Trade Flow · Imports
Kuwait import market — 2020-2024 (WITS / UN Comtrade)
Customs-side market sizing for every product line covered by the deck. Each HS subheading carries a yearly value series, 2024 source-country mix, and a cross-walk to our retail SKU scrape on a unified per-unit basis (CIF USD/unit ↔ retail KWD median). Proxy quality flags how cleanly each public HS code isolates the product line.
2024 Total · mapped lines
USD 330.0M
across 20 HS subheadings
AC market · 2024
USD 143.9M
incl. parts (8415.10/.81/.82/.83/.90)
Refrigeration core · 2024
USD 111.8M
excl. parts; incl. parts USD 120.0M
FX reference
3.26
USD per KWD · CBK end-2024
Per-line cross-walk · imports vs retail
Customs $ vs shelf price — unified on units
For each product line: Kuwait 2024 customs import value, units imported, implied CIF USD/unit, our retail-shelf median KWD, and the resulting retail-to-CIF multiple. Multiples >2× signal heavy retail markup; <1× usually means our retail mix skews cheaper than the import basket and warrants a closer look.
Air conditioners
Imports vs retail — unified on units (CIF $/unit ↔ retail median KWD)
2024 imports (USD M)
USD 143.9M
unit-basis: USD 75.3M
Units imported
227,654
CIF avg / unit
USD 331
KWD 101
Retail median (our scrape)
KWD 210
USD 684
Retail / CIF multiple
2.07×
retail KWD median ÷ CIF USD/unit
Retail breadth · 603 SKUs · 35 brands · 19 stores
Per-subheading breakdown · 2024
| HS | Description | Value | Units | CIF / unit | Retail median | Markup | Top origin · 2024 | Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8415.10 | Window or wall types, self-contained or 'split-system' | USD 75.3M | 227,654 | USD 331 | KWD 210 | 2.07× | China 79% · Thailand 11% | strong |
| 8415.81 | Other, incorporating a refrigerating unit and a valve for reversal of the cooling/heat cycle | USD 20.0M | — | — | KWD 447 | — | China 45% · Saudi Arabia 18% | medium |
| 8415.82 | Other, incorporating a refrigerating unit (no reversing valve) | USD 19.9M | — | — | — | — | UAE 56% · Bahrain 20% | medium |
FX 1 KWD ≈ 3.26 USD · source: WITS / UN Comtrade · generated 2026-04-26
Refrigerators
Imports vs retail — unified on units (CIF $/unit ↔ retail median KWD)
2024 imports (USD M)
USD 49.9M
Units imported
119,045
CIF avg / unit
USD 419
KWD 129
Retail median (our scrape)
KWD 190
USD 619
Retail / CIF multiple
1.48×
retail KWD median ÷ CIF USD/unit
Retail breadth · 823 SKUs · 44 brands · 18 stores
Per-subheading breakdown · 2024
| HS | Description | Value | Units | CIF / unit | Retail median | Markup | Top origin · 2024 | Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8418.10 | Combined refrigerator-freezers, fitted with separate external doors | USD 18.8M | 49,581 | USD 379 | KWD 199 | 1.71× | China 70% · Thailand 22% | strong |
| 8418.50 | Other furniture (chests, cabinets, display counters, show-cases) incorporating refrigerating equipment | USD 17.3M | 15,102 | USD 1,144 | KWD 458 | 1.30× | Italy 39% · China 21% | medium |
| 8418.21 | Household refrigerators, compression-type | USD 12.8M | 48,862 | USD 261 | KWD 65 | 0.81× | China 48% · Thailand 31% | strong |
FX 1 KWD ≈ 3.26 USD · source: WITS / UN Comtrade · generated 2026-04-26
Freezers
Imports vs retail — unified on units (CIF $/unit ↔ retail median KWD)
2024 imports (USD M)
USD 9.09M
Units imported
30,256
CIF avg / unit
USD 300
KWD 92
Retail median (our scrape)
KWD 129
USD 421
Retail / CIF multiple
1.40×
retail KWD median ÷ CIF USD/unit
Retail breadth · 175 SKUs · 32 brands · 13 stores
Per-subheading breakdown · 2024
| HS | Description | Value | Units | CIF / unit | Retail median | Markup | Top origin · 2024 | Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8418.40 | Freezers of the upright type, capacity ≤900 L | USD 5.54M | 13,805 | USD 401 | KWD 184 | 1.50× | China 34% · Thailand 22% | strong |
| 8418.30 | Freezers of the chest type, capacity ≤800 L | USD 3.55M | 16,451 | USD 216 | KWD 109 | 1.65× | China 74% · Italy 14% | strong |
FX 1 KWD ≈ 3.26 USD · source: WITS / UN Comtrade · generated 2026-04-26
Water dispensers / coolers
Imports vs retail — unified on units (CIF $/unit ↔ retail median KWD)
2024 imports (USD M)
USD 66.7M
unit-basis: USD 13.9M
Units imported
457,454
CIF avg / unit
USD 30
KWD 9.31
Retail median (our scrape)
KWD 60
USD 195
Retail / CIF multiple
n/a
no unit-aligned WITS data
Retail breadth · 251 SKUs · 44 brands · 18 stores
Per-subheading breakdown · 2024
| HS | Description | Value | Units | CIF / unit | Retail median | Markup | Top origin · 2024 | Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8418.69 | Other refrigerating or freezing equipment; heat pumps (excl. AC) | USD 52.8M | 2,209,710 | — | KWD 60 | — | Korea 43% · China 30% | weak |
| 8516.79 | Other domestic electro-thermic appliances, n.e.s. | USD 13.9M | 457,454 | USD 30 | — | — | China 93% · Italy 4% | weak |
⚠ Markup computed on the unit-basis subset only (8516.79); non-unit subheadings (8418.69) contribute USD 52.84M to the value total but cannot be put on a per-unit scale.
FX 1 KWD ≈ 3.26 USD · source: WITS / UN Comtrade · generated 2026-04-26
Water heaters
Imports vs retail — unified on units (CIF $/unit ↔ retail median KWD)
2024 imports (USD M)
USD 0.00M
Units imported
—
CIF avg / unit
—
Retail median (our scrape)
—
Retail / CIF multiple
n/a
no unit-aligned WITS data
Retail breadth · 0 SKUs · 0 brands · 0 stores
⚠ Per-line markup suppressed: no WITS unit quantities reported for any subheading under this line.
FX 1 KWD ≈ 3.26 USD · source: WITS / UN Comtrade · generated 2026-04-26
Sandwich panels
Imports vs retail — unified on units (CIF $/unit ↔ retail median KWD)
2024 imports (USD M)
USD 51.2M
unit-basis: USD 0.00M
Units imported
—
CIF avg / unit
—
Retail median (our scrape)
—
Retail / CIF multiple
n/a
no unit-aligned WITS data
Retail breadth · 0 SKUs · 0 brands · 0 stores
Per-subheading breakdown · 2024
| HS | Description | Value | Units | CIF / unit | Retail median | Markup | Top origin · 2024 | Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7308.90 | Other structures and parts of structures, of iron or steel | USD 51.2M | 16,126,500 | — | — | — | China 41% · Czech Republic 21% | weak |
⚠ Per-line markup suppressed: no WITS unit quantities reported for any subheading under this line.
FX 1 KWD ≈ 3.26 USD · source: WITS / UN Comtrade · generated 2026-04-26
refrigerator-and-freezer
Imports vs retail — unified on units (CIF $/unit ↔ retail median KWD)
2024 imports (USD M)
USD 59.0M
Units imported
149,301
CIF avg / unit
USD 395
KWD 121
Retail median (our scrape)
KWD 179
USD 584
Retail / CIF multiple
1.48×
retail KWD median ÷ CIF USD/unit
Retail breadth · 998 SKUs · 48 brands · 18 stores
Per-subheading breakdown · 2024
| HS | Description | Value | Units | CIF / unit | Retail median | Markup | Top origin · 2024 | Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8418.10 | Combined refrigerator-freezers, fitted with separate external doors | USD 18.8M | 49,581 | USD 379 | KWD 199 | 1.71× | China 70% · Thailand 22% | strong |
| 8418.50 | Other furniture (chests, cabinets, display counters, show-cases) incorporating refrigerating equipment | USD 17.3M | 15,102 | USD 1,144 | KWD 458 | 1.30× | Italy 39% · China 21% | medium |
| 8418.21 | Household refrigerators, compression-type | USD 12.8M | 48,862 | USD 261 | KWD 65 | 0.81× | China 48% · Thailand 31% | strong |
FX 1 KWD ≈ 3.26 USD · source: WITS / UN Comtrade · generated 2026-04-26
Imports by product line
Origins (2024) and 5-year history per HS subheading
Each product line aggregates its HS subheadings; click to expand and see top-5 source countries (2024) followed by yearly values 2020-2024 per subheading. China dominates residential/consumer lines; commercial refrigeration (HS 8418.69) jumped in 2024 led by Korea + China; sandwich-panel proxy (HS 7308.90) has nearly halved since 2020.
Origins · 2024
| HS | Description | 2024 USD M | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8415.10 | Window or wall types, self-contained or 'split-system' | USD 75.3M | China 79% · USD 58.5M | Thailand 11% · USD 7.85M | UAE 7% · USD 5.02M | Saudi Arabia 3% · USD 2.29M | Malaysia 1% · USD 0.47M | strong |
| 8415.81 | Other, incorporating a refrigerating unit and a valve for reversal of the cooling/heat cycle | USD 20.0M | China 45% · USD 7.95M | Saudi Arabia 18% · USD 3.17M | Korea 14% · USD 2.56M | Italy 12% · USD 2.12M | Mexico 11% · USD 1.92M | medium |
| 8415.82 | Other, incorporating a refrigerating unit (no reversing valve) | USD 19.9M | UAE 56% · USD 10.6M | Bahrain 20% · USD 3.86M | China 12% · USD 2.24M | Turkey 7% · USD 1.35M | Italy 4% · USD 0.81M | medium |
| 8415.90 | Parts | USD 18.1M | China 51% · USD 7.73M | Saudi Arabia 21% · USD 3.20M | UAE 16% · USD 2.42M | USA 7% · USD 1.11M | Germany 5% · USD 0.83M | strong |
| 8415.83 | Not incorporating a refrigerating unit | USD 10.7M | Austria 51% · USD 4.92M | Italy 31% · USD 3.04M | China 8% · USD 0.77M | Germany 8% · USD 0.74M | India 3% · USD 0.27M | medium |
Five-year history · USD M
| HS | Description | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8415.10 | Window or wall types, self-contained or 'split-system' | 60.4 | 91.2 | 103.3 | 79.8 | 75.3 | |
| 8415.81 | Other, incorporating a refrigerating unit and a valve for reversal of the cooling/heat cycle | 34.3 | 22.9 | 23.5 | 20.4 | 20.0 | |
| 8415.82 | Other, incorporating a refrigerating unit (no reversing valve) | 6.96 | 34.9 | 258.6 | 13.9 | 19.9 | |
| 8415.90 | Parts | 19.1 | 34.1 | 24.5 | 18.1 | 18.1 | |
| 8415.83 | Not incorporating a refrigerating unit | 16.6 | 9.02 | 2.51 | 7.23 | 10.7 |
Outliers · do not benchmark from these years
- HS 8415.82 · 2022 — USD 258.56M. USD 258.56M spike (vs USD 6.96M-34.94M neighbouring years), mostly UAE-origin. Likely re-export pass-through; do not use 2022 as benchmark.
Methodology
Yearly imports and 2024 source-country mix from WITS / UN Comtrade, reporter Kuwait. Public HS-6 data — Kuwait Customs 8/10-digit data and shipment-level importer/brand splits would be required for investment-grade brand-share work; treat this as a supply-side market screen. Cross-walk multiplies retail KWD median by 3.26 (1 KWD ≈ 3.26 USD (CBK reference, end-2024)) and divides by CIF USD/unit (imports value ÷ unit count, where WITS reports units). Where WITS only reports kg or no quantity, the per-unit comparison is suppressed rather than guessed.