Import/export HS code 280511: Sodium
A reactive metal used in chemical production, streetlights, and as a coolant in nuclear reactors
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 1,827,588 |
| Ireland | 1,274,130 |
| India | 163,128 |
| Hungary | 31,504 |
| Italy | 19,280 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 1,039,306 | 788,282 | -251,024 |
| Ireland | 676,470 | 597,660 | -78,810 |
| India | 66,164 | 96,964 | +30,800 |
| Hungary | 21,858 | 9,646 | -12,212 |
| Italy | 11,520 | 7,760 | -3,760 |
| Canada | 3,974 | 4,837 | +863 |
| Belgium | 7,886 | 0 | -7,886 |
| United States | 6,007 | 0 | -6,007 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 1,835,474 |
| India | 163,128 |
| Hungary | 31,504 |
| China | 15,494 |
| Italy | 7,760 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 1,047,192 | 788,282 | -258,910 |
| India | 66,164 | 96,964 | +30,800 |
| Hungary | 21,858 | 9,646 | -12,212 |
| China | 15,494 | 0 | -15,494 |
| Italy | 0 | 7,760 | +7,760 |
| United States | 6,007 | 0 | -6,007 |
| Canada | 0 | 4,837 | +4,837 |
| Ireland | 0 | 1,017 | +1,017 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Cheshire | 1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 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) | 1,607,306 |
| Other | 1,273,113 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 277,727 |
| Air transport | 180,188 |
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) | 886,115 | 721,191 | -164,924 |
| Other | 676,470 | 596,643 | -79,827 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 193,230 | 84,497 | -108,733 |
| Air transport | 77,370 | 102,818 | +25,448 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Hull | 1,603,098 |
| 000 | 1,273,113 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 174,344 |
| Middlesbrough | 153,352 |
| London | 66,461 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 881,907 | 721,191 | -160,716 |
| 000 | 676,470 | 596,643 | -79,827 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 72,543 | 101,801 | +29,258 |
| Middlesbrough | 153,352 | 0 | -153,352 |
| London | 10,708 | 55,753 | +45,045 |
| Harwich | 33,378 | 14,089 | -19,289 |
| Immingham Docks | 0 | 7,760 | +7,760 |
| Dover | 0 | 6,895 | +6,895 |
| London Stansted Airport | 4,827 | 0 | -4,827 |
| East Midlands Airport | 0 | 1,017 | +1,017 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 2 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 1 |
| Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products | 1 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 1 |
| Other professional, scientific and technical activities | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-06 | 1 |
| 2024-06 | 3 |
| 2024-03 | 2 |
| 2024-01 | 2 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 3 |
| 15m-54m | 1 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 184,154 |
| South Africa | 149,318 |
| Sri Lanka | 54,483 |
| France | 34,629 |
| Ireland | 17,135 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 80,856 | 103,298 | +22,442 |
| South Africa | 70,574 | 78,744 | +8,170 |
| Sri Lanka | 24,742 | 29,741 | +4,999 |
| France | 18,300 | 16,329 | -1,971 |
| Ireland | 6,985 | 10,150 | +3,165 |
| Australia | 9,950 | 0 | -9,950 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 7,159 | +7,159 |
| Poland | 3,227 | 1,398 | -1,829 |
| United States | 0 | 3,198 | +3,198 |
| Germany | 1,615 | 1,119 | -496 |
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 | 6,817 |
| Ireland | 4,152 |
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 | 3,446 | 3,371 | -75 |
| Ireland | 0 | 4,152 | +4,152 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 216,517 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 203,801 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 40,796 |
| Other | 10,969 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 96,661 | 119,856 | +23,195 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 95,316 | 108,485 | +13,169 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 24,467 | 16,329 | -8,138 |
| Other | 3,446 | 7,523 | +4,077 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 184,154 |
| London Gateway Port | 160,175 |
| Felixstowe | 43,626 |
| Immingham Docks | 16,583 |
| London | 16,329 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 80,856 | 103,298 | +22,442 |
| London Gateway Port | 70,574 | 89,601 | +19,027 |
| Felixstowe | 24,742 | 18,884 | -5,858 |
| Immingham Docks | 16,583 | 0 | -16,583 |
| London | 0 | 16,329 | +16,329 |
| ZLC | 9,950 | 4,255 | -5,695 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,240 | 8,557 | +4,317 |
| 000 | 3,446 | 7,523 | +4,077 |
| Holyhead | 3,539 | 0 | -3,539 |
| Dover | 2,747 | 0 | -2,747 |
Quick facts
HS code: 280511
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A reactive metal used in chemical production, streetlights, and as a coolant in nuclear reactors