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 | 24,117,600 |
| Netherlands | 23,025,879 |
| China | 3,469,944 |
| Belgium | 3,172,276 |
| South Korea | 1,986,056 |
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 | 11,500,895 | 12,616,705 | +1,115,810 |
| Netherlands | 11,609,496 | 11,416,383 | -193,113 |
| China | 1,524,242 | 1,945,702 | +421,460 |
| Belgium | 1,904,684 | 1,267,592 | -637,092 |
| South Korea | 1,539,580 | 446,476 | -1,093,104 |
| Niger | 1,065,896 | 156,897 | -908,999 |
| France | 799,716 | 388,858 | -410,858 |
| Ireland | 557,422 | 205,213 | -352,209 |
| Spain | 346,444 | 177,837 | -168,607 |
| United States | 265,722 | 92,026 | -173,696 |
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 | 26,377,421 |
| Netherlands | 20,437,128 |
| China | 4,286,295 |
| South Korea | 2,534,118 |
| Spain | 1,527,160 |
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 | 13,651,791 | 12,725,630 | -926,161 |
| Netherlands | 9,447,052 | 10,990,076 | +1,543,024 |
| China | 1,728,536 | 2,557,759 | +829,223 |
| South Korea | 1,860,711 | 673,407 | -1,187,304 |
| Spain | 851,914 | 675,246 | -176,668 |
| France | 1,080,867 | 214,424 | -866,443 |
| United States | 1,197,302 | 84,208 | -1,113,094 |
| Belgium | 411,988 | 343,584 | -68,404 |
| Ireland | 564,730 | 33,072 | -531,658 |
| Italy | 302,111 | 279,997 | -22,114 |
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 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 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 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Essex | 2 | 3 | +1 |
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) | 35,393,588 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 23,762,750 |
| Other | 1,076,507 |
| Air transport | 269,180 |
| Road transport | 1,861 |
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) | 20,745,404 | 14,648,184 | -6,097,220 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,952,710 | 13,810,040 | +3,857,330 |
| Other | 644,222 | 432,285 | -211,937 |
| Air transport | 154,430 | 114,750 | -39,680 |
| Road transport | 0 | 1,861 | +1,861 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 21,190,585 |
| Middlesbrough | 12,851,224 |
| Tyne | 7,361,879 |
| London | 6,376,174 |
| Felixstowe | 4,053,636 |
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 | 10,887,579 | 10,303,006 | -584,573 |
| Middlesbrough | 6,452,470 | 6,398,754 | -53,716 |
| Tyne | 2,957,039 | 4,404,840 | +1,447,801 |
| London | 3,859,033 | 2,517,141 | -1,341,892 |
| Felixstowe | 2,341,241 | 1,712,395 | -628,846 |
| Hull | 1,646,506 | 1,042,958 | -603,548 |
| Dover | 1,127,445 | 936,525 | -190,920 |
| 000 | 644,222 | 432,285 | -211,937 |
| Liverpool Docks | 595,555 | 145,716 | -449,839 |
| 499 | 0 | 490,906 | +490,906 |
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 | 23 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 17 |
| 2025-11 | 14 |
| 2025-10 | 12 |
| 2025-09 | 20 |
| 2025-08 | 16 |
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 | 55 |
| SOLVENTIS LTD. | 49 |
| TILLEY DISTRIBUTION UK LIMITED | 49 |
| BASF PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 47 |
| TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 40 |
| FRANK WRIGHT LIMITED | 36 |
| OQEMA LIMITED | 31 |
| 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+ | 40 |
| 1m-15m | 18 |
| 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 | 847,820 |
| Ireland | 847,461 |
| Sweden | 443,107 |
| Germany | 421,747 |
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 | 605,313 | 242,507 | -362,806 |
| Ireland | 476,617 | 370,844 | -105,773 |
| Sweden | 130,541 | 312,566 | +182,025 |
| Germany | 110,366 | 311,381 | +201,015 |
| France | 148,840 | 204,840 | +56,000 |
| Spain | 47,007 | 111,527 | +64,520 |
| United States | 116,576 | 36,684 | -79,892 |
| Australia | 43,441 | 67,170 | +23,729 |
| Netherlands | 7,382 | 73,075 | +65,693 |
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 | 110,275 |
| Germany | 32,073 |
| 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 | 36,795 | 73,480 | +36,685 |
| Germany | 22,263 | 9,810 | -12,453 |
| France | 25,632 | 0 | -25,632 |
| Netherlands | 5,980 | 0 | -5,980 |
| Spain | 0 | 1,584 | +1,584 |
| 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) | 3,647,510 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,332,014 |
| Air transport | 329,742 |
| Other | 177,137 |
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) | 1,187,704 | 2,459,806 | +1,272,102 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 775,930 | 556,084 | -219,846 |
| Air transport | 203,444 | 126,298 | -77,146 |
| Other | 91,382 | 85,755 | -5,627 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 1,423,557 |
| Middlesbrough | 1,231,116 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 683,965 |
| Heysham | 382,171 |
| 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 | 777,885 | 645,672 | -132,213 |
| Middlesbrough | 85,326 | 1,145,790 | +1,060,464 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 239,681 | 444,284 | +204,603 |
| Heysham | 216,829 | 165,342 | -51,487 |
| London Gateway Port | 156,456 | 171,724 | +15,268 |
| Liverpool Docks | 75,657 | 138,896 | +63,239 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 105,098 | 80,562 | -24,536 |
| 000 | 91,382 | 85,755 | -5,627 |
| Dover | 87,428 | 54,289 | -33,139 |
| Holyhead | 89,941 | 44,278 | -45,663 |
Quick facts
HS code: 290532
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A chemical used in food, cosmetics, and antifreeze