Import/export HS code 280519: Various alkali metals
Includes metals like potassium and lithium, used in batteries, glass, and pharmaceuticals
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 24,565,634 |
| France | 851,362 |
| China | 513,315 |
| Germany | 201,773 |
| Netherlands | 92,737 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 14,074,093 | 10,491,541 | -3,582,552 |
| France | 490,784 | 360,578 | -130,206 |
| China | 68,340 | 444,975 | +376,635 |
| Germany | 118,968 | 82,805 | -36,163 |
| Netherlands | 24,077 | 68,660 | +44,583 |
| Austria | 45,606 | 0 | -45,606 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 16,168 | 22,898 | +6,730 |
| Canada | 9,723 | 0 | -9,723 |
| Switzerland | 2,233 | 7,072 | +4,839 |
| Japan | 4,758 | 1,841 | -2,917 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 24,553,689 |
| France | 850,060 |
| China | 698,077 |
| Germany | 211,806 |
| Canada | 9,723 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 14,074,093 | 10,479,596 | -3,594,497 |
| France | 490,784 | 359,276 | -131,508 |
| China | 156,241 | 541,836 | +385,595 |
| Germany | 122,039 | 89,767 | -32,272 |
| Canada | 9,723 | 0 | -9,723 |
| Switzerland | 2,233 | 7,072 | +4,839 |
| Japan | 4,758 | 1,841 | -2,917 |
| Luxembourg | 0 | 5,066 | +5,066 |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 1,090 | +1,090 |
| Turkey | 0 | 992 | +992 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 2 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| South East Wales | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| West Central Scotland | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| West Yorkshire | 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) | 24,751,113 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 954,314 |
| Air transport | 639,698 |
| Road transport | 2,233 |
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) | 14,050,704 | 10,700,409 | -3,350,295 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 600,302 | 354,012 | -246,290 |
| Air transport | 206,632 | 433,066 | +226,434 |
| Road transport | 2,233 | 0 | -2,233 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 21,516,641 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,747,582 |
| Portsmouth | 563,378 |
| Felixstowe | 546,260 |
| Glasgow Airport | 192,820 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 12,220,266 | 9,296,375 | -2,923,891 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,830,438 | 917,144 | -913,294 |
| Portsmouth | 376,942 | 186,436 | -190,506 |
| Felixstowe | 87,126 | 459,134 | +372,008 |
| Glasgow Airport | 77,701 | 115,119 | +37,418 |
| Harwich | 27,715 | 94,408 | +66,693 |
| London Stansted Airport | 39,912 | 80,657 | +40,745 |
| Immingham Docks | 45,606 | 67,555 | +21,949 |
| Brize Norton | 0 | 107,799 | +107,799 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 64,096 | 31,589 | -32,507 |
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 | 3 |
| Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products | 3 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 3 |
| Manufacture of electrical equipment | 2 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 2 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 2 |
| 2025-07 | 4 |
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+ | 6 |
| 1m-15m | 4 |
| 15m-54m | 2 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 780,017 |
| Germany | 704,788 |
| France | 195,248 |
| Italy | 110,550 |
| Switzerland | 101,288 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 438,601 | 341,416 | -97,185 |
| Germany | 347,199 | 357,589 | +10,390 |
| France | 93,786 | 101,462 | +7,676 |
| Italy | 61,949 | 48,601 | -13,348 |
| Switzerland | 56,304 | 44,984 | -11,320 |
| Philippines | 43,119 | 5,353 | -37,766 |
| Belgium | 31,850 | 16,457 | -15,393 |
| India | 16,740 | 11,271 | -5,469 |
| Ireland | 1,638 | 22,967 | +21,329 |
| Spain | 15,222 | 8,829 | -6,393 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 486 |
| XU | 236 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 252 | 234 | -18 |
| XU | 194 | 42 | -152 |
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) | 1,083,162 |
| Air transport | 625,046 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 477,441 |
| Other | 722 |
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) | 538,655 | 544,507 | +5,852 |
| Air transport | 372,646 | 252,400 | -120,246 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 245,206 | 232,235 | -12,971 |
| Other | 446 | 276 | -170 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 607,327 |
| Southampton | 375,833 |
| Hull | 317,473 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 307,214 |
| London Stansted Airport | 209,918 |
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 | 458,174 | 149,153 | -309,021 |
| Southampton | 169,793 | 206,040 | +36,247 |
| Hull | 40,216 | 277,257 | +237,041 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 260,643 | 46,571 | -214,072 |
| London Stansted Airport | 72,495 | 137,423 | +64,928 |
| Immingham Docks | 22,041 | 86,637 | +64,596 |
| Manchester Airport | 12,399 | 46,867 | +34,468 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 43,119 | 9,738 | -33,381 |
| Dover | 14,108 | 26,130 | +12,022 |
| ZLC | 18,970 | 9,136 | -9,834 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 280519
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes metals like potassium and lithium, used in batteries, glass, and pharmaceuticals