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 | 6,679,378 |
| France | 5,551,441 |
| China | 2,970,697 |
| South Korea | 2,668,517 |
| Ireland | 1,444,007 |
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 | 3,833,945 | 2,845,433 | -988,512 |
| France | 2,043,665 | 3,507,776 | +1,464,111 |
| China | 1,584,234 | 1,386,463 | -197,771 |
| South Korea | 1,526,830 | 1,141,687 | -385,143 |
| Ireland | 714,723 | 729,284 | +14,561 |
| United States | 267,303 | 396,255 | +128,952 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 560,543 | 32,402 | -528,141 |
| Belgium | 273,531 | 243,124 | -30,407 |
| Italy | 266,515 | 122,203 | -144,312 |
| Netherlands | 100,954 | 130,661 | +29,707 |
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 | 6,044,180 |
| France | 5,334,326 |
| China | 4,361,539 |
| South Korea | 2,776,787 |
| Ireland | 1,307,523 |
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 | 3,634,173 | 2,410,007 | -1,224,166 |
| France | 1,907,826 | 3,426,500 | +1,518,674 |
| China | 2,424,740 | 1,936,799 | -487,941 |
| South Korea | 1,558,794 | 1,217,993 | -340,801 |
| Ireland | 649,104 | 658,419 | +9,315 |
| Italy | 523,597 | 351,639 | -171,958 |
| United States | 347,944 | 402,822 | +54,878 |
| Switzerland | 6,782 | 169,336 | +162,554 |
| Belgium | 37,048 | 123,817 | +86,769 |
| 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 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 |
| Inner London - West | 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 | 1 | -3 |
| 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 |
| West Yorkshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| 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) | 13,574,917 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 8,246,022 |
| Air transport | 37,450 |
| Other | 37,325 |
| Road transport | 1,119 |
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) | 7,203,971 | 6,370,946 | -833,025 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 3,929,200 | 4,316,822 | +387,622 |
| Air transport | 18,541 | 18,909 | +368 |
| Other | 28,411 | 8,914 | -19,497 |
| Road transport | 0 | 1,119 | +1,119 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 7,200,122 |
| Felixstowe | 4,599,882 |
| Southampton | 2,383,594 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,371,482 |
| Holyhead | 1,311,293 |
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 | 2,305,406 | 4,894,716 | +2,589,310 |
| Felixstowe | 2,850,753 | 1,749,129 | -1,101,624 |
| Southampton | 1,185,480 | 1,198,114 | +12,634 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,371,482 | 0 | -1,371,482 |
| Holyhead | 620,356 | 690,937 | +70,581 |
| Killingholme | 684,503 | 467,346 | -217,157 |
| Hull | 723,465 | 249,261 | -474,204 |
| Immingham Docks | 509,528 | 415,527 | -94,001 |
| London Gateway Port | 239,243 | 517,307 | +278,064 |
| Harwich | 158,248 | 345,186 | +186,938 |
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 | 19 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 5 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 9 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 8 |
| 2025-09 | 10 |
| 2025-08 | 6 |
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 | 41 |
| DAKRAM MATERIALS LTD. | 38 |
| HYPERAMA PLC | 32 |
| BRENNTAG UK HOLDING LIMITED | 30 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 27 |
| JDM DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED | 27 |
| KUDOS BLENDS LIMITED | 25 |
| CEDA CHEMICALS LIMITED | 25 |
| 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 | 9 |
| 15m-54m | 6 |
| 0-1m | 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 | 1,215,886 |
| Australia | 874,905 |
| Ireland | 605,431 |
| Germany | 380,844 |
| Italy | 379,570 |
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 | 425,507 | 790,379 | +364,872 |
| Australia | 431,816 | 443,089 | +11,273 |
| Ireland | 350,398 | 255,033 | -95,365 |
| Germany | 57,382 | 323,462 | +266,080 |
| Italy | 221,554 | 158,016 | -63,538 |
| Canada | 102,585 | 150,606 | +48,021 |
| Netherlands | 111,673 | 78,940 | -32,733 |
| Peru | 39,342 | 41,082 | +1,740 |
| Denmark | 17,000 | 60,095 | +43,095 |
| France | 33,855 | 26,436 | -7,419 |
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 |
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 |
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) | 3,118,951 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,223,657 |
| 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) | 1,456,660 | 1,662,291 | +205,631 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 449,770 | 773,887 | +324,117 |
| 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 | 1,261,712 |
| Immingham Docks | 586,709 |
| Felixstowe | 548,638 |
| Liverpool Docks | 512,540 |
| London Gateway Port | 494,901 |
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 | 817,029 | +372,346 |
| Immingham Docks | 290,365 | 296,344 | +5,979 |
| Felixstowe | 261,590 | 287,048 | +25,458 |
| Liverpool Docks | 308,211 | 204,329 | -103,882 |
| London Gateway Port | 262,282 | 232,619 | -29,663 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 91,886 | 271,937 | +180,051 |
| Heysham | 52,448 | 193,775 | +141,327 |
| Holyhead | 84,835 | 16,924 | -67,911 |
| Harwich | 35,200 | 43,995 | +8,795 |
| Dover | 50,648 | 16,790 | -33,858 |
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