Import/export HS code 28: Inorganic Chemicals
Chemicals made from non-living materials, including compounds of precious metals, rare-earth metals, radioactive elements, or isotopes
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 557,898,701 |
| Netherlands | 397,962,331 |
| United States | 375,401,274 |
| China | 336,169,815 |
| Belgium | 322,693,985 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 286,196,422 | 271,702,279 | -14,494,143 |
| Netherlands | 189,863,196 | 208,099,135 | +18,235,939 |
| United States | 193,483,911 | 181,917,363 | -11,566,548 |
| China | 170,148,527 | 166,021,288 | -4,127,239 |
| Belgium | 180,161,087 | 142,532,898 | -37,628,189 |
| France | 148,426,777 | 131,329,426 | -17,097,351 |
| Ireland | 69,061,991 | 71,499,611 | +2,437,620 |
| Spain | 62,018,659 | 46,531,861 | -15,486,798 |
| Israel | 61,646,872 | 42,639,512 | -19,007,360 |
| Turkey | 58,367,381 | 45,888,617 | -12,478,764 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 504,214,161 |
| United States | 429,021,027 |
| China | 395,366,571 |
| Belgium | 211,871,660 |
| France | 188,979,549 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 256,078,860 | 248,135,301 | -7,943,559 |
| United States | 223,381,712 | 205,639,315 | -17,742,397 |
| China | 202,041,286 | 193,325,285 | -8,716,001 |
| Belgium | 109,355,331 | 102,516,329 | -6,839,002 |
| France | 96,159,125 | 92,820,424 | -3,338,701 |
| Netherlands | 89,388,127 | 80,004,817 | -9,383,310 |
| Turkey | 72,651,686 | 71,138,907 | -1,512,779 |
| Algeria | 74,975,004 | 52,211,360 | -22,763,644 |
| Spain | 63,375,930 | 45,894,856 | -17,481,074 |
| Israel | 64,191,853 | 44,791,673 | -19,400,180 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 87 |
| Greater Manchester | 85 |
| Inner London - West | 78 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 69 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 61 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 68 | 73 | +5 |
| Greater Manchester | 72 | 64 | -8 |
| Inner London - West | 62 | 56 | -6 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 59 | 51 | -8 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 51 | 47 | -4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 47 | 48 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 46 | 48 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 35 | 39 | +4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 38 | 40 | +2 |
| West Yorkshire | 37 | 44 | +7 |
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) | 2,034,772,770 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,147,141,996 |
| Air transport | 343,218,598 |
| Other | 229,680,464 |
| Road transport | 18,235,096 |
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) | 1,099,604,746 | 935,168,024 | -164,436,722 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 562,486,070 | 584,655,926 | +22,169,856 |
| Air transport | 171,000,800 | 172,217,798 | +1,216,998 |
| Other | 135,372,533 | 94,307,931 | -41,064,602 |
| Road transport | 14,642,582 | 3,592,514 | -11,050,068 |
| Rail transport | 53,308 | 42,891 | -10,417 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 490,844,873 |
| Middlesbrough | 353,842,158 |
| Southampton | 297,286,485 |
| Felixstowe | 296,407,712 |
| Dover | 255,875,671 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 230,365,419 | 260,479,454 | +30,114,035 |
| Middlesbrough | 198,015,965 | 155,826,193 | -42,189,772 |
| Southampton | 159,278,072 | 138,008,413 | -21,269,659 |
| Felixstowe | 159,910,516 | 136,497,196 | -23,413,320 |
| Dover | 111,571,558 | 144,304,113 | +32,732,555 |
| London | 144,810,791 | 102,545,479 | -42,265,312 |
| 000 | 135,335,707 | 93,972,911 | -41,362,796 |
| Liverpool Docks | 118,657,810 | 108,907,037 | -9,750,773 |
| Eurotunnel | 95,878,143 | 73,548,131 | -22,330,012 |
| London Gateway Port | 76,160,695 | 70,723,181 | -5,437,514 |
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 | 409 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 243 |
| Manufacture of food products | 103 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 99 |
| Other manufacturing | 96 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 457 |
| 2025-11 | 443 |
| 2025-10 | 465 |
| 2025-09 | 456 |
| 2025-08 | 454 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC | 120 |
| COLORCON LIMITED | 120 |
| BIACHEM LIMITED | 120 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 120 |
| AVOCADO RESEARCH CHEMICALS LIMITED | 120 |
| YARA UK LIMITED | 120 |
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 120 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 119 |
| 151 PRODUCTS LIMITED | 119 |
| IMCD UK LIMITED | 119 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 601 |
| 1m-15m | 474 |
| 15m-54m | 166 |
| Other | 109 |
| 0-1m | 96 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 811,903,599 |
| United States | 383,634,407 |
| Germany | 370,341,690 |
| France | 352,550,037 |
| North Macedonia | 298,560,663 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 413,214,781 | 398,688,818 | -14,525,963 |
| United States | 250,207,690 | 133,426,717 | -116,780,973 |
| Germany | 175,168,346 | 195,173,344 | +20,004,998 |
| France | 177,605,472 | 174,944,565 | -2,660,907 |
| North Macedonia | 143,135,711 | 155,424,952 | +12,289,241 |
| Ireland | 86,132,522 | 80,978,403 | -5,154,119 |
| Netherlands | 65,013,930 | 54,011,797 | -11,002,133 |
| Switzerland | 45,516,725 | 28,923,268 | -16,593,457 |
| China | 50,750,644 | 18,785,562 | -31,965,082 |
| Poland | 23,918,608 | 39,172,526 | +15,253,918 |
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 | 9,092,684 |
| Morocco | 5,462,126 |
| France | 1,669,764 |
| Finland | 919,019 |
| Brazil | 646,995 |
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 | 4,539,760 | 4,552,924 | +13,164 |
| Morocco | 2,521,950 | 2,940,176 | +418,226 |
| France | 1,306,219 | 363,545 | -942,674 |
| Finland | 205,383 | 713,636 | +508,253 |
| Brazil | 172,563 | 474,432 | +301,869 |
| Mexico | 279,783 | 353,064 | +73,281 |
| Netherlands | 302,571 | 261,367 | -41,204 |
| Sweden | 381,405 | 32,471 | -348,934 |
| China | 217,292 | 155,113 | -62,179 |
| Belgium | 218,730 | 128,543 | -90,187 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,064,697,052 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 630,651,914 |
| Air transport | 576,383,279 |
| Other | 31,358,804 |
| Road transport | 452,564 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,020,199,281 | 1,044,497,771 | +24,298,490 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 460,744,287 | 169,907,627 | -290,836,660 |
| Air transport | 279,473,321 | 296,909,958 | +17,436,637 |
| Other | 17,792,683 | 13,566,121 | -4,226,562 |
| Road transport | 439,131 | 13,433 | -425,698 |
| Rail transport | 0 | 2,394 | +2,394 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,450,523,233 |
| Southampton | 316,287,316 |
| Birmingham Airport | 289,338,517 |
| Hull | 258,898,999 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 210,587,677 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 645,850,792 | 804,672,441 | +158,821,649 |
| Southampton | 236,108,077 | 80,179,239 | -155,928,838 |
| Birmingham Airport | 139,628,989 | 149,709,528 | +10,080,539 |
| Hull | 253,024,306 | 5,874,693 | -247,149,613 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 102,663,590 | 107,924,087 | +5,260,497 |
| Immingham Docks | 69,980,016 | 82,397,954 | +12,417,938 |
| Liverpool Docks | 67,341,268 | 51,581,132 | -15,760,136 |
| London Gateway Port | 63,358,960 | 42,416,967 | -20,941,993 |
| Dover | 43,462,045 | 51,098,254 | +7,636,209 |
| Felixstowe | 26,730,686 | 17,403,451 | -9,327,235 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 2801 – Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine
- 2802 – Sulphur, refined or powdered
- 2803 – Carbon in various forms
- 2804 – Hydrogen, rare gases, and other non-metals
- 2805 – Alkali and rare-earth metals
- 2806 – Hydrogen chloride and chlorosulphuric acid
- 2807 – Sulphuric acid and oleum
- 2808 – Nitric acid and mixed acids
- 2809 – Phosphorus compounds for industry
- 2810 – Boron oxides and boric acids
- 2811 – Inorganic acids and oxygen compounds
- 2812 – Non-metal halides and halide oxides
- 2813 – Non-metal sulphides
- 2814 – Ammonia, in gas or liquid form
- 2815 – Strong cleaning chemicals
- 2816 – Hydroxide and peroxide of magnesium
- 2817 – Zinc oxide and zinc peroxide
- 2818 – Artificial corundum and aluminium compounds
- 2819 – Chromium oxides and hydroxides
- 2820 – Manganese oxides
- 2821 – Iron oxides and earth colours
- 2822 – Cobalt oxides and hydroxides
- 2823 – Titanium oxides
- 2824 – Lead oxides
- 2825 – Hydrazine, hydroxylamine, and inorganic bases
- 2826 – Fluorides and fluorine salts
- 2827 – Chlorides, bromides, and iodides
- 2828 – Hypochlorites and related chemicals
- 2829 – Chlorates, perchlorates, bromates, and iodates
- 2830 – Sulphides and polysulphides
- 2831 – Dithionites and sulphoxylates
- 2832 – Sulphites and thiosulphates
- 2833 – Sulphates, alums, and peroxosulphates
- 2834 – Nitrites and nitrates
- 2835 – Phosphinates, phosphonates, phosphates, and polyphosphates
- 2836 – Carbonates and related chemicals
- 2837 – Cyanides and related compounds
- 2839 – Silicates
- 2840 – Borates and peroxoborates
- 2841 – Salts of oxometallic or peroxometallic acids
- 2842 – Various salts of inorganic acids or peroxoacids
- 2843 – Colloidal precious metals and their compounds
- 2844 – Radioactive elements and isotopes
- 2845 – Isotopes and their compounds
- 2846 – Rare-earth metal compounds
- 2847 – Hydrogen peroxide, solid or liquid
- 2849 – Carbides, chemically defined or not
- 2850 – Chemical compounds like hydrides, nitrides, azides, silicides, and borides
- 2852 – Mercury compounds, inorganic or organic
- 2853 – Chemical compounds like phosphides and other inorganic substances
Quick facts
HS code: 28
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Chemicals made from non-living materials, including compounds of precious metals, rare-earth metals, radioactive elements, or isotopes