Import/export HS code 280530: Rare-earth metals
Includes metals like cerium, lanthanum, and yttrium, used in magnets, electronics, and lasers
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 | 2,572,752 |
| China | 2,155,004 |
| Germany | 533,633 |
| Austria | 450,404 |
| Netherlands | 340,662 |
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 | 447,171 | 2,125,581 | +1,678,410 |
| China | 790,224 | 1,364,780 | +574,556 |
| Germany | 27,644 | 505,989 | +478,345 |
| Austria | 253,802 | 196,602 | -57,200 |
| Netherlands | 131,483 | 209,179 | +77,696 |
| Japan | 0 | 185,848 | +185,848 |
| Thailand | 60,678 | 58,157 | -2,521 |
| Taiwan | 14,570 | 11,543 | -3,027 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 10,108 | 8,458 | -1,650 |
| France | 13,729 | 969 | -12,760 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 5,482,025 |
| United States | 460,191 |
| Japan | 185,848 |
| Thailand | 118,835 |
| Austria | 74,777 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,530,486 | 3,951,539 | +2,421,053 |
| United States | 119,586 | 340,605 | +221,019 |
| Japan | 0 | 185,848 | +185,848 |
| Thailand | 60,678 | 58,157 | -2,521 |
| Austria | 5,221 | 69,556 | +64,335 |
| Taiwan | 14,570 | 45,208 | +30,638 |
| United Kingdom | 11,703 | 10,507 | -1,196 |
| Viet Nam | 0 | 6,650 | +6,650 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 0 | 5,686 | +5,686 |
| Netherlands | 4,539 | 0 | -4,539 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 |
| Cheshire | 1 |
| Essex | 1 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 |
| Inner London - East | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 0 | 1 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 2,310,723 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,177,130 |
| Other | 1,009,131 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 927,234 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 441,571 | 1,869,152 | +1,427,581 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 800,376 | 1,376,754 | +576,378 |
| Other | 326,430 | 682,701 | +356,271 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 182,085 | 745,149 | +563,064 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 1,616,736 |
| Felixstowe | 1,580,616 |
| 000 | 1,009,131 |
| Dover | 456,946 |
| London Stansted Airport | 362,732 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 221,292 | 1,395,444 | +1,174,152 |
| Felixstowe | 528,478 | 1,052,138 | +523,660 |
| 000 | 326,430 | 682,701 | +356,271 |
| Dover | 98,538 | 358,408 | +259,870 |
| London Stansted Airport | 128,835 | 233,897 | +105,062 |
| Eurotunnel | 163,730 | 92,585 | -71,145 |
| Immingham Docks | 95,215 | 152,232 | +57,017 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 37,351 | 194,146 | +156,795 |
| Southampton | 28,323 | 159,709 | +131,386 |
| Harwich | 0 | 167,475 | +167,475 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of basic metals | 2 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 2 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 2 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 1 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-10 | 3 |
| 2025-07 | 1 |
| 2025-05 | 2 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| LESS COMMON METALS LIMITED | 25 |
| TESTBOURNE LIMITED | 21 |
| NEWMET LIMITED | 14 |
| GOODFELLOW CAMBRIDGE LIMITED | 13 |
| AVOCADO RESEARCH CHEMICALS LIMITED | 12 |
| CERES POWER HOLDINGS PLC | 6 |
| JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC | 2 |
| ICD EUROPE LTD. | 2 |
| PI-KEM LIMITED | 2 |
| BÜHLER UK LIMITED | 1 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 3 |
| 54m+ | 2 |
| 15m-54m | 1 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 949,001 |
| Australia | 252,617 |
| Germany | 232,122 |
| France | 112,999 |
| South Africa | 98,617 |
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 | 594,260 | 354,741 | -239,519 |
| Australia | 138,973 | 113,644 | -25,329 |
| Germany | 52,450 | 179,672 | +127,222 |
| France | 84,360 | 28,639 | -55,721 |
| South Africa | 53,114 | 45,503 | -7,611 |
| Japan | 23,084 | 51,873 | +28,789 |
| Israel | 5,329 | 24,299 | +18,970 |
| Czechia | 11,199 | 16,382 | +5,183 |
| Netherlands | 19,428 | 7,659 | -11,769 |
| China | 4,476 | 15,223 | +10,747 |
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 | 881,947 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 801,003 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 223,618 |
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 | 495,734 | 386,213 | -109,521 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 483,743 | 317,260 | -166,483 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 50,174 | 173,444 | +123,270 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 454,635 |
| London Stansted Airport | 385,073 |
| Southampton | 303,182 |
| East Midlands Airport | 223,489 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 198,181 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 340,342 | 114,293 | -226,049 |
| London Stansted Airport | 194,294 | 190,779 | -3,515 |
| Southampton | 100,215 | 202,967 | +102,752 |
| East Midlands Airport | 189,490 | 33,999 | -155,491 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 24,737 | 173,444 | +148,707 |
| Manchester Airport | 36,665 | 79,907 | +43,242 |
| ZLC | 43,712 | 43,792 | +80 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 31,573 | 37,736 | +6,163 |
| Felixstowe | 67,285 | 0 | -67,285 |
| Holyhead | 1,338 | 0 | -1,338 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 280530
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes metals like cerium, lanthanum, and yttrium, used in magnets, electronics, and lasers