Road freight transport by type of goods

Data extracted in September 2025

Planned article update: 24 September 2026

Highlights

In 2024, ‘Metal ores and other mining and quarrying products; peat; uranium and thorium’ accounted for the largest share (23.0%) of freight transported by road in the EU, measured in tonnes.

In the EU, ‘Food products, beverages and tobacco’ constituted 16.7% of tonne-kilometres transported by road in 2024, representing the highest share among all product groups.

This article presents road freight transport in the European Union (EU), focusing on the various types of goods transported. It examines the total national and international road freight transport performed, classified by the type of goods. It also provides information on the transport of dangerous goods. Finally, it offers an overview of road freight transport categorised by cargo type.

This article and the articles 'Road freight transport statistics', 'Road freight transport by vehicle characteristics', 'Road freight transport by journey characteristics' and 'Road freight transport statistics – cabotage' present a complete overview of road freight transport in Europe.

Road freight transport by product group (NST 2007 classification)

Tables 1a and 1b present road freight transport by product group, measured in tonnes and tonne-kilometres (tkm), respectively. The data presented cover the period 2020-2024.

In terms of tonnes of freight carried, EU road transport declined by 0.7% in 2024 compared with 2023. Over the period 2020-2024, the number of tonnes carried grew at an average annual rate of 0.1%

In 2024, 'Metal ores and other mining and quarrying products; peat; uranium and thorium' was the largest product group transported in terms of tonnage, accounting for 3 007.2 million tonnes, or 23.0% of the EU total (see Table 1a and Figure 1). This was followed by 'Food products, beverages and tobacco' (1 590.0 million tonnes, 12.2%), and 'Other non-metallic mineral products' (1 562.5 million tonnes and a share of 11.9%). Another major product group was 'Products of agriculture, hunting, and forestry; fish and other fishing products', accounting for 1 287.1 million tonnes, or 9.8%.

From 2023 to 2024, the tonnage carried by road decreased in 10 product groups. The largest declines were observed for ‘Coal and lignite; crude petroleum and natural gas’ (-44.8%) and ‘Basic metals; fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment’ (-8.1%). By contrast, the largest increases were observed for ‘Other goods not elsewhere classified (n.e.c.)’ (+35.6%), ‘Unidentifiable goods: goods which for any reason cannot be identified’ (+17.1%) and ‘Textiles and textile products; leather and leather products’ (+6.7%).

In terms of average annual growth over the period 2020-2024, ‘Other goods n.e.c.’ recorded the strongest growth, at 13.0%, followed by ‘Unidentifiable goods: goods which for any reason cannot be identified’ (+7.5%), ‘Textiles and textile products; leather and leather products’ and ‘Mail, parcels’ (both +4.0%). The largest negative rates were recorded by ‘Coal and lignite; crude petroleum and natural gas’ and ‘Metal ores and other mining and quarrying products; peat; uranium and thorium’ (-8.7% and -2.0%, respectively).

In terms of road freight transport performance measured in tonne-kilometres, total EU performance in 2024 was 0.7% higher than in 2023. The leading category of goods was ‘Food products, beverages and tobacco', accounting for 312.2 billion tkm; its share in the total EU tkm was 16.7% (see Table 1b and Figure 1). This was followed by 'Grouped goods' (236.5 billion tkm and a share of 12.7%) and 'Products of agriculture, hunting, and forestry; fish and other fishing products' (207.6 billion tkm and a share of 11.1%). Another product group that recorded significant transport performance was ‘Other non-metallic mineral products’, with 137.3 billion tkm and a share of 7.4%.

The largest increases in tonne-kilometres from 2023 to 2024 were recorded for ‘Unidentifiable goods: goods which for any reason cannot be identified’ (+24.2%, through the absolute values are rather small), followed by ‘Other goods n.e.c.’ (+22.4%) and ‘Goods moved in the course of household and office removals’ (+14.5%). At the other end of the scale, the steepest declines were recorded for ‘Coal and lignite; crude petroleum and natural gas’ (-67.5%, with relatively small values), ‘Basic metals; fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment’ (-6.3%), and ‘Coke and refined petroleum products’ (-3.9%).

Over the period 2020-2024, the strongest average annual growth rate was recorded for ‘Unidentifiable goods: goods which for any reason cannot be identified’ (+11.2%), followed by ‘Other goods n.e.c.’ (+8.6%) and ‘Goods moved in the course of household and office removals’ (+5.7%). The largest declines were recorded for ‘Coal and lignite; crude petroleum and natural gas’, with an average annual growth rate of -7.5%, and ‘Wood and products of wood and cork (except furniture)’ with -1.4%.

Figure 2 presents the share of each NST 2007 product group in total EU tonne-kilometres for national and international road freight transport. In 2024, the following product groups accounted for larger shares in national than in international transport: 'Agriculture, hunting, forestry, fishing products'; ‘Coal and lignite; crude petroleum and natural gas’; ‘Metal ores, mining and quarrying products’, 'Food, beverages and tobacco', ’Coke and refined petroleum products’; ‘Other non-metallic mineral products’, 'Secondary raw materials; wastes', ‘Mail and parcels’, and ‘Goods moved in removals; baggage; vehicles moved for repair’. All other product groups made up larger share of international than of national road freight transport.

Road freight transport of dangerous goods

Figure 3 presents the share of dangerous goods in total transport performance in tkm of each EU country in 2023 and 2024. It should be noted that data for Italy are not available for 2023, while for Ireland data are not available for both years.

The EU countries with the highest shares of dangerous goods in total road transport were Finland (7.3% in 2023; 8.4% in 2024) and Belgium (7.0% in 2023; 6.4% in 2024), followed by Denmark (6.4% in 2023; 5.6% in 2024). Several EU countries recorded shares of dangerous goods between 4.0% and 6.0% in both 2023 and 2024, including France, Spain and Germany. Poland, a major country in terms or road freight transport, recorded shares of 2.6% in 2023 and 2.5% in 2024. Slovakia, Portugal and Lithuania each recorded shares below 2.0% in both years. High differences between the 2 years can be seen for Bulgaria, where the share of dangerous goods in total tkm transported increased from 2.9% in 2023 to 5.5% in 2024, and in Cyprus where the share decreased from 7.0% in 2023 to 4.9% in 2024.

Table 2 presents the transport of dangerous goods between 2020 and 2024. Over this period, 15 EU countries registered positive average annual growth rate in the transport of dangerous goods. The highest positive rates were recorded in Bulgaria (+13.0% per year on average), Romania (+9.6%) and Lithuania (+8.1%). At the other end of the scale, the largest negative growth rates over this period were registered in Portugal (-11.6% per year on average), Croatia (-11.3%), Cyprus (-11.2%) and Luxembourg (-10.8%).

Twelve EU countries reported increases in transport of dangerous goods, with the largest in Slovakia (+372.7%), Bulgaria (+52.6%), Sweden (+41.9%) and Greece (+29.0%). Substantial decreases were observed in Croatia (-38.6%), Luxembourg (-28.4%) and Cyprus (-25.0%).

Figure 4 illustrates the share of national and international transport performance (in tonnes-kilometres) involving dangerous goods in 2024.

In 2024, most of the EU countries recorded higher shares of tkm involving dangerous goods in national transport than in international transport. The main exceptions were Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, and Slovakia, where most of the dangerous goods transport was international.

It should be noted that, since dangerous goods make up only a small share of total road freight, the statistical processing of the survey results for this category entails a higher degree of uncertainty than for non-dangerous goods.

Road freight transport by type of cargo

In 2024, ’Palletised goods’ (i.e., goods transported on pallets) were the main type of cargo transported by road in most of the EU countries (see Table 3). The only exceptions were Cyprus and Luxembourg, where ’Solid bulk goods’ represented the main type of cargo, and Finland where ‘Other cargo not elsewhere specified’ was the most prevalent category.

The EU countries with the highest shares of ’Palletised goods’ were Romania (72.3%), Lithuania (71.9%) and Portugal (61.5%). In contrast, the lowest shares were observed in Cyprus (8.5%), Finland (25.8%) and Luxembourg (30.2%).

When looking at the sum of ’Palletised goods’ and ’Solid bulk goods’, the only country with an accumulated share below 50% was Finland (43.1%).

Road freight transport by type of cargo is an optional variable of the road freight transport survey. Ireland and Italy do not report data by type of cargo, while Denmark reports all cargo as ‘unknown’.

Source data for tables and graphs

Road freight transport by type of goods

Context

Data presented in this publication were collected in the framework of Regulation (EU) No 70/2012 on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of goods by road (recast). These data are based on sample surveys carried out in the reporting countries, i.e., the EU countries, Norway and Switzerland, and record the road goods transport undertaken by vehicles registered in these countries.

Reporting countries use their own national surveys for the collection of data based on returns from road hauliers. The results are microdata referring to vehicles and their linked journeys, providing detailed information on goods transported. At European level, common aggregation procedures have been used which may diverge from national practices. Therefore, differences might occur between the figures in this publication and national values.

Data sources

Country specific notes

Croatia: While Croatia had no obligation prior to their accession in 2013, it started to report data from the reference year 2008.

Malta: Regulation (EU) No 70/2012 does not apply to Malta, as long as the number of Maltese-registered goods road transport vehicles licensed to engage in international transport does not exceed 400 vehicles.

Finland: National and international surveys have been harmonised and follow a common methodology from Q1 2011 onwards, leading to a break in time series in 2011.

Sweden: A break in series occurred in 2014 following a change in methodology. On the basis of a specific survey, Sweden corrected the European road freight survey results for trucks participating in the sample which were not in use over the surveyed period.

Methodological notes

EU totals calculated in this publication refer to road freight transport reported by the EU countries, excluding Malta which is exempt from reporting road freight statistics.

Total international transport

Total international transport includes international transport loaded, unloaded, cross-trade and cabotage.

Breakdown by goods groups

Starting with the reference year 2008, Regulation (EC) No 1304/2007 establishes NST 2007 as the sole classification for goods carried in road freight transport. For detailed information on the NST 2007 classification, please refer to ‘Classifications’, in Eurostat’s web pages about metadata.

Dangerous goods

Regulation (EU) No 70/2012 stipulates the collection of information on different categories of dangerous goods on an obligatory basis. Annex V of the Regulation (EU) No 70/2012 provides the categories to be used. As the carriage of dangerous goods by road represents only a small percentage of total road transport and the data are collected on the basis of sample surveys, the margins of error in any statistics will be substantial. Any figures for the transport of dangerous goods should be treated with caution.

Type of cargo is the appearance of the cargo unit on presentation for transportation. The provision of data according to the type of cargo is optional in the legal basis. As not all EU countries provide this optional variable, the EU aggregate is not calculated.

Tonne-kilometre (tkm): Unit of measure of goods transport that represents the transport of one tonne by road over one kilometre. The distance taken into account is the distance actually run. It excludes the distance covered when the goods road vehicle is being transported by another means of transport.

Explore further

Database

Transport, see:

Road transport (road)

Road freight transport measurement (road_go)

Legislation

Regulation (EC) No 70/2012 on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of goods by road (recast)
Regulation (EU) No 1304/2007 of 7 November 2007 amending Directive 95/64, Regulation (EC) No 1172/98, Regulations (EC) No 91/2003 and (EC) No 1365/2006 with respect to the establishment of NST 2007 as the unique classification for transported goods in certain transport modes
Commission Regulation (EC) No 202/2010 amending Regulation (EC) No 6/2003 concerning the dissemination of statistics on the carriage of goods by road

Selected datasets

Transport, see:

Road transport (t_road)