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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 2,327,871 |
| United States | 2,304,386 |
| Netherlands | 464,389 |
| Austria | 449,360 |
| Germany | 346,402 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 953,969 | 1,373,902 | +419,933 |
| United States | 249,482 | 2,054,904 | +1,805,422 |
| Netherlands | 244,672 | 219,717 | -24,955 |
| Austria | 253,802 | 195,558 | -58,244 |
| Germany | 28,523 | 317,879 | +289,356 |
| Japan | 0 | 185,848 | +185,848 |
| Thailand | 60,678 | 58,157 | -2,521 |
| Taiwan | 11,894 | 14,219 | +2,325 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 14,071 | 8,458 | -5,613 |
| 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 | 5,495,183 |
| United States | 288,473 |
| Japan | 185,848 |
| Thailand | 118,835 |
| Austria | 73,733 |
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 | 1,630,975 | 3,864,208 | +2,233,233 |
| United States | 101,338 | 187,135 | +85,797 |
| Japan | 0 | 185,848 | +185,848 |
| Thailand | 60,678 | 58,157 | -2,521 |
| Austria | 5,221 | 68,512 | +63,291 |
| Taiwan | 11,894 | 47,884 | +35,990 |
| United Kingdom | 11,703 | 10,507 | -1,196 |
| Netherlands | 6,916 | 0 | -6,916 |
| Viet Nam | 0 | 6,650 | +6,650 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 0 | 5,686 | +5,686 |
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 | 1 | +0 |
| 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 | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 2,439,470 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,079,652 |
| Other | 1,009,131 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 739,881 |
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 | 557,531 | 1,881,939 | +1,324,408 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 944,282 | 1,135,370 | +191,088 |
| Other | 146,922 | 862,209 | +715,287 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 182,085 | 557,796 | +375,711 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 1,748,603 |
| Felixstowe | 1,614,763 |
| 000 | 1,009,131 |
| Dover | 422,869 |
| London Stansted Airport | 359,036 |
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 | 342,496 | 1,406,107 | +1,063,611 |
| Felixstowe | 562,625 | 1,052,138 | +489,513 |
| 000 | 146,922 | 862,209 | +715,287 |
| Dover | 98,538 | 324,331 | +225,793 |
| London Stansted Airport | 124,876 | 234,160 | +109,284 |
| Eurotunnel | 163,730 | 91,541 | -72,189 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 33,689 | 197,808 | +164,119 |
| Immingham Docks | 213,838 | 2,727 | -211,111 |
| Harwich | 0 | 167,475 | +167,475 |
| Birmingham Airport | 31,032 | 18,438 | -12,594 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-10 | 3 |
| 2025-07 | 1 |
| 2025-05 | 2 |
| 2025-03 | 4 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| LESS COMMON METALS LIMITED | 24 |
| TESTBOURNE LIMITED | 20 |
| NEWMET LIMITED | 13 |
| 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 | 940,777 |
| Germany | 228,873 |
| Australia | 200,090 |
| France | 114,235 |
| 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 | 589,413 | 351,364 | -238,049 |
| Germany | 51,317 | 177,556 | +126,239 |
| Australia | 168,973 | 31,117 | -137,856 |
| France | 70,362 | 43,873 | -26,489 |
| South Africa | 27,829 | 70,788 | +42,959 |
| Japan | 23,084 | 45,516 | +22,432 |
| Israel | 5,329 | 24,299 | +18,970 |
| Netherlands | 20,884 | 7,659 | -13,225 |
| Czechia | 11,199 | 16,382 | +5,183 |
| China | 2,793 | 16,906 | +14,113 |
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 | 858,628 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 753,356 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 223,061 |
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 | 434,446 | 424,182 | -10,264 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 527,815 | 225,541 | -302,274 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 47,580 | 175,481 | +127,901 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 459,515 |
| London Stansted Airport | 369,597 |
| East Midlands Airport | 225,523 |
| Southampton | 220,655 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 197,624 |
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 | 354,097 | 105,418 | -248,679 |
| London Stansted Airport | 142,490 | 227,107 | +84,617 |
| East Midlands Airport | 190,391 | 35,132 | -155,259 |
| Southampton | 95,246 | 125,409 | +30,163 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 27,429 | 170,195 | +142,766 |
| Manchester Airport | 31,361 | 81,691 | +50,330 |
| Felixstowe | 97,285 | 0 | -97,285 |
| ZLC | 40,314 | 45,334 | +5,020 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 29,890 | 34,918 | +5,028 |
| 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