Import/export HS code 291631: Benzoic acid, its salts, and esters
A common preservative and chemical used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals
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 | 13,447,090 |
| China | 4,775,086 |
| Germany | 1,634,276 |
| Estonia | 1,445,905 |
| Belgium | 526,444 |
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 | 7,381,986 | 6,065,104 | -1,316,882 |
| China | 2,911,675 | 1,863,411 | -1,048,264 |
| Germany | 987,608 | 646,668 | -340,940 |
| Estonia | 857,323 | 588,582 | -268,741 |
| Belgium | 243,862 | 282,582 | +38,720 |
| France | 281,571 | 173,554 | -108,017 |
| Switzerland | 195,959 | 144,272 | -51,687 |
| Italy | 163,790 | 132,490 | -31,300 |
| Ireland | 152,067 | 74,068 | -77,999 |
| Finland | 70,228 | 144,366 | +74,138 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 13,296,184 |
| China | 5,375,851 |
| Estonia | 2,167,327 |
| Italy | 690,307 |
| United States | 537,147 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 7,341,973 | 5,954,211 | -1,387,762 |
| China | 3,267,961 | 2,107,890 | -1,160,071 |
| Estonia | 1,249,358 | 917,969 | -331,389 |
| Italy | 282,974 | 407,333 | +124,359 |
| United States | 322,557 | 214,590 | -107,967 |
| France | 210,214 | 99,518 | -110,696 |
| India | 99,326 | 100,839 | +1,513 |
| Germany | 75,358 | 61,736 | -13,622 |
| Poland | 85,965 | 27,706 | -58,259 |
| Ireland | 77,579 | 35,798 | -41,781 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 14 |
| Cheshire | 7 |
| Inner London - West | 6 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 |
| Suffolk | 5 |
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 | 13 | 12 | -1 |
| Cheshire | 6 | 5 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Suffolk | 5 | 1 | -4 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Essex | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| West Midlands | 3 | 4 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 12,678,896 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,886,909 |
| Air transport | 793,946 |
| Other | 518,590 |
| Road transport | 10,515 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 6,994,889 | 5,684,007 | -1,310,882 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,720,410 | 4,166,499 | -1,553,911 |
| Air transport | 547,661 | 246,285 | -301,376 |
| Other | 214,992 | 303,598 | +88,606 |
| Road transport | 9,605 | 910 | -8,695 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 8,732,218 |
| Hull | 4,100,366 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,920,702 |
| Dover | 1,247,003 |
| Harwich | 863,671 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 4,888,779 | 3,843,439 | -1,045,340 |
| Hull | 2,381,997 | 1,718,369 | -663,628 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,204,341 | 1,716,361 | -487,980 |
| Dover | 614,036 | 632,967 | +18,931 |
| Harwich | 527,004 | 336,667 | -190,337 |
| London | 173,518 | 501,367 | +327,849 |
| 000 | 214,992 | 303,598 | +88,606 |
| Thamesport | 287,877 | 219,563 | -68,314 |
| Middlesbrough | 299,517 | 173,996 | -125,521 |
| Eurotunnel | 265,364 | 146,995 | -118,369 |
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 | 42 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 39 |
| Manufacture of food products | 6 |
| Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations | 4 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 21 |
| 2025-10 | 20 |
| 2025-09 | 18 |
| 2025-08 | 27 |
| 2025-07 | 24 |
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+ | 46 |
| 1m-15m | 28 |
| 15m-54m | 14 |
| 0-1m | 6 |
| Other | 5 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 1,617,252 |
| Spain | 1,565,168 |
| Germany | 1,447,227 |
| Poland | 1,300,481 |
| Netherlands | 1,179,665 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 877,979 | 739,273 | -138,706 |
| Spain | 797,198 | 767,970 | -29,228 |
| Germany | 730,429 | 716,798 | -13,631 |
| Poland | 1,173,948 | 126,533 | -1,047,415 |
| Netherlands | 608,564 | 571,101 | -37,463 |
| United States | 532,598 | 400,483 | -132,115 |
| Philippines | 418,769 | 284,790 | -133,979 |
| France | 428,511 | 192,626 | -235,885 |
| Switzerland | 224,784 | 86,894 | -137,890 |
| Italy | 133,128 | 167,773 | +34,645 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 85,961 |
| XI | 10,284 |
| XU | 91 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 84,392 | 1,569 | -82,823 |
| XI | 4,721 | 5,563 | +842 |
| XU | 91 | 0 | -91 |
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) | 7,930,024 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,433,079 |
| Air transport | 343,786 |
| Other | 96,336 |
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) | 4,644,943 | 3,285,081 | -1,359,862 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,970,544 | 1,462,535 | -508,009 |
| Air transport | 184,907 | 158,879 | -26,028 |
| Other | 89,204 | 7,132 | -82,072 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,738,749 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,254,683 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,194,885 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,189,224 |
| Southampton | 786,941 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,989,723 | 1,749,026 | -1,240,697 |
| London Gateway Port | 961,607 | 293,076 | -668,531 |
| Immingham Docks | 574,352 | 620,533 | +46,181 |
| Liverpool Docks | 788,456 | 400,768 | -387,688 |
| Southampton | 181,884 | 605,057 | +423,173 |
| Hull | 407,935 | 277,877 | -130,058 |
| Felixstowe | 316,125 | 221,812 | -94,313 |
| Heysham | 94,725 | 273,466 | +178,741 |
| Portsmouth | 87,905 | 166,675 | +78,770 |
| Holyhead | 66,702 | 119,131 | +52,429 |
Quick facts
HS code: 291631
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A common preservative and chemical used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals