDA standards?”
3. Custom design capability matters more than price. The white-label suppliers who only do generic products are getting squeezed. Buyers who want to differentiate their listings – whether on Amazon or in retail stores – are looking for factories that can do custom molding, custom colors, and custom packaging.
Looking ahead
We expect this diversification trend to continue – not just in where products go, but in who can supply what. The factories that adapt to multi-market compliance, flexible production, and custom design will be the ones buyers stick with.
That’s the direction we’re heading at Evermore. And we think it’s the right one.
About Zhangzhou Evermore New Material Technology Co., Ltd. (漳州永越新材料技术有限公司)
We are a silicone manufacturer in China with in-house mold development, flexible production runs, and full FDA/LFGB certifications. Whether you need silicone kitchenware, pet supplies, or custom-designed components, we can handle OEM and ODM projects from concept to shipping.
Contact us:
Official Website: www.evermoresilicone.com ，Alibaba: https://evermorecn.en.alibaba.com/
Email: info@evermorecn.com
WhatsApp/WeChat: 86-13599531567