Import/export HS code 291521: Acetic acid
A common chemical used in food, cleaning products, and industrial processes
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 8,883,804 |
| Belgium | 4,809,860 |
| Sweden | 1,470,483 |
| United States | 1,295,397 |
| Germany | 975,532 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 5,909,576 | 2,974,228 | -2,935,348 |
| Belgium | 1,069,034 | 3,740,826 | +2,671,792 |
| Sweden | 1,022,890 | 447,593 | -575,297 |
| United States | 1,264,812 | 30,585 | -1,234,227 |
| Germany | 580,673 | 394,859 | -185,814 |
| China | 115,422 | 160,636 | +45,214 |
| France | 92,097 | 122,872 | +30,775 |
| Spain | 62,107 | 18,871 | -43,236 |
| Italy | 47,803 | 26,216 | -21,587 |
| India | 59,648 | 1,308 | -58,340 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 7,659,005 |
| Netherlands | 4,357,074 |
| China | 2,188,286 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,291,824 |
| Sweden | 822,550 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,406,527 | 4,252,478 | +845,951 |
| Netherlands | 2,715,676 | 1,641,398 | -1,074,278 |
| China | 1,508,127 | 680,159 | -827,968 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,226,688 | 65,136 | -1,161,552 |
| Sweden | 378,727 | 443,823 | +65,096 |
| Germany | 367,705 | 276,921 | -90,784 |
| Belgium | 225,989 | 315,280 | +89,291 |
| United Kingdom | 90,412 | 42,776 | -47,636 |
| France | 45,992 | 70,634 | +24,642 |
| India | 102,641 | 10,019 | -92,622 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 6 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Essex | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Norfolk | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 2 | 0 | -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) | 12,934,387 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,117,220 |
| Air transport | 181,080 |
| Other | 45,931 |
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) | 7,349,209 | 5,585,178 | -1,764,031 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,816,612 | 2,300,608 | -516,004 |
| Air transport | 127,959 | 53,121 | -74,838 |
| Other | 29,013 | 16,918 | -12,095 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 8,189,430 |
| Hull | 6,641,567 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 2,066,730 |
| Dover | 356,844 |
| London | 279,215 |
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 | 4,711,670 | 3,477,760 | -1,233,910 |
| Hull | 3,357,205 | 3,284,362 | -72,843 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,448,379 | 618,351 | -830,028 |
| Dover | 149,856 | 206,988 | +57,132 |
| London | 181,460 | 97,755 | -83,705 |
| Felixstowe | 117,487 | 134,893 | +17,406 |
| Middlesbrough | 68,438 | 0 | -68,438 |
| London Stansted Airport | 52,229 | 15,287 | -36,942 |
| Southampton | 23,884 | 32,807 | +8,923 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 18,734 | 27,686 | +8,952 |
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 | 25 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 16 |
| Manufacture of food products | 4 |
| Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations | 3 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 12 |
| 2025-11 | 17 |
| 2025-10 | 14 |
| 2025-09 | 20 |
| 2025-08 | 12 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 50 |
| ESTERCHEM LIMITED | 49 |
| POLYNT UK LIMITED | 48 |
| OQEMA LIMITED | 39 |
| HELM GREAT BRITAIN LIMITED | 38 |
| VWR INTERNATIONAL LTD | 34 |
| EAST HARBOUR GROUP LIMITED | 34 |
| CARGILL PLC | 33 |
| BRENNTAG UK HOLDING LIMITED | 32 |
| ESSECO UK LIMITED | 32 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 24 |
| 1m-15m | 16 |
| 15m-54m | 7 |
| 0-1m | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Quick facts
HS code: 291521
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A common chemical used in food, cleaning products, and industrial processes