The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Czech global shipments during 2018. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from the Czech Republic.

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, Czechia’s most valuable export products are cars followed by automobile parts and accessories, computers then mobile phones.

1. Vehicles: US$41.1 billion (20.3% of total exports)
2. Machinery including computers: $40.2 billion (19.9%)
3. Electrical machinery, equipment: $36.4 billion (18%)
4. Articles of iron or steel: $7.4 billion (3.7%)
5. Plastics, plastic articles: $7.1 billion (3.5%)
6. Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefab buildings: $5.7 billion (2.8%)
7. Iron, steel: $4.8 billion (2.4%)
8. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $4.2 billion (2.1%)
9. Mineral fuels including oil: $4.1 billion (2%)
10. Rubber, rubber articles: $4.1 billion (2%)

Czech Republic’s top 10 exports accounted for over three-quarters (76.6%) of the overall value of its global shipments.

Iron or steel and mineral fuels including oil were the fastest-growing among the top 10 export categories, both up 26.2% from 2017 to 2018.

In third place for improving Czech export sales was machinery including computers which rose 17.1%.

Overall Czechia posted a $18.4 billion trade surplus in 2018, down -4.8% from $19.3 billion in black ink one year earlier.

The following types of Czech product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Vehicles: US$22.5 billion (Up by 8.3% since 2017)
2. Machinery including computers: $8.9 billion (Up by 37.8%)
3. Articles of iron or steel: $2.2 billion (Up by 5.7%)
4. Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefab buildings: $2 billion (Up by 3.1%)
5. Toys, games: $1.7 billion (Up by 9.2%)
6. Wood: $1.3 billion (Up by 15.9%)
7. Rubber, rubber articles: $1.2 billion (Up by 7.1%)
8. Glass: $958.1 million (Down by -0.3%)
9. Miscellaneous manufactured articles: $661.6 million (Up by 10.7%)
10. Railways, streetcars: $548.6 million (Up by 2.5%)

Czech Republic has highly positive net exports in the international trade of automobiles notably cars, automotive parts and accessories. In turn, these cashflows indicate Czech Republic’s strong competitive advantages under the vehicles product category.

Below are exports from Czechia that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Czechia’s goods trail Czech importer spending on foreign products.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: -US$7.1 billion (Up by 28.3% since 2017)
2. Plastics, plastic articles: -$2.6 billion (Up by 0.4%)
3. Pharmaceuticals: -$2.3 billion (Up by 12.2%)
4. Iron, steel: -$2.2 billion (Up by 1.5%)
5. Other chemical goods: -$1.1 billion (Up by 7%)
6. Meat: -$1.1 billion (Up by 8.9%)
7. Copper: -$921.2 million (Up by 8.8%)
8. Aluminum: -$914.6 million (Up by 16.8%)
9. Aircraft, spacecraft: -$805 million (Reversing a $130.4 million surplus)
10. Fruits, nuts: -$670.5 million (Up by 7.1%)

Czechia has highly negative net exports and, in particular, deep international trade deficits for petroleum oils and gases.

These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate Czechia’s competitive disadvantages in the international energy market, but also represent key opportunities for the Czech Republic to improve its position in the global economy through focused innovations.

Czech Export Companies

Only one Czech company made the Forbes Global 2000 rankings: CEZ Group (electric utilities).

Wikipedia lists other relatively large Czech companies. A selected sample of these companies appears below.

• Škoda Auto A.S. (automobiles)
• Agrofert, A.S. (conglomerate)
• RWE Supply & Trading CZ, A.S. (oil, gas)
• Unipetrol, A.S. (chemicals)
• ČEPRO, A.S. (oil, gas)
• Barum Continental Spol. S R.O. (tires)
• Continental Automotive Czech Republic S.R.O. (auto parts)
• Finitrading, A.S. (metallurgy)