Import/export HS code 290532: Propylene glycol (propane-1,2-diol)
A chemical used in food, cosmetics, and antifreeze
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 | 24,104,082 |
| Netherlands | 22,439,218 |
| China | 3,425,389 |
| Belgium | 3,041,627 |
| France | 2,783,717 |
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 | 12,386,923 | 11,717,159 | -669,764 |
| Netherlands | 11,249,666 | 11,189,552 | -60,114 |
| China | 1,546,050 | 1,879,339 | +333,289 |
| Belgium | 2,055,345 | 986,282 | -1,069,063 |
| France | 2,374,517 | 409,200 | -1,965,317 |
| South Korea | 1,599,444 | 320,160 | -1,279,284 |
| Niger | 1,065,896 | 156,897 | -908,999 |
| Ireland | 491,981 | 254,746 | -237,235 |
| Spain | 394,782 | 166,405 | -228,377 |
| United States | 264,875 | 87,362 | -177,513 |
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 | 26,598,500 |
| Netherlands | 19,600,217 |
| China | 4,055,370 |
| France | 2,857,424 |
| South Korea | 2,467,666 |
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 | 14,736,266 | 11,862,234 | -2,874,032 |
| Netherlands | 9,084,055 | 10,516,162 | +1,432,107 |
| China | 1,768,603 | 2,286,767 | +518,164 |
| France | 2,520,350 | 337,074 | -2,183,276 |
| South Korea | 1,899,233 | 568,433 | -1,330,800 |
| Spain | 827,619 | 707,139 | -120,480 |
| United States | 1,195,147 | 84,114 | -1,111,033 |
| Belgium | 472,059 | 321,282 | -150,777 |
| Italy | 407,025 | 279,997 | -127,028 |
| Ireland | 515,010 | 82,792 | -432,218 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 9 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 6 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 5 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 7 | 8 | +1 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 5 | 1 | -4 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Essex | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Lancashire | 1 | 3 | +2 |
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) | 37,841,451 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 22,088,982 |
| Other | 1,065,481 |
| Air transport | 268,687 |
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) | 23,035,397 | 14,806,054 | -8,229,343 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,967,245 | 12,121,737 | +2,154,492 |
| Other | 645,836 | 419,645 | -226,191 |
| Air transport | 155,241 | 113,446 | -41,795 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 20,774,148 |
| Middlesbrough | 12,817,310 |
| Tyne | 8,377,072 |
| London | 6,536,299 |
| Felixstowe | 4,104,518 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 11,012,200 | 9,761,948 | -1,250,252 |
| Middlesbrough | 7,411,981 | 5,405,329 | -2,006,652 |
| Tyne | 3,972,232 | 4,404,840 | +432,608 |
| London | 3,810,602 | 2,725,697 | -1,084,905 |
| Felixstowe | 2,470,554 | 1,633,964 | -836,590 |
| Hull | 1,688,900 | 1,054,787 | -634,113 |
| Dover | 1,259,420 | 856,545 | -402,875 |
| 000 | 645,836 | 419,645 | -226,191 |
| Liverpool Docks | 527,971 | 213,300 | -314,671 |
| Killingholme | 335,755 | 93,887 | -241,868 |
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 | 29 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 22 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 7 |
| Manufacture of food products | 7 |
| Other manufacturing | 5 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 14 |
| 2025-10 | 12 |
| 2025-09 | 20 |
| 2025-08 | 16 |
| 2025-07 | 17 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 74 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 54 |
| SOLVENTIS LTD. | 48 |
| TILLEY DISTRIBUTION UK LIMITED | 48 |
| BASF PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 46 |
| TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 40 |
| FRANK WRIGHT LIMITED | 35 |
| OQEMA LIMITED | 30 |
| MONARCH CHEMICALS LIMITED | 30 |
| OQEMA LONDON LIMITED | 27 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 39 |
| 1m-15m | 19 |
| 15m-54m | 11 |
| Other | 6 |
| 0-1m | 2 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 1,201,105 |
| Denmark | 877,606 |
| Ireland | 847,089 |
| Sweden | 439,940 |
| Germany | 407,575 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 153,101 | 1,048,004 | +894,903 |
| Denmark | 607,823 | 269,783 | -338,040 |
| Ireland | 454,852 | 392,237 | -62,615 |
| Sweden | 130,541 | 309,399 | +178,858 |
| Germany | 100,577 | 306,998 | +206,421 |
| France | 140,677 | 206,373 | +65,696 |
| Spain | 47,007 | 111,527 | +64,520 |
| United States | 85,677 | 72,128 | -13,549 |
| Australia | 52,771 | 67,170 | +14,399 |
| Mexico | 73,745 | 0 | -73,745 |
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 | 110,536 |
| Germany | 31,055 |
| France | 25,632 |
| Netherlands | 5,980 |
| Spain | 1,584 |
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 | 41,307 | 69,229 | +27,922 |
| Germany | 20,948 | 10,107 | -10,841 |
| France | 25,632 | 0 | -25,632 |
| Netherlands | 5,980 | 0 | -5,980 |
| Spain | 0 | 1,584 | +1,584 |
| XU | 989 | 579 | -410 |
| United States | 0 | 212 | +212 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 3,608,188 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,374,981 |
| Air transport | 358,085 |
| Other | 176,567 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,124,928 | 2,483,260 | +1,358,332 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 798,980 | 576,001 | -222,979 |
| Air transport | 215,745 | 142,340 | -73,405 |
| Other | 94,856 | 81,711 | -13,145 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 1,443,022 |
| Middlesbrough | 1,231,116 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 670,975 |
| Heysham | 374,005 |
| London Gateway Port | 328,180 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 792,846 | 650,176 | -142,670 |
| Middlesbrough | 85,326 | 1,145,790 | +1,060,464 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 240,096 | 430,879 | +190,783 |
| Heysham | 229,341 | 144,664 | -84,677 |
| London Gateway Port | 156,456 | 171,724 | +15,268 |
| Liverpool Docks | 91,350 | 138,896 | +47,546 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 101,428 | 96,307 | -5,121 |
| 000 | 94,856 | 81,711 | -13,145 |
| Dover | 76,146 | 59,431 | -16,715 |
| Southampton | 98,728 | 33,773 | -64,955 |
Quick facts
HS code: 290532
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A chemical used in food, cosmetics, and antifreeze