Import/export HS code 281122: Silicon dioxide
A compound used in glass, ceramics, and as a food additive
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 36,751,821 |
| France | 16,860,439 |
| Netherlands | 16,388,182 |
| China | 14,350,029 |
| United States | 10,773,336 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 19,551,943 | 17,199,878 | -2,352,065 |
| France | 6,870,062 | 9,990,377 | +3,120,315 |
| Netherlands | 7,531,309 | 8,856,873 | +1,325,564 |
| China | 6,377,216 | 7,972,813 | +1,595,597 |
| United States | 7,896,508 | 2,876,828 | -5,019,680 |
| Belgium | 2,852,427 | 2,555,610 | -296,817 |
| Norway | 2,544,707 | 2,162,625 | -382,082 |
| Taiwan | 2,727,605 | 386,719 | -2,340,886 |
| Japan | 1,684,664 | 1,111,581 | -573,083 |
| Switzerland | 699,415 | 794,039 | +94,624 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 30,831,198 |
| France | 18,909,244 |
| China | 17,364,204 |
| Netherlands | 9,789,029 |
| United States | 9,215,867 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 15,433,120 | 15,398,078 | -35,042 |
| France | 7,750,992 | 11,158,252 | +3,407,260 |
| China | 8,250,035 | 9,114,169 | +864,134 |
| Netherlands | 4,519,278 | 5,269,751 | +750,473 |
| United States | 7,006,291 | 2,209,576 | -4,796,715 |
| Belgium | 5,273,630 | 3,719,818 | -1,553,812 |
| Norway | 3,609,279 | 3,112,977 | -496,302 |
| Japan | 2,259,485 | 1,576,905 | -682,580 |
| Taiwan | 2,812,749 | 713,714 | -2,099,035 |
| Finland | 1,882,876 | 927,858 | -955,018 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 15 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 11 |
| Inner London - West | 11 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 10 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 10 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 12 | 11 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 9 | 8 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 6 | 9 | +3 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 8 | 9 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 7 | 9 | +2 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 | 7 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 6 | 7 | +1 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 7 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 5 | 6 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 74,690,482 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 38,865,510 |
| Air transport | 5,430,995 |
| Other | 936,826 |
| Road transport | 475,092 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 37,498,402 | 37,192,080 | -306,322 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 22,183,419 | 16,682,091 | -5,501,328 |
| Air transport | 2,504,823 | 2,926,172 | +421,349 |
| Other | 580,757 | 356,069 | -224,688 |
| Road transport | 214,029 | 261,063 | +47,034 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 16,092,842 |
| Immingham Docks | 14,365,897 |
| Felixstowe | 12,573,469 |
| Eurotunnel | 11,205,211 |
| Tyne | 10,579,215 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 7,397,653 | 8,695,189 | +1,297,536 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,724,573 | 7,641,324 | +916,751 |
| Felixstowe | 7,306,681 | 5,266,788 | -2,039,893 |
| Eurotunnel | 7,348,123 | 3,857,088 | -3,491,035 |
| Tyne | 4,883,170 | 5,696,045 | +812,875 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,293,174 | 5,580,279 | +3,287,105 |
| Southampton | 2,423,456 | 2,844,004 | +420,548 |
| Hull | 3,628,170 | 1,323,676 | -2,304,494 |
| Belfast Port | 4,381,595 | 130,353 | -4,251,242 |
| Middlesbrough | 1,391,827 | 3,080,264 | +1,688,437 |
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 | 50 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 39 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 15 |
| Manufacture of food products | 15 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 14 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 57 |
| 2025-11 | 50 |
| 2025-10 | 61 |
| 2025-09 | 51 |
| 2025-08 | 59 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 119 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 115 |
| ASTON CHEMICALS LIMITED | 105 |
| TOLSA UK LIMITED | 88 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 88 |
| SAFIC-ALCAN UK LIMITED | 69 |
| ANPARIO PLC | 59 |
| VWR INTERNATIONAL LTD | 57 |
| CAMBRIDGE COMMODITIES LIMITED | 53 |
| MEGACHEM (UK) LTD. | 51 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 105 |
| 1m-15m | 39 |
| 15m-54m | 19 |
| Other | 16 |
| 0-1m | 5 |
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 | 195,960,732 |
| Belgium | 13,334,288 |
| Germany | 10,507,179 |
| Italy | 6,006,052 |
| Poland | 5,370,799 |
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 | 174,656,748 | 21,303,984 | -153,352,764 |
| Belgium | 8,565,689 | 4,768,599 | -3,797,090 |
| Germany | 5,831,595 | 4,675,584 | -1,156,011 |
| Italy | 3,329,577 | 2,676,475 | -653,102 |
| Poland | 3,957,349 | 1,413,450 | -2,543,899 |
| Saudi Arabia | 3,191,466 | 1,857,012 | -1,334,454 |
| Ireland | 2,765,905 | 2,223,704 | -542,201 |
| Sweden | 2,467,307 | 2,445,038 | -22,269 |
| China | 1,734,209 | 2,944,833 | +1,210,624 |
| Brazil | 2,900,699 | 1,243,650 | -1,657,049 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Norway | 12,334 |
| China | 1,132 |
| XI | 862 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 12,334 | 0 | -12,334 |
| China | 1,132 | 0 | -1,132 |
| XI | 0 | 862 | +862 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 234,400,431 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 54,328,409 |
| Air transport | 5,269,965 |
| Road transport | 22,600 |
| Other | 14,769 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 198,572,180 | 35,828,251 | -162,743,929 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 30,658,234 | 23,670,175 | -6,988,059 |
| Air transport | 3,007,598 | 2,262,367 | -745,231 |
| Road transport | 22,600 | 0 | -22,600 |
| Other | 13,530 | 1,239 | -12,291 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 202,476,234 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 33,685,552 |
| London Gateway Port | 18,833,470 |
| Immingham Docks | 13,001,985 |
| Felixstowe | 4,464,723 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 177,565,826 | 24,910,408 | -152,655,418 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 19,383,767 | 14,301,785 | -5,081,982 |
| London Gateway Port | 11,978,637 | 6,854,833 | -5,123,804 |
| Immingham Docks | 7,969,311 | 5,032,674 | -2,936,637 |
| Felixstowe | 2,906,171 | 1,558,552 | -1,347,619 |
| Holyhead | 2,233,523 | 1,724,851 | -508,672 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,634,507 | 1,640,308 | +5,801 |
| Newhaven | 980,241 | 1,199,061 | +218,820 |
| Hull | 1,612,075 | 537,373 | -1,074,702 |
| London | 1,131,294 | 934,755 | -196,539 |
Quick facts
HS code: 281122
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A compound used in glass, ceramics, and as a food additive