Import/export HS code 15: Fats, Oils, and Waxes from Animals, Plants, or Microbes
Includes fats and oils used in cooking, as well as waxes from natural sources. These are used in food, cosmetics, and industrial products
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1,267,529,057 |
| Spain | 465,966,356 |
| Belgium | 367,215,346 |
| Papua New Guinea | 310,996,882 |
| Germany | 297,685,138 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 672,472,668 | 595,056,389 | -77,416,279 |
| Spain | 281,953,049 | 184,013,307 | -97,939,742 |
| Belgium | 196,037,285 | 171,178,061 | -24,859,224 |
| Papua New Guinea | 165,068,295 | 145,928,587 | -19,139,708 |
| Germany | 168,108,290 | 129,576,848 | -38,531,442 |
| Italy | 103,811,117 | 89,998,792 | -13,812,325 |
| France | 90,740,422 | 92,930,087 | +2,189,665 |
| Ireland | 78,866,930 | 76,881,428 | -1,985,502 |
| Denmark | 65,321,731 | 82,580,330 | +17,258,599 |
| Malaysia | 58,477,394 | 88,858,316 | +30,380,922 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| Spain | 590,404,852 |
| Netherlands | 561,424,473 |
| Papua New Guinea | 318,776,178 |
| China | 297,430,758 |
| Malaysia | 285,458,408 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 360,118,225 | 230,286,627 | -129,831,598 |
| Netherlands | 283,927,561 | 277,496,912 | -6,430,649 |
| Papua New Guinea | 176,035,479 | 142,740,699 | -33,294,780 |
| China | 153,872,851 | 143,557,907 | -10,314,944 |
| Malaysia | 123,437,195 | 162,021,213 | +38,584,018 |
| Belgium | 132,922,380 | 134,320,939 | +1,398,559 |
| Germany | 138,833,480 | 108,741,777 | -30,091,703 |
| Italy | 129,533,936 | 114,198,731 | -15,335,205 |
| France | 94,797,752 | 75,204,993 | -19,592,759 |
| Ukraine | 80,567,994 | 78,840,321 | -1,727,673 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Outer London - West and North West | 152 |
| Inner London - East | 138 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 127 |
| Inner London - West | 114 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 73 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer London - West and North West | 130 | 117 | -13 |
| Inner London - East | 104 | 105 | +1 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 100 | 105 | +5 |
| Inner London - West | 84 | 90 | +6 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 60 | 59 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 50 | 57 | +7 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 59 | 52 | -7 |
| West Midlands | 42 | 48 | +6 |
| West Yorkshire | 45 | 41 | -4 |
| Outer London - South | 40 | 40 | +0 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,593,578,048 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,612,214,817 |
| Other | 152,374,203 |
| Road transport | 39,541,962 |
| Air transport | 19,113,420 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,331,273,338 | 1,262,304,710 | -68,968,628 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 938,794,622 | 673,420,195 | -265,374,427 |
| Other | 76,452,524 | 75,921,679 | -530,845 |
| Road transport | 18,942,965 | 20,598,997 | +1,656,032 |
| Air transport | 9,684,501 | 9,428,919 | -255,582 |
| Rail transport | 0 | 4,846 | +4,846 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London | 856,511,709 |
| Liverpool Docks | 599,815,832 |
| Immingham Docks | 578,460,677 |
| Dover | 396,059,704 |
| Hull | 345,713,035 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 454,368,778 | 402,142,931 | -52,225,847 |
| Liverpool Docks | 324,823,013 | 274,992,819 | -49,830,194 |
| Immingham Docks | 300,696,027 | 277,764,650 | -22,931,377 |
| Dover | 208,452,314 | 187,607,390 | -20,844,924 |
| Hull | 184,125,453 | 161,587,582 | -22,537,871 |
| Middlesbrough | 158,040,193 | 131,050,508 | -26,989,685 |
| London Gateway Port | 127,478,025 | 111,454,431 | -16,023,594 |
| Felixstowe | 91,042,042 | 65,316,373 | -25,725,669 |
| 000 | 76,444,216 | 75,384,273 | -1,059,943 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 81,480,085 | 68,716,519 | -12,763,566 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 758 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 352 |
| Manufacture of food products | 251 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 160 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 62 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 410 |
| 2025-11 | 465 |
| 2025-10 | 477 |
| 2025-09 | 422 |
| 2025-08 | 409 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| CRODA EUROPE LIMITED | 120 |
| WANIS LIMITED | 119 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 119 |
| LUSH MANUFACTURING LIMITED | 118 |
| NIRU (EUROPE) LIMITED | 118 |
| SOP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 115 |
| PRINCES GROUP PLC | 114 |
| LEHVOSS UK LIMITED | 114 |
| H MART EUROPE LIMITED | 114 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 112 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 579 |
| 0-1m | 449 |
| 54m+ | 261 |
| 15m-54m | 146 |
| Other | 85 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 290,907,362 |
| Netherlands | 288,505,694 |
| United States | 287,592,728 |
| Belgium | 157,310,978 |
| Germany | 102,442,227 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 149,083,135 | 141,824,227 | -7,258,908 |
| Netherlands | 150,086,719 | 138,418,975 | -11,667,744 |
| United States | 153,319,257 | 134,273,471 | -19,045,786 |
| Belgium | 87,661,647 | 69,649,331 | -18,012,316 |
| Germany | 49,489,228 | 52,952,999 | +3,463,771 |
| Sweden | 25,944,871 | 53,358,706 | +27,413,835 |
| Spain | 28,292,283 | 49,237,937 | +20,945,654 |
| France | 16,800,824 | 17,534,562 | +733,738 |
| Switzerland | 11,392,353 | 15,295,169 | +3,902,816 |
| Poland | 9,436,447 | 9,394,647 | -41,800 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 60,588,613 |
| Ireland | 8,443,700 |
| Netherlands | 6,822,001 |
| Italy | 1,126,567 |
| Belgium | 1,065,437 |
Export origin countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 32,333,613 | 28,255,000 | -4,078,613 |
| Ireland | 3,975,174 | 4,468,526 | +493,352 |
| Netherlands | 4,600,053 | 2,221,948 | -2,378,105 |
| Italy | 532,009 | 594,558 | +62,549 |
| Belgium | 651,242 | 414,195 | -237,047 |
| Nicaragua | 8,601 | 593,504 | +584,903 |
| France | 389,880 | 74,696 | -315,184 |
| Spain | 255,439 | 201,097 | -54,342 |
| Brazil | 0 | 95,866 | +95,866 |
| Poland | 46,933 | 36,174 | -10,759 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 870,689,566 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 532,842,274 |
| Other | 102,104,830 |
| Air transport | 11,409,239 |
| Rail transport | 77,124 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 406,584,640 | 464,104,926 | +57,520,286 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 288,035,060 | 244,807,214 | -43,227,846 |
| Other | 54,256,881 | 47,847,949 | -6,408,932 |
| Air transport | 6,284,128 | 5,125,111 | -1,159,017 |
| Rail transport | 0 | 77,124 | +77,124 |
| Road transport | 43,264 | 4,920 | -38,344 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 563,877,655 |
| Immingham Docks | 174,194,018 |
| London | 127,980,771 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 122,210,143 |
| 000 | 101,264,465 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 282,469,175 | 281,408,480 | -1,060,695 |
| Immingham Docks | 95,166,003 | 79,028,015 | -16,137,988 |
| London | 64,952,249 | 63,028,522 | -1,923,727 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 57,483,168 | 64,726,975 | +7,243,807 |
| 000 | 54,254,740 | 47,009,725 | -7,245,015 |
| Hull | 41,936,121 | 57,095,659 | +15,159,538 |
| Sunderland | 21,266,614 | 40,954,389 | +19,687,775 |
| Middlesbrough | 30,613,379 | 8,970,426 | -21,642,953 |
| Medway | 0 | 37,107,433 | +37,107,433 |
| London Gateway Port | 16,805,460 | 16,538,553 | -266,907 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 1501 – Pig Fat and Poultry Fat
- 1502 – Animal fats from cows, sheep, or goats
- 1503 – Lard oil, tallow oil, and similar fats
- 1504 – Fish and marine mammal fats and oils
- 1505 – Wool grease and lanolin
- 1506 – Animal fats and oils
- 1507 – Soybean oil and its parts
- 1508 – Groundnut oil and its fractions, refined or not, but not chemically changed
- 1509 – Olive oil and its fractions, refined or not, but not chemically changed
- 1510 – Various olive oils and blends
- 1511 – Palm oil and its fractions
- 1512 – Sunflower, safflower, or cotton-seed oil
- 1513 – Coconut, palm kernel, or babassu oil
- 1514 – Rape, colza, or mustard oil and their parts
- 1515 – Various vegetable and microbial oils and fats
- 1516 – Fats and oils from animals, plants, or microbes, processed or refined but not further prepared
- 1517 – Margarine and edible fat mixtures
- 1518 – Processed fats and oils, not for eating
- 1520 – Crude glycerol and related products
- 1521 – Natural waxes
- 1522 – Fat and wax residues
Quick facts
HS code: 15
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes fats and oils used in cooking, as well as waxes from natural sources. These are used in food, cosmetics, and industrial products