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Singapore Customs

List of Prohibited Imports and (Inward) Transhipment or goods in Transit from the DPRK

Singapore prohibits the import, inward transhipment and transit of specific goods from the DPRK under United Nations Security Council sanctions.

Last updated 24 February 2026

Singapore prohibits the import, inward transhipment, and transit of specific goods from the DPRK in line with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. The lists below summarise the items currently banned. For full legal references, always refer to the relevant UNSC documents. 

1. Arms, related matériel, and dual-use goods 

The following items are prohibited: 

2. Items related to nuclear, ballistic missile, or other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes 

Prohibited items include materials, equipment, goods and technology related to nuclear or ballistic missile programmes, or other WMD programmes, listed in: 

  • INFCIRC/254/Rev.12/Part 1 

  • INFCIRC/254/Rev.9/Part 2 

  • S/2014/253 

  • S/2006/853 and S/2006/853/Corr.1 

  • S/2016/1069 

Additional WMD-related items listed in the Annex to: 

  • S/2016/308 

  • S/2017/728 

  • S/2017/822 

Any item that could contribute to DPRK’s prohibited programmes or help evade UNSC measures (Resolutions 1718, 1874, 2087, 2094, 2270) is also banned. 

3. Additional prohibited items under S/2009/364 

  • Graphite designed or specified for use in Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) machines

  • Para-aramid fibre (e.g. Kevlar) in filament or tape form 

4. Prohibited items under Annex III of UNSC Resolution 2094 (2013) 

Nuclear-related items 

  • Perfluorinated lubricants 

  • UF₆ corrosion-resistant bellow-sealed valves 

Missile-related items 

  • Special corrosion-resistant steels (e.g. N-DSS) designed for IRFNA or nitric acid environments 

  • Ultra high-temperature ceramic composite materials (blocks, cylinders, tubes) meeting specified dimensions 

  • Pyrotechnically actuated valves 

  • Measurement and control equipment usable for wind tunnels 

  • Sodium perchlorate 

Chemical weapons-related items 

Vacuum pumps and associated parts (e.g. casings, impellers, rotors, jet pump nozzles) where all contact surfaces are made of controlled materials such as: 

  • Nickel alloys (>40% nickel) 

  • Alloys with >25% nickel and 20% chromium 

  • Fluoropolymers 

  • Glass or glass-lined materials 

  • Graphite 

  • Tantalum 

  • Titanium 

  • Zirconium 

  • Ceramics 

  • Ferrosilicon

5. Items contributing to military operational capabilities 

Any item that could directly support or enhance the operational capabilities of DPRK armed forces, or the armed forces of another State on behalf of the DPRK, is prohibited. 

6. Prohibited bulk commodities 

  • Coal, iron, iron ore

  • Gold, titanium ore, vanadium ore, rare earth materials 

7. Additional prohibited items under Annex III of UNSC Resolution 2321 (2016) 

Nuclear-or missile-usable items 

  • Isocyanates (TDI, MDI, IPDI, HNMDI/HDI, DDI) and related production equipment

  • Ammonium nitrate, chemically pure or in phase stabilized version (PSAN)

  • Non-destructive test chambers with ≥1m internal dimension

  • Turbo-pumps for liquid or hybrid rocket engines

  • Polymeric substances (HTPE, HTCE, PPG, PGA, PEG)

  • Inertial equipment and associated test equipment

  • Countermeasure subsystems and penetration aids

  • Manganese metal brazing foils

  • Hydroforming machines 

  • Thermal treatment furnaces (>850°C and one dimension >1m)

  • Electrical discharge machines (EDMs)

  • Friction stir welding machines

  • Modelling/design software for aerodynamic or thermodynamic analysis of rockets or UAVs

  • High-speed imaging cameras (excluding medical imaging)

  • Truck chassis with six or more axles

Chemical/biological-usable items 

  • Floor-mounted walk-in fume hoods (≥2.5m width)

  • Batch centrifuges (rotor capacity ≥4L) usable with biological materials

  • Fermenters (10–20L) usable with biological materials 

Metals and materials 

  • Copper

  • Nickel

  • Silver

  • Zinc 

8. Prohibited commodities and goods (by HS chapter) 

  • Statue

  • Seafood

  • Lead, lead ore

  • Food and agricultural products (HS Chapters 7, 8 and 12)

  • Machinery (HS Chapter 84)

  • Electrical equipment (HS Chapter 85)

  • Earth and stone including magnesite and magnesia (HS Chapter 25)

  • Wood (HS Chapter 44)

  • Vessels (HS Chapter 89) 

9. Goods for the purpose of trade with any person in the DPRK 

Any goods intended for trade with persons in the DPRK are prohibited.