Import/export HS code 283640: Potassium carbonates
Used in making soap, glass, and fertilizers. Also found in some food products
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 | 6,559,039 |
| France | 5,415,009 |
| China | 2,917,537 |
| South Korea | 2,745,071 |
| Ireland | 1,387,034 |
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 | 3,796,567 | 2,762,472 | -1,034,095 |
| France | 2,129,826 | 3,285,183 | +1,155,357 |
| China | 1,576,772 | 1,340,765 | -236,007 |
| South Korea | 1,446,317 | 1,298,754 | -147,563 |
| Ireland | 688,131 | 698,903 | +10,772 |
| United States | 283,184 | 369,056 | +85,872 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 560,543 | 32,402 | -528,141 |
| Belgium | 278,744 | 280,172 | +1,428 |
| Italy | 294,868 | 122,203 | -172,665 |
| Netherlands | 139,623 | 101,564 | -38,059 |
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 | 5,987,472 |
| France | 5,142,738 |
| China | 4,328,245 |
| South Korea | 2,855,318 |
| Ireland | 1,250,550 |
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 | 3,639,243 | 2,348,229 | -1,291,014 |
| France | 1,944,199 | 3,198,539 | +1,254,340 |
| China | 2,446,898 | 1,881,347 | -565,551 |
| South Korea | 1,480,258 | 1,375,060 | -105,198 |
| Ireland | 625,901 | 624,649 | -1,252 |
| Italy | 594,211 | 326,589 | -267,622 |
| United States | 375,326 | 364,122 | -11,204 |
| Switzerland | 6,782 | 169,336 | +162,554 |
| Belgium | 2,925 | 160,865 | +157,940 |
| Norway | 30,605 | 0 | -30,605 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 5 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| North Yorkshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 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) | 13,406,571 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 8,192,756 |
| Other | 38,632 |
| Air transport | 36,273 |
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) | 7,143,894 | 6,262,677 | -881,217 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,015,435 | 4,177,321 | +161,886 |
| Other | 25,008 | 13,624 | -11,384 |
| Air transport | 18,118 | 18,155 | +37 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 6,851,357 |
| Felixstowe | 4,746,628 |
| Southampton | 2,369,319 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,498,694 |
| Holyhead | 1,254,320 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 2,251,077 | 4,600,280 | +2,349,203 |
| Felixstowe | 2,783,633 | 1,962,995 | -820,638 |
| Southampton | 1,218,905 | 1,150,414 | -68,491 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,498,694 | 0 | -1,498,694 |
| Holyhead | 613,726 | 640,594 | +26,868 |
| Killingholme | 739,269 | 442,296 | -296,973 |
| Hull | 733,241 | 309,729 | -423,512 |
| Immingham Docks | 410,406 | 497,217 | +86,811 |
| London Gateway Port | 242,388 | 414,810 | +172,422 |
| Harwich | 196,931 | 315,510 | +118,579 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 18 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 6 |
| Other manufacturing | 3 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 2 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 8 |
| 2025-09 | 10 |
| 2025-08 | 6 |
| 2025-07 | 4 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| NORKEM LIMITED | 55 |
| BEVERAGE SERVICES LIMITED | 40 |
| DAKRAM MATERIALS LTD. | 38 |
| HYPERAMA PLC | 32 |
| BRENNTAG UK HOLDING LIMITED | 29 |
| JDM DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED | 27 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 26 |
| CEDA CHEMICALS LIMITED | 25 |
| KUDOS BLENDS LIMITED | 24 |
| HOO HING HOLDINGS LIMITED | 21 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 18 |
| 1m-15m | 8 |
| 15m-54m | 6 |
| Other | 2 |
| 0-1m | 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 | 1,181,495 |
| Australia | 827,253 |
| Ireland | 582,812 |
| Italy | 379,570 |
| Germany | 360,692 |
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 | 463,696 | 717,799 | +254,103 |
| Australia | 425,160 | 402,093 | -23,067 |
| Ireland | 346,716 | 236,096 | -110,620 |
| Italy | 148,207 | 231,363 | +83,156 |
| Germany | 48,018 | 312,674 | +264,656 |
| Canada | 102,251 | 145,558 | +43,307 |
| Netherlands | 110,891 | 71,187 | -39,704 |
| Peru | 39,342 | 41,082 | +1,740 |
| Denmark | 12,583 | 57,834 | +45,251 |
| France | 32,350 | 25,751 | -6,599 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 15,852 |
| XU | 426 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 6,191 | 9,661 | +3,470 |
| XU | 426 | 0 | -426 |
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) | 3,036,618 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,166,630 |
| Air transport | 38,758 |
| Other | 16,278 |
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) | 1,409,540 | 1,627,078 | +217,538 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 431,416 | 735,214 | +303,798 |
| Air transport | 17,117 | 21,641 | +4,524 |
| Other | 6,617 | 9,661 | +3,044 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 1,167,751 |
| Felixstowe | 580,878 |
| Immingham Docks | 577,678 |
| Liverpool Docks | 528,539 |
| London Gateway Port | 453,198 |
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 | 444,683 | 723,068 | +278,385 |
| Felixstowe | 254,934 | 325,944 | +71,010 |
| Immingham Docks | 207,694 | 369,984 | +162,290 |
| Liverpool Docks | 306,316 | 222,223 | -84,093 |
| London Gateway Port | 296,921 | 156,277 | -140,644 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 84,388 | 283,877 | +199,489 |
| Heysham | 52,448 | 171,156 | +118,708 |
| Holyhead | 82,714 | 19,045 | -63,669 |
| Dover | 47,891 | 27,953 | -19,938 |
| London | 0 | 50,102 | +50,102 |
Quick facts
HS code: 283640
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Used in making soap, glass, and fertilizers. Also found in some food products