Delovye Linii Reports 81% Rise in International Paint and Varnish Shipments
Delovye Linii transported paints and varnishes internationally 81% more frequently in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier. Spare-parts movements rose by almost 30%, while the carrier’s overall demand for international transportation increased by more than 5%.
Paint shipments outpace overall demand
Russian freight operator Delovye Linii recorded a sharp increase in the frequency of international shipments involving paints, varnishes and spare parts during the first half of 2026. According to logistics.ru, paints and varnishes were transported 81% more frequently in January–June than in the same period of 2025. Spare-parts movements increased by almost 30%, while shipments of household goods rose by 24%.
These category-level gains were substantially higher than the carrier’s broader indicator for international transportation. Delovye Linii said overall demand for its international freight services increased by more than 5% year on year. The company also identified industrial equipment and components among the goods it handles most frequently across borders, although it did not provide growth rates or absolute shipment volumes for those categories.
Industrial and construction demand drives cargo mix
Delovye Linii attributed the stronger activity to businesses sending more goods used in manufacturing, construction and equipment maintenance. The 81% increase in paint and varnish movements may therefore reflect activity across several customer groups, including construction suppliers, industrial producers and maintenance contractors. The rise in spare-parts traffic similarly points to sustained demand for servicing machinery and other installed equipment.
The figures measure shipment frequency within the network of one carrier rather than the value, weight or physical volume of the goods transported. Delovye Linii has not disclosed the underlying number of consignments or the methodology needed to compare category growth directly with its overall demand indicator. As logistics.ru noted, the data cannot be treated as evidence that the entire international logistics market expanded at the same rate.
China corridor gains importance
The operator also reported a growing number of road shipments between Russia and China, without specifying the rate of increase. China remains Delovye Linii’s principal partner for import cargo. For Russian non-resource exports, the company highlighted destinations in the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as Mongolia and Abkhazia. Export consignments are formed predominantly in Russia’s Central and Urals federal districts.
Delovye Linii has also launched road transportation between Russia and Armenia, offering cargo support from collection at the sender through the border crossing and final delivery. For shippers, purchasing teams and third-party logistics providers, the first-half figures offer a useful view of which cargo groups are gaining momentum within this operator’s network. However, the absence of absolute volumes means the data are better read as a directional indicator than as a measure of market size. The divergence between growth of more than 5% in overall demand and much faster increases in selected categories also suggests that the carrier’s international cargo mix is changing, with paints, maintenance products and industrial inputs accounting for a more active stream of consignments.
