Import/export HS code 3212: Pigments and dyes for paints and retail sale
Pigments, metallic powders, and dyes in liquid or paste form for making paints. Includes stamping foils and retail-packaged coloring products
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 | 21,768,129 |
| Netherlands | 12,558,910 |
| United States | 10,937,576 |
| China | 9,509,132 |
| Italy | 7,759,042 |
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 | 11,661,661 | 10,106,468 | -1,555,193 |
| Netherlands | 6,499,307 | 6,059,603 | -439,704 |
| United States | 5,698,835 | 5,238,741 | -460,094 |
| China | 4,161,958 | 5,347,174 | +1,185,216 |
| Italy | 4,038,536 | 3,720,506 | -318,030 |
| France | 3,726,101 | 3,219,851 | -506,250 |
| Austria | 1,283,926 | 3,229,053 | +1,945,127 |
| Malaysia | 2,431,500 | 2,022,922 | -408,578 |
| Sweden | 2,200,979 | 1,726,758 | -474,221 |
| South Korea | 1,643,614 | 1,815,278 | +171,664 |
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 | 21,124,621 |
| United States | 12,641,930 |
| Netherlands | 12,534,091 |
| China | 11,998,437 |
| Italy | 8,102,580 |
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 | 11,542,651 | 9,581,970 | -1,960,681 |
| United States | 6,480,005 | 6,161,925 | -318,080 |
| Netherlands | 6,556,160 | 5,977,931 | -578,229 |
| China | 5,444,843 | 6,553,594 | +1,108,751 |
| Italy | 4,240,251 | 3,862,329 | -377,922 |
| Austria | 1,327,421 | 3,551,700 | +2,224,279 |
| Malaysia | 2,479,322 | 2,178,226 | -301,096 |
| South Korea | 1,942,113 | 1,979,364 | +37,251 |
| Sweden | 2,036,726 | 1,678,538 | -358,188 |
| France | 1,650,704 | 1,382,663 | -268,041 |
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 | 28 |
| Greater Manchester | 26 |
| West Yorkshire | 16 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 13 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 13 |
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 | 24 | 16 | -8 |
| Greater Manchester | 20 | 20 | +0 |
| West Yorkshire | 14 | 12 | -2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 11 | 6 | -5 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 12 | 7 | -5 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 9 | 10 | +1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 8 | 9 | +1 |
| Essex | 7 | 7 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 8 | 6 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 | 8 | +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) | 54,775,075 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 26,471,297 |
| Air transport | 16,775,371 |
| Other | 944,440 |
| Road transport | 410,074 |
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) | 28,247,328 | 26,527,747 | -1,719,581 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,380,358 | 13,090,939 | -289,419 |
| Air transport | 7,808,000 | 8,967,371 | +1,159,371 |
| Other | 569,379 | 375,061 | -194,318 |
| Road transport | 119,247 | 290,827 | +171,580 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 28,678,767 |
| Southampton | 12,002,408 |
| Immingham Docks | 11,240,215 |
| Eurotunnel | 7,174,392 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,136,841 |
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 | 14,370,750 | 14,308,017 | -62,733 |
| Southampton | 6,215,038 | 5,787,370 | -427,668 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,649,354 | 5,590,861 | -58,493 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,595,118 | 3,579,274 | -15,844 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,098,116 | 3,038,725 | -59,391 |
| Thamesport | 2,674,692 | 2,338,680 | -336,012 |
| Felixstowe | 2,532,213 | 2,005,349 | -526,864 |
| London Stansted Airport | 878,599 | 1,880,554 | +1,001,955 |
| London | 1,076,076 | 1,473,714 | +397,638 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,317,162 | 1,192,808 | -124,354 |
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 | 94 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 75 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 38 |
| Other manufacturing | 18 |
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 13 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 79 |
| 2025-11 | 77 |
| 2025-10 | 82 |
| 2025-09 | 84 |
| 2025-08 | 73 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 117 |
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 112 |
| INTERNATIONAL PAINT LIMITED | 106 |
| SILBERLINE LIMITED | 96 |
| SUN CHEMICAL LIMITED | 90 |
| FUJICHEM SONNEBORN LIMITED | 73 |
| PPG INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED | 70 |
| KYOCERA AVX COMPONENTS LIMITED | 68 |
| ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED | 60 |
| BAXTER HEALTHCARE LIMITED | 57 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 120 |
| 54m+ | 99 |
| 15m-54m | 39 |
| 0-1m | 38 |
| Other | 13 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 13,141,064 |
| Italy | 11,536,664 |
| France | 8,541,680 |
| Poland | 8,393,487 |
| China | 6,748,739 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 6,330,992 | 6,810,072 | +479,080 |
| Italy | 6,481,878 | 5,054,786 | -1,427,092 |
| France | 5,376,432 | 3,165,248 | -2,211,184 |
| Poland | 4,877,651 | 3,515,836 | -1,361,815 |
| China | 2,009,186 | 4,739,553 | +2,730,367 |
| Ireland | 2,492,331 | 2,002,954 | -489,377 |
| Netherlands | 2,167,711 | 2,314,226 | +146,515 |
| United States | 2,077,031 | 2,365,421 | +288,390 |
| Spain | 1,508,168 | 1,843,560 | +335,392 |
| Belgium | 1,238,648 | 1,034,094 | -204,554 |
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 | 65,236 |
| XI | 40,042 |
| Ireland | 38,025 |
| New Zealand | 18,054 |
| Germany | 4,879 |
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 | 35,640 | 29,596 | -6,044 |
| XI | 12,620 | 27,422 | +14,802 |
| Ireland | 29,499 | 8,526 | -20,973 |
| New Zealand | 7,287 | 10,767 | +3,480 |
| Germany | 1,252 | 3,627 | +2,375 |
| Italy | 625 | 1,364 | +739 |
| France | 0 | 538 | +538 |
| Canada | 0 | 301 | +301 |
| Belgium | 28 | 89 | +61 |
| Denmark | 0 | 16 | +16 |
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) | 58,067,965 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,581,090 |
| Air transport | 18,308,707 |
| Other | 175,609 |
| Road transport | 158,720 |
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) | 30,690,177 | 27,377,788 | -3,312,389 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,093,281 | 9,487,809 | -605,472 |
| Air transport | 7,288,104 | 11,020,603 | +3,732,499 |
| Other | 90,020 | 85,589 | -4,431 |
| Road transport | 158,720 | 0 | -158,720 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 46,721,496 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 9,221,578 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,945,253 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,731,523 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 4,606,747 |
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 | 24,638,148 | 22,083,348 | -2,554,800 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,123,156 | 6,098,422 | +2,975,266 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,671,706 | 3,273,547 | -398,159 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,865,117 | 2,866,406 | +1,289 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 2,432,912 | 2,173,835 | -259,077 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,714,399 | 1,971,220 | +256,821 |
| Southampton | 1,317,886 | 1,689,344 | +371,458 |
| Holyhead | 1,583,392 | 1,334,868 | -248,524 |
| ZLC | 1,099,845 | 1,446,423 | +346,578 |
| Felixstowe | 827,167 | 1,300,493 | +473,326 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3212
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Pigments, metallic powders, and dyes in liquid or paste form for making paints. Includes stamping foils and retail-packaged coloring products