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 | 22,986,670 |
| France | 799,348 |
| China | 515,571 |
| Germany | 204,853 |
| Netherlands | 86,590 |
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 | 13,402,612 | 9,584,058 | -3,818,554 |
| France | 499,820 | 299,528 | -200,292 |
| China | 67,161 | 448,410 | +381,249 |
| Germany | 103,150 | 101,703 | -1,447 |
| Netherlands | 26,179 | 60,411 | +34,232 |
| Austria | 45,606 | 0 | -45,606 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 16,168 | 25,572 | +9,404 |
| 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 | 22,974,725 |
| France | 798,046 |
| China | 696,860 |
| Germany | 214,886 |
| 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 | 13,400,562 | 9,574,163 | -3,826,399 |
| France | 499,820 | 298,226 | -201,594 |
| China | 158,222 | 538,638 | +380,416 |
| Germany | 105,131 | 109,755 | +4,624 |
| 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 | 1,090 | 0 | -1,090 |
| Turkey | 992 | 0 | -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 |
| East Central Scotland | 1 |
| Greater Manchester | 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 |
| East Central Scotland | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| 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 |
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) | 23,163,582 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 899,233 |
| Air transport | 653,195 |
| 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) | 13,366,110 | 9,797,472 | -3,568,638 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 533,482 | 365,751 | -167,731 |
| Air transport | 280,706 | 372,489 | +91,783 |
| 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 | 19,930,458 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,746,234 |
| Felixstowe | 540,113 |
| Portsmouth | 511,364 |
| 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 | 10,630,347 | 9,300,111 | -1,330,236 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,735,763 | 10,471 | -2,725,292 |
| Felixstowe | 89,228 | 450,885 | +361,657 |
| Portsmouth | 324,928 | 186,436 | -138,492 |
| Glasgow Airport | 138,751 | 54,069 | -84,682 |
| London Stansted Airport | 49,510 | 74,764 | +25,254 |
| Harwich | 27,715 | 94,408 | +66,693 |
| Immingham Docks | 45,606 | 67,555 | +21,949 |
| Brize Norton | 0 | 107,799 | +107,799 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 66,244 | 38,386 | -27,858 |
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 electrical equipment | 3 |
| Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products | 3 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 3 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 2 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 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+ | 6 |
| 1m-15m | 5 |
| 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 | 724,818 |
| Germany | 702,061 |
| France | 218,384 |
| Italy | 105,995 |
| Switzerland | 85,462 |
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 | 383,402 | 341,416 | -41,986 |
| Germany | 340,780 | 361,281 | +20,501 |
| France | 93,786 | 124,598 | +30,812 |
| Italy | 45,196 | 60,799 | +15,603 |
| Switzerland | 38,129 | 47,333 | +9,204 |
| Belgium | 36,806 | 14,000 | -22,806 |
| Philippines | 43,119 | 5,353 | -37,766 |
| Ireland | 1,625 | 30,877 | +29,252 |
| India | 16,740 | 11,271 | -5,469 |
| Australia | 4,670 | 16,036 | +11,366 |
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 | 529 |
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 | 277 | +25 |
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) | 1,094,736 |
| Air transport | 590,012 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 448,217 |
| Other | 752 |
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) | 512,840 | 581,896 | +69,056 |
| Air transport | 324,941 | 265,071 | -59,870 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 220,938 | 227,279 | +6,341 |
| Other | 433 | 319 | -114 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 595,968 |
| Southampton | 352,913 |
| Hull | 330,040 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 277,472 |
| London Stansted Airport | 205,843 |
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 | 422,141 | 173,827 | -248,314 |
| Southampton | 146,873 | 206,040 | +59,167 |
| Hull | 50,434 | 279,606 | +229,172 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 230,901 | 46,571 | -184,330 |
| London Stansted Airport | 54,237 | 151,606 | +97,369 |
| Immingham Docks | 26,997 | 84,180 | +57,183 |
| Manchester Airport | 12,399 | 46,867 | +34,468 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 43,119 | 9,738 | -33,381 |
| Dover | 14,108 | 26,130 | +12,022 |
| ZLC | 19,265 | 7,624 | -11,641 |
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