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 | 2,403,769 |
| Spain | 1,825,879 |
| Switzerland | 1,410,046 |
| France | 1,097,281 |
| United States | 672,998 |
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 | 1,478,201 | 925,568 | -552,633 |
| Spain | 917,033 | 908,846 | -8,187 |
| Switzerland | 762,282 | 647,764 | -114,518 |
| France | 849,122 | 248,159 | -600,963 |
| United States | 318,081 | 354,917 | +36,836 |
| India | 195,214 | 417,585 | +222,371 |
| Netherlands | 324,462 | 270,253 | -54,209 |
| Belgium | 349,408 | 238,306 | -111,102 |
| Italy | 259,943 | 125,309 | -134,634 |
| China | 174,931 | 207,698 | +32,767 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | 1,911,807 |
| Spain | 1,857,849 |
| Germany | 1,734,097 |
| India | 1,477,481 |
| United States | 733,892 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 1,242,177 | 669,630 | -572,547 |
| Spain | 1,110,299 | 747,550 | -362,749 |
| Germany | 885,395 | 848,702 | -36,693 |
| India | 761,718 | 715,763 | -45,955 |
| United States | 392,445 | 341,447 | -50,998 |
| China | 308,480 | 362,734 | +54,254 |
| Belgium | 350,187 | 248,815 | -101,372 |
| Italy | 256,652 | 127,156 | -129,496 |
| France | 153,211 | 143,034 | -10,177 |
| 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 | 15 |
| 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 | 12 | 9 | -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 | 3 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Lancashire | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 6,037,802 |
| Air transport | 1,983,886 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,777,665 |
| 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) | 3,784,712 | 2,253,090 | -1,531,622 |
| Air transport | 1,072,903 | 910,983 | -161,920 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 821,588 | 956,077 | +134,489 |
| Road transport | 0 | 251,351 | +251,351 |
| Other | 1 | 306 | +305 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 1,471,982 |
| Dover | 1,463,056 |
| London | 1,371,784 |
| Felixstowe | 1,175,392 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,074,938 |
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 | 725,450 | -21,082 |
| Dover | 853,042 | 610,014 | -243,028 |
| London | 875,603 | 496,181 | -379,422 |
| Felixstowe | 667,262 | 508,130 | -159,132 |
| East Midlands Airport | 581,522 | 493,416 | -88,106 |
| Killingholme | 346,451 | 136,493 | -209,958 |
| Eurotunnel | 302,351 | 129,233 | -173,118 |
| London Stansted Airport | 196,816 | 106,942 | -89,874 |
| London Gateway Port | 188,837 | 108,179 | -80,658 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 180,663 | 101,840 | -78,823 |
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 | 41 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 29 |
| 2025-10 | 17 |
| 2025-09 | 22 |
| 2025-08 | 14 |
| 2025-07 | 21 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 85 |
| CARST & WALKER (UK) LTD. | 54 |
| ARCHROMA UK, LTD | 47 |
| TOCRIS COOKSON LIMITED | 42 |
| JAMES M.BROWN LIMITED | 40 |
| CHEMETALL LIMITED | 39 |
| CORNELIUS GROUP PLC | 36 |
| ASPEN PUMPS GROUP LIMITED | 36 |
| BASF PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 34 |
| MILLIKEN INDUSTRIALS LIMITED | 34 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 49 |
| 1m-15m | 32 |
| 15m-54m | 16 |
| 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 | 673,693 |
| Belgium | 235,758 |
| Germany | 211,366 |
| France | 166,959 |
| Ireland | 130,001 |
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 | 340,550 | 333,143 | -7,407 |
| Belgium | 52,726 | 183,032 | +130,306 |
| Germany | 99,834 | 111,532 | +11,698 |
| France | 106,455 | 60,504 | -45,951 |
| Ireland | 81,485 | 48,516 | -32,969 |
| Spain | 39,141 | 63,314 | +24,173 |
| Costa Rica | 18,414 | 29,808 | +11,394 |
| Italy | 41,469 | 1,657 | -39,812 |
| Hungary | 1,311 | 28,911 | +27,600 |
| India | 5,648 | 17,419 | +11,771 |
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 | 1,097,884 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 606,238 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 144,406 |
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 | 490,480 | 607,404 | +116,924 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 339,897 | 266,341 | -73,556 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 74,086 | 70,320 | -3,766 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 555,113 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 483,911 |
| Manchester Airport | 203,681 |
| East Midlands Airport | 133,360 |
| London Stansted Airport | 132,963 |
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 | 268,903 | 286,210 | +17,307 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 241,754 | 242,157 | +403 |
| Manchester Airport | 4,523 | 199,158 | +194,635 |
| East Midlands Airport | 106,845 | 26,515 | -80,330 |
| London Stansted Airport | 65,500 | 67,463 | +1,963 |
| ZLC | 43,752 | 28,058 | -15,694 |
| London Gateway Port | 21,846 | 44,336 | +22,490 |
| Holyhead | 37,013 | 17,955 | -19,058 |
| Liverpool Docks | 28,327 | 0 | -28,327 |
| Newhaven | 28,151 | 0 | -28,151 |
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