Import/export HS code 320420: Fluorescent brighteners
Chemicals used to make fabrics, paper, and plastics appear brighter and whiter
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 | 2,290,401 |
| Spain | 1,836,005 |
| Switzerland | 1,384,093 |
| France | 986,552 |
| India | 680,651 |
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 | 1,341,861 | 948,540 | -393,321 |
| Spain | 942,056 | 893,949 | -48,107 |
| Switzerland | 770,413 | 613,680 | -156,733 |
| France | 738,265 | 248,287 | -489,978 |
| India | 214,853 | 465,798 | +250,945 |
| United States | 319,916 | 340,983 | +21,067 |
| Belgium | 355,679 | 240,438 | -115,241 |
| Netherlands | 331,228 | 238,556 | -92,672 |
| China | 171,255 | 220,271 | +49,016 |
| Italy | 249,357 | 95,947 | -153,410 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Spain | 1,791,213 |
| Switzerland | 1,781,429 |
| Germany | 1,738,780 |
| India | 1,476,252 |
| United States | 716,140 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 1,064,718 | 726,495 | -338,223 |
| Switzerland | 1,145,883 | 635,546 | -510,337 |
| Germany | 869,318 | 869,462 | +144 |
| India | 732,291 | 743,961 | +11,670 |
| United States | 411,780 | 304,360 | -107,420 |
| China | 313,041 | 364,934 | +51,893 |
| Belgium | 354,728 | 243,109 | -111,619 |
| Italy | 247,350 | 99,753 | -147,597 |
| France | 156,361 | 147,288 | -9,073 |
| Netherlands | 72,698 | 100,743 | +28,045 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 14 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 10 |
| Merseyside | 8 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 7 |
| West Yorkshire | 6 |
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 | 11 | 8 | -3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 8 | 6 | -2 |
| Merseyside | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 7 | 2 | -5 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| South East Wales | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 3 | +0 |
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) | 5,699,234 |
| Air transport | 2,003,906 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,871,486 |
| Road transport | 251,351 |
| Other | 307 |
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) | 3,534,028 | 2,165,206 | -1,368,822 |
| Air transport | 1,083,427 | 920,479 | -162,948 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 844,060 | 1,027,426 | +183,366 |
| Road transport | 47,047 | 204,304 | +157,257 |
| Other | 1 | 306 | +305 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 1,513,862 |
| London | 1,302,051 |
| Felixstowe | 1,256,013 |
| Dover | 1,248,329 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,053,320 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 746,532 | 767,330 | +20,798 |
| London | 844,148 | 457,903 | -386,245 |
| Felixstowe | 649,883 | 606,130 | -43,753 |
| Dover | 683,833 | 564,496 | -119,337 |
| East Midlands Airport | 567,933 | 485,387 | -82,546 |
| Killingholme | 356,199 | 126,372 | -229,827 |
| Eurotunnel | 293,152 | 116,715 | -176,437 |
| London Stansted Airport | 203,140 | 97,144 | -105,996 |
| London Gateway Port | 185,088 | 114,273 | -70,815 |
| ZLC | 60,795 | 204,304 | +143,509 |
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 | 43 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 27 |
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 12 |
| Scientific research and development | 10 |
| Other manufacturing | 7 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 21 |
| 2025-11 | 29 |
| 2025-10 | 17 |
| 2025-09 | 22 |
| 2025-08 | 14 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 86 |
| CARST & WALKER (UK) LTD. | 54 |
| ARCHROMA UK, LTD | 48 |
| TOCRIS COOKSON LIMITED | 42 |
| CHEMETALL LIMITED | 40 |
| JAMES M.BROWN LIMITED | 40 |
| CORNELIUS GROUP PLC | 37 |
| ASPEN PUMPS GROUP LIMITED | 37 |
| MILLIKEN INDUSTRIALS LIMITED | 35 |
| BASF PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 35 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 47 |
| 1m-15m | 35 |
| 15m-54m | 17 |
| Other | 8 |
| 0-1m | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 681,705 |
| Belgium | 235,758 |
| Germany | 193,313 |
| France | 156,126 |
| Spain | 136,007 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 378,019 | 303,686 | -74,333 |
| Belgium | 52,726 | 183,032 | +130,306 |
| Germany | 84,672 | 108,641 | +23,969 |
| France | 95,062 | 61,064 | -33,998 |
| Spain | 39,141 | 96,866 | +57,725 |
| Ireland | 81,485 | 50,432 | -31,053 |
| Costa Rica | 28,138 | 20,084 | -8,054 |
| Italy | 41,469 | 1,657 | -39,812 |
| Hungary | 1,311 | 28,911 | +27,600 |
| India | 6,756 | 16,311 | +9,555 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 1,109,248 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 608,275 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 130,569 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 527,760 | 581,488 | +53,728 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 312,311 | 295,964 | -16,347 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 69,973 | 60,596 | -9,377 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 562,415 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 487,684 |
| Manchester Airport | 203,681 |
| East Midlands Airport | 133,360 |
| London Stansted Airport | 132,160 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 306,726 | 255,689 | -51,037 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 216,911 | 270,773 | +53,862 |
| Manchester Airport | 4,523 | 199,158 | +194,635 |
| East Midlands Airport | 106,845 | 26,515 | -80,330 |
| London Stansted Airport | 64,957 | 67,203 | +2,246 |
| ZLC | 43,752 | 32,923 | -10,829 |
| London Gateway Port | 31,570 | 34,612 | +3,042 |
| Holyhead | 37,013 | 17,955 | -19,058 |
| Liverpool Docks | 28,327 | 0 | -28,327 |
| Newhaven | 25,408 | 0 | -25,408 |
Quick facts
HS code: 320420
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Chemicals used to make fabrics, paper, and plastics appear brighter and whiter