Import/export HS code 291511: Formic acid
A chemical used in textiles, leather processing, and as a preservative
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 | 4,768,375 |
| China | 1,596,583 |
| Belgium | 1,276,640 |
| Finland | 1,036,785 |
| Netherlands | 878,302 |
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 | 2,657,200 | 2,111,175 | -546,025 |
| China | 906,645 | 689,938 | -216,707 |
| Belgium | 911,422 | 365,218 | -546,204 |
| Finland | 504,794 | 531,991 | +27,197 |
| Netherlands | 554,651 | 323,651 | -231,000 |
| France | 127,752 | 27,073 | -100,679 |
| United States | 19,056 | 78,650 | +59,594 |
| Sweden | 42,558 | 21,356 | -21,202 |
| Ireland | 1,981 | 31,305 | +29,324 |
| Denmark | 15,082 | 0 | -15,082 |
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 | 4,531,695 |
| Finland | 1,861,503 |
| China | 1,602,773 |
| Belgium | 1,075,431 |
| Netherlands | 496,328 |
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 | 2,558,808 | 1,972,887 | -585,921 |
| Finland | 1,067,629 | 793,874 | -273,755 |
| China | 912,077 | 690,696 | -221,381 |
| Belgium | 718,957 | 356,474 | -362,483 |
| Netherlands | 297,454 | 198,874 | -98,580 |
| United States | 38,031 | 58,728 | +20,697 |
| Sweden | 42,558 | 21,356 | -21,202 |
| United Kingdom | 32,415 | 27,425 | -4,990 |
| Austria | 33,070 | 0 | -33,070 |
| Czechia | 5,304 | 15,288 | +9,984 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 |
| Greater Manchester | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Northern Ireland | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 0 | 1 | +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) | 7,135,814 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,660,527 |
| Air transport | 87,453 |
| Other | 54,220 |
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) | 3,970,706 | 3,165,108 | -805,598 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,728,532 | 931,995 | -796,537 |
| Air transport | 29,872 | 57,581 | +27,709 |
| Other | 16,320 | 37,900 | +21,580 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Hull | 2,626,007 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,976,482 |
| Felixstowe | 1,557,476 |
| Middlesbrough | 853,346 |
| London | 793,262 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 1,614,195 | 1,011,812 | -602,383 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,033,408 | 943,074 | -90,334 |
| Felixstowe | 817,900 | 739,576 | -78,324 |
| Middlesbrough | 601,841 | 251,505 | -350,336 |
| London | 346,910 | 446,352 | +99,442 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 392,983 | 191,996 | -200,987 |
| Purfleet | 312,969 | 10,800 | -302,169 |
| Dover | 191,635 | 65,020 | -126,615 |
| Thamesport | 170,073 | 0 | -170,073 |
| London Gateway Port | 19,970 | 148,746 | +128,776 |
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 | 13 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 11 |
| Other manufacturing | 4 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 2 |
| Manufacture of food products | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 6 |
| 2025-11 | 12 |
| 2025-10 | 10 |
| 2025-09 | 9 |
| 2025-08 | 10 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 18 |
| 15m-54m | 5 |
| 1m-15m | 4 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Taiwan | 1,406,495 |
| Ireland | 380,617 |
| Netherlands | 337,635 |
| United States | 180,758 |
| China | 147,475 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | 1,095,485 | 311,010 | -784,475 |
| Ireland | 258,411 | 122,206 | -136,205 |
| Netherlands | 171,449 | 166,186 | -5,263 |
| United States | 180,758 | 0 | -180,758 |
| China | 24,861 | 122,614 | +97,753 |
| Georgia | 0 | 55,109 | +55,109 |
| Belgium | 23,579 | 29,267 | +5,688 |
| Azerbaijan | 26,197 | 21,317 | -4,880 |
| Saudi Arabia | 45,902 | 0 | -45,902 |
| India | 25,683 | 14,675 | -11,008 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 162,852 |
| China | 54,902 |
| XI | 4,979 |
| Ireland | 83 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 116,057 | 46,795 | -69,262 |
| China | 26,590 | 28,312 | +1,722 |
| XI | 4,751 | 228 | -4,523 |
| Ireland | 0 | 83 | +83 |
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) | 1,883,889 |
| Air transport | 376,824 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 343,731 |
| Other | 225,855 |
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) | 1,321,717 | 562,172 | -759,545 |
| Air transport | 250,329 | 126,495 | -123,834 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 204,036 | 139,695 | -64,341 |
| Other | 149,212 | 76,643 | -72,569 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 1,002,527 |
| Felixstowe | 352,968 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 334,065 |
| Immingham Docks | 303,418 |
| London Gateway Port | 274,098 |
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 | 891,973 | 110,554 | -781,419 |
| Felixstowe | 89,889 | 263,079 | +173,190 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 210,519 | 123,546 | -86,973 |
| Immingham Docks | 145,709 | 157,709 | +12,000 |
| London Gateway Port | 258,545 | 15,553 | -242,992 |
| 000 | 149,212 | 76,643 | -72,569 |
| Liverpool Docks | 71,840 | 34,844 | -36,996 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 27,156 | 54,300 | +27,144 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 0 | 55,109 | +55,109 |
| Holyhead | 37,359 | 8,621 | -28,738 |
Quick facts
HS code: 291511
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A chemical used in textiles, leather processing, and as a preservative