Korea Memory Export Price Proxy

It is a monthly customs unit-value series calculated from Korea Customs Service export value and net export weight. The page selects the narrow raw-DRAM series when verified ten-digit data is available; until then it can show the official broader HS 854232 memory-IC series without relabelling it as DRAM. It is a directional proxy, not 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, which can reduce—but not remove—seasonal effects. Missing comparison months remain blank rather than being estimated.

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 preferred narrow code is Korea HSK 8542321010, DRAM (Dynamic random access memory). While that ten-digit feed awaits documented OpenAPI access, the chart selects verified HS 854232 memory-IC data and labels its broader product mix explicitly.

HS 854232 is the six-digit category for electronic integrated circuits classified as memories. Korea’s ten-digit subdivisions include DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, other monolithic memories, hybrid circuits, multichip circuits, and other national breakouts.

Korea classifies DRAM modules under HSK 8473304060, a parts-and-accessories category for automatic data-processing machines. A module includes its circuit board and assembled components, so its export weight is not physically comparable with bare DRAM chips.

Adding their export values can describe a broader export total, but adding their kilograms creates an unstable denominator because the products contain different physical components. This page therefore keeps both unit-value series separate.

No. HBM uses DRAM dies, but the customs code does not provide a clean public 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. Korea HSK lists flash memory separately under 8542321030. The broader 854232 memory-IC control can include multiple memory classifications, so it must not be interpreted as a DRAM-only or NAND-only line.

The source is Korea Customs Service. The broader six-digit series can be collected from KCS’s public Trade Statistics “By H.S Code” query without a key; the documented data.go.kr item API remains the route for precise ten-digit raw-DRAM and module automation. The browser reads only a same-origin snapshot and never contacts KCS directly.

For a selected HS code 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 private collector preserves each distinct source revision and republishes the latest official view without silently presenting a revision as a new market event.

The collector fails closed and does not replace the last successful snapshot with zeros or partial data. The page retains the last source month and clearly marks any series that has no verified observations.

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.