Korea Memory Export Price Proxy

It is a monthly customs unit-value chart calculated from Korea Customs Service export value and net export weight. It offers a DRAM-chip view and a broader memory-integrated-circuits comparison. Neither is a quoted chip price.

For each month, declared FOB export value in US dollars is divided by net export weight in kilograms. A result of $60,000/kg means the month’s aggregate declared value was $60,000 for each net kilogram exported; it does not mean every chip sold at that rate.

No. The item-level KCS series is monthly. Corrections and cancellations are normally reflected around the 15th when the prior month is updated. The page always shows the latest source month and snapshot time rather than presenting it as an intraday signal.

Month over month compares a value with the immediately preceding calendar month. Year over year compares it with the same month one year earlier. The chart defaults to a one-year visible timeline, with 2Y, 3Y, 5Y, and All options in both views. Advanced view adds 3-, 6-, and 12-month simple moving averages plus a 6-month band at two population standard deviations; calculations retain the earlier observations needed for each indicator and remain descriptive rather than predictive.

Unit value can rise because the product mix becomes more valuable even if physical shipments fall. Viewing declared export dollars and net kilograms separately helps distinguish value growth, volume growth, and mix effects.

Yes. Export CSV downloads the selected HS series with month, declared export USD, net export kg, implied USD/kg, and calculated MoM/YoY fields. It contains published aggregate statistics, not declarations or company-level records.

The default view follows DRAM chip exports. You can also switch to a broader view of memory integrated circuits.

It covers memory integrated circuits as an aggregate category. That can include DRAM, flash memory, and other memory types, so read it as a broad mix rather than a single product price.

A module includes its circuit board and assembled components, so its export weight is not physically comparable with bare DRAM chips.

Modules include circuit boards and assembled components, so their physical weight is not comparable with integrated-circuit weight. This chart therefore focuses on chip exports and does not add module kilograms.

No. The DRAM category does not provide a clean HBM-only breakout. Changes in advanced-memory mix can affect the aggregate DRAM unit value, which is one reason this remains a proxy rather than a product quote.

No. The broader memory view covers several memory-IC classifications. Use the DRAM-chip view for a narrower signal and read the broader line only as an aggregate memory mix.

The chart uses monthly Korea Customs Service trade statistics. Your browser does not contact the source while you view the page.

For a selected product category and month: declared FOB export USD divided by net export kilograms. MoM and YoY changes are calculated from those published monthly values without interpolation.

FOB is the declared value at export before overseas freight and insurance. KCS states that Korean exports are compiled on an FOB basis, while imports use a CIF basis. This page uses export values only.

Net weight is the product weight reported in kilograms, excluding shipping packaging where customs reporting applies that distinction. It is an aggregate denominator and does not reveal chip count, capacity, generation, or package type.

Yes. Corrections or cancellations to customs declarations can revise prior-month aggregates. The page republishes the latest complete source view.

The page retains the latest complete official month until a newer complete update is published.

No. It is aggregate declared export value divided by aggregate net weight. Product generation, density, packaging, destination, contract mix, and shipment timing can all change the result without a uniform change in per-chip prices.

No. Spot and contract benchmarks define products and commercial terms differently. The KCS proxy is useful as independent shipment evidence, but it must remain separately labelled from specialist DRAM spot, contract, wholesale, and retail series.

They can provide timely evidence because Korea is a major memory exporter, but a stable lead is not guaranteed. This page does not claim a fixed one- or two-month lead over equities, earnings, retail prices, or the wider semiconductor cycle without a separate statistical test.

No. Customs aggregates are not company financial statements. They can include multiple exporters, product categories, shipment timing, destinations, intercompany flows, and recognition periods that differ from reported revenue.

A greater share of newer, denser, or more highly packaged memory can raise declared dollars per kilogram even if like-for-like prices are unchanged. Conversely, heavier lower-value shipments can reduce the proxy. Always inspect value and weight alongside it.

No. It is a descriptive customs-data reference. It does not recommend securities, predict earnings, time a purchase, or prove why a market moved. Use primary company disclosures and specialist pricing sources for decisions that require those claims.