Import/export HS code 3208: Paints and varnishes (non-aqueous)
Paints and varnishes made from synthetic or modified natural polymers, dissolved or dispersed in non-water liquids
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 | 106,050,052 |
| France | 101,524,546 |
| Netherlands | 96,414,331 |
| Italy | 56,262,575 |
| Belgium | 43,124,586 |
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 | 55,837,014 | 50,213,038 | -5,623,976 |
| France | 50,938,060 | 50,586,486 | -351,574 |
| Netherlands | 51,061,284 | 45,353,047 | -5,708,237 |
| Italy | 27,637,759 | 28,624,816 | +987,057 |
| Belgium | 25,033,825 | 18,090,761 | -6,943,064 |
| Spain | 21,005,226 | 12,452,756 | -8,552,470 |
| United States | 14,527,417 | 13,090,027 | -1,437,390 |
| Sweden | 9,005,848 | 8,452,021 | -553,827 |
| Poland | 10,357,617 | 7,034,224 | -3,323,393 |
| Ireland | 6,561,447 | 6,058,454 | -502,993 |
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 | 135,864,238 |
| Italy | 73,041,803 |
| Netherlands | 70,775,666 |
| Spain | 44,118,082 |
| France | 37,890,582 |
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 | 72,323,279 | 63,540,959 | -8,782,320 |
| Italy | 37,582,977 | 35,458,826 | -2,124,151 |
| Netherlands | 37,959,013 | 32,816,653 | -5,142,360 |
| Spain | 24,582,152 | 19,535,930 | -5,046,222 |
| France | 18,660,327 | 19,230,255 | +569,928 |
| Poland | 19,901,369 | 17,863,036 | -2,038,333 |
| United States | 18,537,616 | 17,553,612 | -984,004 |
| Belgium | 14,252,688 | 11,992,684 | -2,260,004 |
| Switzerland | 11,522,212 | 11,442,018 | -80,194 |
| Sweden | 9,734,844 | 8,799,771 | -935,073 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 57 |
| West Midlands | 39 |
| Greater Manchester | 34 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 34 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 30 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 49 | 46 | -3 |
| West Midlands | 27 | 30 | +3 |
| Greater Manchester | 29 | 23 | -6 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 28 | 25 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 26 | 19 | -7 |
| Inner London - West | 24 | 19 | -5 |
| West Yorkshire | 18 | 18 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 21 | 19 | -2 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 16 | 22 | +6 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 18 | 19 | +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) | 462,824,878 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 68,225,820 |
| Air transport | 29,355,708 |
| Other | 13,577,541 |
| Road transport | 2,762,539 |
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) | 242,312,990 | 220,511,888 | -21,801,102 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 36,840,920 | 31,384,900 | -5,456,020 |
| Air transport | 14,743,980 | 14,611,728 | -132,252 |
| Other | 7,133,021 | 6,444,520 | -688,501 |
| Road transport | 968,151 | 1,794,388 | +826,237 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 229,499,880 |
| Immingham Docks | 67,633,853 |
| Harwich | 43,441,139 |
| Felixstowe | 39,517,201 |
| London | 27,229,026 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 117,026,058 | 112,473,822 | -4,552,236 |
| Immingham Docks | 32,356,766 | 35,277,087 | +2,920,321 |
| Harwich | 23,514,638 | 19,926,501 | -3,588,137 |
| Felixstowe | 18,666,455 | 20,850,746 | +2,184,291 |
| London | 16,228,094 | 11,000,932 | -5,227,162 |
| Eurotunnel | 11,674,718 | 8,739,486 | -2,935,232 |
| Killingholme | 13,254,735 | 6,676,517 | -6,578,218 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,864,288 | 6,011,655 | -1,852,633 |
| 000 | 7,133,021 | 6,444,520 | -688,501 |
| Middlesbrough | 6,849,012 | 5,577,908 | -1,271,104 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 181 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 113 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 53 |
| Other manufacturing | 48 |
| Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 40 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 191 |
| 2025-11 | 211 |
| 2025-10 | 233 |
| 2025-09 | 210 |
| 2025-08 | 198 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| INTERNATIONAL PAINT LIMITED | 119 |
| 151 PRODUCTS LIMITED | 119 |
| PPG INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED | 112 |
| JOTUN PAINTS (EUROPE) LIMITED | 111 |
| 3M UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 110 |
| WESCO AIRCRAFT EMEA, LTD. | 105 |
| AEROSPHERES (UK) LIMITED | 100 |
| WOOLBRO (DISTRIBUTION) LIMITED | 99 |
| WHITFORD LIMITED | 95 |
| SIL-MID LIMITED | 93 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 255 |
| 1m-15m | 240 |
| 0-1m | 85 |
| 15m-54m | 72 |
| Other | 44 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 111,818,077 |
| Ireland | 90,803,127 |
| Belgium | 89,656,599 |
| Germany | 78,217,277 |
| United States | 77,342,793 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 73,403,743 | 38,414,334 | -34,989,409 |
| Ireland | 50,665,651 | 40,137,476 | -10,528,175 |
| Belgium | 32,649,427 | 57,007,172 | +24,357,745 |
| Germany | 39,483,636 | 38,733,641 | -749,995 |
| United States | 45,615,953 | 31,726,840 | -13,889,113 |
| Italy | 37,198,706 | 33,171,540 | -4,027,166 |
| Spain | 25,246,799 | 25,393,415 | +146,616 |
| Turkey | 25,156,516 | 18,214,174 | -6,942,342 |
| France | 19,536,617 | 20,747,299 | +1,210,682 |
| Poland | 14,172,739 | 18,524,008 | +4,351,269 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 1,709,444 |
| Ireland | 885,230 |
| Slovakia | 307,545 |
| Germany | 183,387 |
| Belgium | 180,211 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 824,391 | 885,053 | +60,662 |
| Ireland | 351,993 | 533,237 | +181,244 |
| Slovakia | 61,631 | 245,914 | +184,283 |
| Germany | 67,000 | 116,387 | +49,387 |
| Belgium | 69,397 | 110,814 | +41,417 |
| Spain | 77,825 | 83,012 | +5,187 |
| Netherlands | 37,970 | 54,755 | +16,785 |
| Poland | 48,777 | 36,818 | -11,959 |
| Italy | 28,157 | 29,764 | +1,607 |
| China | 27,769 | 17,430 | -10,339 |
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) | 671,956,282 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 288,608,359 |
| Air transport | 61,099,364 |
| Other | 10,038,356 |
| Road transport | 120,243 |
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) | 334,109,499 | 337,846,783 | +3,737,284 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 175,487,543 | 113,120,816 | -62,366,727 |
| Air transport | 31,295,245 | 29,804,119 | -1,491,126 |
| Other | 5,156,897 | 4,881,459 | -275,438 |
| Road transport | 105,375 | 14,868 | -90,507 |
| Rail transport | 35,787 | 8,779 | -27,008 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 339,345,135 |
| Immingham Docks | 194,641,994 |
| London Gateway Port | 94,741,470 |
| Southampton | 94,404,359 |
| Holyhead | 45,406,447 |
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 | 175,556,485 | 163,788,650 | -11,767,835 |
| Immingham Docks | 98,386,886 | 96,255,108 | -2,131,778 |
| London Gateway Port | 53,508,936 | 41,232,534 | -12,276,402 |
| Southampton | 53,364,739 | 41,039,620 | -12,325,119 |
| Holyhead | 24,807,413 | 20,599,034 | -4,208,379 |
| Felixstowe | 23,811,915 | 18,587,709 | -5,224,206 |
| London | 18,978,584 | 22,358,961 | +3,380,377 |
| Liverpool Docks | 20,468,419 | 11,340,369 | -9,128,050 |
| Dover | 15,047,763 | 13,016,229 | -2,031,534 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 12,483,553 | 11,467,579 | -1,015,974 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3208
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Paints and varnishes made from synthetic or modified natural polymers, dissolved or dispersed in non-water liquids