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Promote:District of Columbia

Export from the District of Columbia

A short guide for companies selling from the District of Columbia: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.

1. What the District of Columbia sells, and who buys it

Top goods exports

2025

  1. 1. Aircraft parts (HS 8807)US$854.3 million
  2. 2. Radar and broadcast equipment parts (HS 8529)US$503.9 million
  3. 3. Munitions and ammunition (HS 9306)US$167.7 million
  4. 4. Armored fighting vehicles (HS 8710)US$148 million
  5. 5. Trailers and other non-motorized vehicles (HS 8716)US$142.5 million
  6. 6. Electrical machines and apparatus (HS 8543)US$130.3 million
  7. 7. Machinery parts (HS 8487)US$123.6 million
  8. 8. Gold (HS 7108)US$103 million
Show 12 more products
  1. 9. Transformers and power supplies (HS 8504)US$77.6 million
  2. 10. Electrical control panels (HS 8537)US$58.2 million
  3. 11. Military weapons (HS 9301)US$56 million
  4. 12. Calculating machines and cash registers (HS 8470)US$52.2 million
  5. 13. Air conditioning machines (HS 8415)US$46.9 million
  6. 14. Paintings and drawings (HS 9701)US$41.8 million
  7. 15. Civilian aircraft, engines and partsUS$40.2 million
  8. 16. Cameras and broadcast transmission equipment (HS 8525)US$27.4 million
  9. 17. Radar and radio navigation equipment (HS 8526)US$23 million
  10. 18. Telephones and network equipment (HS 8517)US$21 million
  11. 19. Engines and motors, other (HS 8412)US$20.8 million
  12. 20. Aircraft launching gear and flight trainers (HS 8805)US$19.3 million
  • Origin of movement is where goods began their trip to the port, not always where made. Farm and mining goods generally show the state of the port of export, and foreign-trade zone shipments are spread among states. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • The ranking's shares are of US$3,656.6 million, the Census Bureau's current 2025 total in its state export data. The exports total shown, US$3,662.8 million, is Exhibit 2's figure as first published, so the two differ slightly. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • Special provisions (HS chapters 98 and 99) are 14.5 percent of 2025 exports; they are in the total but not ranked. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • Aircraft parts, munitions, armored vehicles and military weapons (HS 8807, 9306, 8710 and 9301) make up 33.5 percent of 2025 exports; read the ranking with that mix in mind. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)

Source: Census Bureau, state exports by product and destination, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025

Where the goods go

2025, share of goods exports

  • Saudi Arabia40.9%
  • United Kingdom12.5%
  • Egypt9.1%
  • Poland5.3%
  • Türkiye4.8%
  • Morocco4.2%
  • Switzerland3%
  • Jordan2.5%
Show 2 more destinations
  • Australia1.7%
  • Denmark1.4%

Source: Census Bureau, state exports by product and destination, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025

2. What to look into next

Our reading

Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.

3. Trade agreements

For the District of Columbia: the United States’ agreements apply

4. What the District of Columbia runs for exporters

Only what the District of Columbia itself runs or asks of exporters, each with its source.

Export requirements across the United States: see the steps in Export from the United States

5. Steps to export

The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.

Exporting from the District of Columbia

  1. Book no-cost export counseling with the District's Small Business Development Center to check readiness and markets.District of Columbia Small Business Development CenterOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: DCSBDC, export services page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

  2. Ask the Deputy Mayor's International Business Team what export support is open, including the District's export program, before you spend.Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic DevelopmentOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: DMPED, International Business page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

  3. Ask the regional export finance center in Washington about export credit insurance and working capital guarantees.Export-Import Bank of the United StatesOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: EXIM, regional export finance centers⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

  4. Classify your product and check whether it needs an export license before you ship.Bureau of Industry and SecurityOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: International Trade Administration, export regulations⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

Show 1 more export step
  1. File electronic export information in the Automated Export System when goods under one Schedule B number are worth more than US$2,500, or need a license.U.S. Census BureauOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: International Trade Administration, filing in the Automated Export System⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

6. Organizations that help exporters

Start with DMPED and DCSBDC. Each card links to the organization’s own site.

Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets

Export development and market information

Show 1 more organization

Customs and tax

Standards and sector requirements

Chambers and industry associations

7. Worth knowing

Across the United States: see Worth knowing in Export from the United States

8. How Promote:Global helps

  • Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
  • Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
  • Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
  • Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.

Turn this guide into your District of Columbia project.

Use Promote:Global to explore markets, understand requirements and organize your next steps.

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Promote:District of Columbia is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.

Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 3, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.