Import/export HS code 2620: Waste materials with metals or harmful chemicals
Waste like slag, ash, and residues that contain metals, arsenic, or their compounds, but not from iron or steel production
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Canada | 34,169,718 |
| Norway | 26,037,777 |
| North Macedonia | 18,467,448 |
| Sweden | 6,569,457 |
| United States | 5,540,858 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 26,643,120 | 7,526,598 | -19,116,522 |
| Norway | 17,450,700 | 8,587,077 | -8,863,623 |
| North Macedonia | 7,379,861 | 11,087,587 | +3,707,726 |
| Sweden | 2,602,870 | 3,966,587 | +1,363,717 |
| United States | 3,785,757 | 1,755,101 | -2,030,656 |
| South Africa | 3,448,369 | 516,297 | -2,932,072 |
| Belgium | 2,083,814 | 1,443,009 | -640,805 |
| France | 2,296,942 | 1,142,841 | -1,154,101 |
| Greece | 2,991,611 | 0 | -2,991,611 |
| Ireland | 1,267,181 | 1,308,080 | +40,899 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Canada | 34,169,718 |
| Norway | 26,037,777 |
| North Macedonia | 19,907,765 |
| Finland | 8,841,843 |
| United States | 6,307,544 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 26,643,120 | 7,526,598 | -19,116,522 |
| Norway | 17,450,700 | 8,587,077 | -8,863,623 |
| North Macedonia | 8,820,178 | 11,087,587 | +2,267,409 |
| Finland | 4,875,256 | 3,966,587 | -908,669 |
| United States | 4,215,688 | 2,091,856 | -2,123,832 |
| South Africa | 3,448,369 | 557,788 | -2,890,581 |
| France | 2,516,522 | 1,434,461 | -1,082,061 |
| Belgium | 1,568,125 | 1,151,389 | -416,736 |
| Ireland | 1,170,441 | 1,294,773 | +124,332 |
| Spain | 1,656,224 | 636,128 | -1,020,096 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 |
| Inner London - East | 1 |
| Inner London - West | 1 |
| Mid and South West Wales | 1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Mid and South West Wales | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Suffolk | 1 | 0 | -1 |
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) | 98,210,680 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 17,556,725 |
| Other | 110,047 |
| Air transport | 35,460 |
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) | 65,286,612 | 32,924,068 | -32,362,544 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 10,819,810 | 6,736,915 | -4,082,895 |
| Other | 96,740 | 13,307 | -83,433 |
| Air transport | 32,078 | 3,382 | -28,696 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Hartlepool | 42,031,768 |
| London Gateway Port | 22,575,701 |
| Middlesbrough | 19,303,945 |
| Dover | 7,404,131 |
| Liverpool Docks | 7,083,060 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartlepool | 42,031,768 | 0 | -42,031,768 |
| London Gateway Port | 13,104,777 | 9,470,924 | -3,633,853 |
| Middlesbrough | 2,729,735 | 16,574,210 | +13,844,475 |
| Dover | 3,736,902 | 3,667,229 | -69,673 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,537,940 | 2,545,120 | -1,992,820 |
| Felixstowe | 3,275,373 | 2,392,695 | -882,678 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,235,206 | 1,745,764 | -489,442 |
| Harwich | 1,306,581 | 1,215,151 | -91,430 |
| Portsmouth | 1,656,207 | 572,085 | -1,084,122 |
| London | 356,333 | 637,828 | +281,495 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products | 3 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 2 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 2 |
| Other manufacturing | 2 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 3 |
| 2025-08 | 3 |
| 2025-06 | 2 |
| 2025-05 | 3 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC | 47 |
| JBM INTERNATIONAL LTD | 32 |
| LKAB MINERALS LIMITED | 19 |
| LKAB HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED | 14 |
| SWAN ALLOY UK LTD. | 7 |
| WESTBROOK RESOURCES LIMITED | 6 |
| MINTEQ UK LIMITED | 4 |
| ICD EUROPE LTD. | 2 |
| ELG UTICA ALLOYS LIMITED | 2 |
| G.E. BAKER (U.K.) LIMITED | 1 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 15m-54m | 2 |
| 54m+ | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
| 1m-15m | 1 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Canada | 96,700,830 |
| Netherlands | 37,725,112 |
| Belgium | 14,487,924 |
| Germany | 8,237,265 |
| India | 3,864,344 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 59,436,073 | 37,264,757 | -22,171,316 |
| Netherlands | 24,371,220 | 13,353,892 | -11,017,328 |
| Belgium | 7,334,467 | 7,153,457 | -181,010 |
| Germany | 2,182,200 | 6,055,065 | +3,872,865 |
| India | 1,700,740 | 2,163,604 | +462,864 |
| Italy | 1,137,915 | 2,229,198 | +1,091,283 |
| Denmark | 1,442,264 | 1,507,891 | +65,627 |
| Poland | 1,194,760 | 1,739,293 | +544,533 |
| Norway | 1,215,914 | 1,289,839 | +73,925 |
| United States | 2,484,573 | 2,947 | -2,481,626 |
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 | 830,906 |
| Ireland | 13,388 |
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 | 377,378 | 453,528 | +76,150 |
| Ireland | 925 | 12,463 | +11,538 |
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) | 106,462,519 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 73,037,537 |
| Other | 844,294 |
| Air transport | 36,579 |
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) | 68,674,951 | 37,787,568 | -30,887,383 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 35,112,439 | 37,925,098 | +2,812,659 |
| Other | 378,303 | 465,991 | +87,688 |
| Air transport | 27,268 | 9,311 | -17,957 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 82,207,447 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 37,304,349 |
| Immingham Docks | 21,030,745 |
| Southampton | 17,956,378 |
| Felixstowe | 7,358,807 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 47,645,438 | 34,562,009 | -13,083,429 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 19,768,761 | 17,535,588 | -2,233,173 |
| Immingham Docks | 9,477,733 | 11,553,012 | +2,075,279 |
| Southampton | 14,660,590 | 3,295,788 | -11,364,802 |
| Felixstowe | 5,453,600 | 1,905,207 | -3,548,393 |
| London | 1,167,098 | 2,340,866 | +1,173,768 |
| Dover | 1,642,361 | 854,239 | -788,122 |
| Swansea | 1,166,881 | 1,080,441 | -86,440 |
| London Gateway Port | 729,085 | 1,131,994 | +402,909 |
| Eurotunnel | 762,732 | 350,975 | -411,757 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 262011 – Hard zinc waste
- 262019 – Various metal-containing waste
- 262021 – Leaded gasoline waste
- 262029 – Various lead-containing waste
- 262030 – Copper-rich waste
- 262040 – Aluminium-rich waste
- 262060 – Waste with arsenic or mercury
- 262091 – Waste with harmful metals
- 262099 – Various metal-containing waste
Quick facts
HS code: 2620
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Waste like slag, ash, and residues that contain metals, arsenic, or their compounds, but not from iron or steel production