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 | 556,722,957 |
| Netherlands | 391,192,855 |
| United States | 376,280,320 |
| China | 329,613,634 |
| Belgium | 326,988,017 |
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 | 286,118,762 | 270,604,195 | -15,514,567 |
| Netherlands | 191,610,559 | 199,582,296 | +7,971,737 |
| United States | 180,710,848 | 195,569,472 | +14,858,624 |
| China | 169,089,038 | 160,524,596 | -8,564,442 |
| Belgium | 182,417,949 | 144,570,068 | -37,847,881 |
| France | 152,021,709 | 127,960,380 | -24,061,329 |
| Ireland | 66,169,968 | 69,106,998 | +2,937,030 |
| Spain | 61,769,112 | 47,569,189 | -14,199,923 |
| Turkey | 53,416,153 | 50,884,099 | -2,532,054 |
| Israel | 62,015,618 | 41,903,487 | -20,112,131 |
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 | 505,744,298 |
| United States | 428,079,422 |
| China | 386,819,522 |
| Belgium | 213,384,381 |
| France | 187,487,591 |
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 | 257,926,752 | 247,817,546 | -10,109,206 |
| United States | 209,995,411 | 218,084,011 | +8,088,600 |
| China | 200,722,868 | 186,096,654 | -14,626,214 |
| Belgium | 108,642,901 | 104,741,480 | -3,901,421 |
| France | 99,432,172 | 88,055,419 | -11,376,753 |
| Netherlands | 88,069,243 | 81,865,843 | -6,203,400 |
| Turkey | 68,720,790 | 73,333,214 | +4,612,424 |
| Algeria | 90,423,065 | 46,498,986 | -43,924,079 |
| Spain | 63,048,435 | 46,627,426 | -16,421,009 |
| Israel | 64,320,600 | 44,218,776 | -20,101,824 |
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 | 85 |
| Greater Manchester | 83 |
| Inner London - West | 77 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 73 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 60 |
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 | 67 | 72 | +5 |
| Greater Manchester | 69 | 66 | -3 |
| Inner London - West | 61 | 56 | -5 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 61 | 56 | -5 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 49 | 46 | -3 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 51 | 48 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 46 | 49 | +3 |
| West Midlands | 35 | 40 | +5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 40 | 39 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 38 | 42 | +4 |
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) | 2,039,476,200 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,142,598,499 |
| Air transport | 335,167,555 |
| Other | 234,499,555 |
| Road transport | 20,412,559 |
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) | 1,085,944,156 | 953,532,044 | -132,412,112 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 569,626,085 | 572,972,414 | +3,346,329 |
| Air transport | 166,522,055 | 168,645,500 | +2,123,445 |
| Other | 133,321,708 | 101,177,847 | -32,143,861 |
| Road transport | 16,769,484 | 3,643,075 | -13,126,409 |
| Rail transport | 54,528 | 42,891 | -11,637 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 479,620,670 |
| Middlesbrough | 365,620,859 |
| Southampton | 298,596,870 |
| Felixstowe | 298,003,730 |
| London | 253,655,721 |
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 | 232,837,295 | 246,783,375 | +13,946,080 |
| Middlesbrough | 196,596,873 | 169,023,986 | -27,572,887 |
| Southampton | 166,633,685 | 131,963,185 | -34,670,500 |
| Felixstowe | 158,467,059 | 139,536,671 | -18,930,388 |
| London | 150,129,503 | 103,526,218 | -46,603,285 |
| Dover | 112,453,553 | 140,022,912 | +27,569,359 |
| 000 | 133,279,499 | 101,173,211 | -32,106,288 |
| Liverpool Docks | 111,120,185 | 116,800,039 | +5,679,854 |
| Eurotunnel | 95,508,765 | 75,216,489 | -20,292,276 |
| London Gateway Port | 72,815,781 | 73,327,512 | +511,731 |
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 | 411 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 246 |
| Manufacture of food products | 100 |
| Other manufacturing | 98 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 97 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 443 |
| 2025-10 | 465 |
| 2025-09 | 456 |
| 2025-08 | 454 |
| 2025-07 | 461 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC | 119 |
| COLORCON LIMITED | 119 |
| BIACHEM LIMITED | 119 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 119 |
| AVOCADO RESEARCH CHEMICALS LIMITED | 119 |
| YARA UK LIMITED | 119 |
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 119 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 118 |
| 151 PRODUCTS LIMITED | 118 |
| IMCD UK LIMITED | 118 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 606 |
| 1m-15m | 467 |
| 15m-54m | 167 |
| Other | 112 |
| 0-1m | 95 |
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 | 812,459,830 |
| United States | 381,351,111 |
| France | 351,570,401 |
| Germany | 338,485,908 |
| North Macedonia | 288,179,764 |
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 | 373,701,179 | 438,758,651 | +65,057,472 |
| United States | 252,192,113 | 129,158,998 | -123,033,115 |
| France | 171,683,402 | 179,886,999 | +8,203,597 |
| Germany | 174,825,408 | 163,660,500 | -11,164,908 |
| North Macedonia | 141,338,439 | 146,841,325 | +5,502,886 |
| Ireland | 89,339,850 | 79,714,397 | -9,625,453 |
| Netherlands | 67,101,838 | 53,114,604 | -13,987,234 |
| Switzerland | 33,169,191 | 39,162,147 | +5,992,956 |
| China | 53,023,977 | 18,778,071 | -34,245,906 |
| Italy | 32,581,601 | 27,606,529 | -4,975,072 |
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 | 9,275,350 |
| Morocco | 5,467,890 |
| XU | 4,154,212 |
| France | 1,857,918 |
| Finland | 848,347 |
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 | 4,604,945 | 4,670,405 | +65,460 |
| Morocco | 2,217,727 | 3,250,163 | +1,032,436 |
| XU | 2,296,711 | 1,857,501 | -439,210 |
| France | 1,489,851 | 368,067 | -1,121,784 |
| Finland | 147,789 | 700,558 | +552,769 |
| Mexico | 301,947 | 304,733 | +2,786 |
| Netherlands | 307,372 | 267,102 | -40,270 |
| Brazil | 112,559 | 399,616 | +287,057 |
| Sweden | 411,216 | 39,256 | -371,960 |
| China | 211,520 | 171,771 | -39,749 |
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) | 2,012,325,228 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 648,555,610 |
| Air transport | 566,845,408 |
| Other | 31,575,933 |
| Road transport | 514,232 |
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) | 955,602,076 | 1,056,723,152 | +101,121,076 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 471,537,231 | 177,018,379 | -294,518,852 |
| Air transport | 284,998,173 | 281,847,235 | -3,150,938 |
| Other | 17,751,180 | 13,824,753 | -3,926,427 |
| Road transport | 507,000 | 7,232 | -499,768 |
| 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 | 1,424,134,493 |
| Southampton | 318,385,537 |
| Birmingham Airport | 278,929,236 |
| Hull | 264,509,619 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 210,299,525 |
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 | 591,854,531 | 832,279,962 | +240,425,431 |
| Southampton | 240,082,948 | 78,302,589 | -161,780,359 |
| Birmingham Airport | 137,878,656 | 141,050,580 | +3,171,924 |
| Hull | 248,554,725 | 15,954,894 | -232,599,831 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 109,591,748 | 100,707,777 | -8,883,971 |
| Immingham Docks | 67,392,816 | 77,803,851 | +10,411,035 |
| Liverpool Docks | 65,682,883 | 54,030,144 | -11,652,739 |
| London Gateway Port | 60,961,842 | 44,749,868 | -16,211,974 |
| Dover | 44,559,985 | 37,823,214 | -6,736,771 |
| Felixstowe | 28,507,443 | 17,717,121 | -10,790,322 |
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