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 | 21,910,722 |
| Netherlands | 12,431,609 |
| United States | 10,985,320 |
| China | 8,950,286 |
| Italy | 7,726,360 |
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 | 11,750,670 | 10,160,052 | -1,590,618 |
| Netherlands | 6,448,719 | 5,982,890 | -465,829 |
| United States | 5,849,073 | 5,136,247 | -712,826 |
| China | 4,125,563 | 4,824,723 | +699,160 |
| Italy | 4,032,096 | 3,694,264 | -337,832 |
| France | 3,855,327 | 3,278,607 | -576,720 |
| Austria | 1,052,777 | 3,463,042 | +2,410,265 |
| Malaysia | 2,379,858 | 1,992,350 | -387,508 |
| Sweden | 2,163,162 | 1,906,741 | -256,421 |
| South Korea | 1,523,376 | 1,818,132 | +294,756 |
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 | 21,239,652 |
| United States | 12,685,639 |
| Netherlands | 12,505,451 |
| China | 11,463,874 |
| Italy | 8,104,471 |
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 | 11,481,148 | 9,758,504 | -1,722,644 |
| United States | 6,614,109 | 6,071,530 | -542,579 |
| Netherlands | 6,589,828 | 5,915,623 | -674,205 |
| China | 5,377,494 | 6,086,380 | +708,886 |
| Italy | 4,302,002 | 3,802,469 | -499,533 |
| Austria | 1,044,546 | 3,824,871 | +2,780,325 |
| Malaysia | 2,419,564 | 2,147,137 | -272,427 |
| Sweden | 1,995,613 | 1,859,895 | -135,718 |
| South Korea | 1,835,389 | 1,903,684 | +68,295 |
| France | 1,724,896 | 1,328,895 | -396,001 |
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 | 27 |
| 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 | 23 | 17 | -6 |
| Greater Manchester | 19 | 21 | +2 |
| West Yorkshire | 13 | 12 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 10 | 7 | -3 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 12 | 6 | -6 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 9 | 10 | +1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 9 | 9 | +0 |
| Essex | 7 | 7 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 8 | 5 | -3 |
| 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) | 54,959,245 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 26,450,712 |
| Air transport | 16,137,333 |
| Other | 1,006,629 |
| Road transport | 367,587 |
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) | 27,937,049 | 27,022,196 | -914,853 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,442,527 | 13,008,185 | -434,342 |
| Air transport | 7,735,659 | 8,401,674 | +666,015 |
| Other | 599,698 | 406,931 | -192,767 |
| Road transport | 115,493 | 252,094 | +136,601 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 28,734,947 |
| Southampton | 12,029,454 |
| Immingham Docks | 11,154,344 |
| Eurotunnel | 7,256,867 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,004,031 |
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 | 14,094,752 | 14,640,195 | +545,443 |
| Southampton | 6,274,009 | 5,755,445 | -518,564 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,561,849 | 5,592,495 | +30,646 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,493,734 | 3,763,133 | +269,399 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,041,790 | 2,962,241 | -79,549 |
| Thamesport | 2,683,832 | 2,296,717 | -387,115 |
| Felixstowe | 2,485,505 | 2,040,369 | -445,136 |
| London | 1,087,457 | 1,480,530 | +393,073 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,311,292 | 1,205,334 | -105,958 |
| London Stansted Airport | 927,019 | 1,494,651 | +567,632 |
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 | 95 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 74 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 38 |
| Other manufacturing | 19 |
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 13 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 77 |
| 2025-10 | 82 |
| 2025-09 | 84 |
| 2025-08 | 73 |
| 2025-07 | 90 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 116 |
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 111 |
| INTERNATIONAL PAINT LIMITED | 105 |
| SILBERLINE LIMITED | 96 |
| SUN CHEMICAL LIMITED | 89 |
| FUJICHEM SONNEBORN LIMITED | 72 |
| PPG INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED | 70 |
| KYOCERA AVX COMPONENTS LIMITED | 67 |
| ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED | 59 |
| ITW 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 | 123 |
| 54m+ | 97 |
| 15m-54m | 38 |
| 0-1m | 36 |
| Other | 14 |
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 | 13,176,014 |
| Italy | 11,834,659 |
| France | 9,070,032 |
| Poland | 8,432,298 |
| China | 6,746,505 |
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 | 6,198,201 | 6,977,813 | +779,612 |
| Italy | 6,527,665 | 5,306,994 | -1,220,671 |
| France | 5,831,009 | 3,239,023 | -2,591,986 |
| Poland | 5,067,922 | 3,364,376 | -1,703,546 |
| China | 1,715,633 | 5,030,872 | +3,315,239 |
| United States | 2,060,333 | 2,398,837 | +338,504 |
| Ireland | 2,390,156 | 2,061,801 | -328,355 |
| Netherlands | 1,957,512 | 2,382,138 | +424,626 |
| Spain | 1,408,003 | 1,882,352 | +474,349 |
| Belgium | 1,159,870 | 1,137,158 | -22,712 |
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 | 65,371 |
| Ireland | 38,551 |
| XI | 34,882 |
| New Zealand | 18,054 |
| XU | 6,619 |
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 | 36,208 | 29,163 | -7,045 |
| Ireland | 29,120 | 9,431 | -19,689 |
| XI | 13,657 | 21,225 | +7,568 |
| New Zealand | 7,287 | 10,767 | +3,480 |
| XU | 3,077 | 3,542 | +465 |
| Germany | 958 | 3,269 | +2,311 |
| Italy | 625 | 1,364 | +739 |
| France | 0 | 538 | +538 |
| Canada | 0 | 301 | +301 |
| Belgium | 14 | 103 | +89 |
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) | 59,001,594 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,924,052 |
| Air transport | 18,174,868 |
| Road transport | 198,768 |
| Other | 170,665 |
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) | 30,907,607 | 28,093,987 | -2,813,620 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,548,498 | 9,375,554 | -1,172,944 |
| Air transport | 6,892,555 | 11,282,313 | +4,389,758 |
| Road transport | 198,768 | 0 | -198,768 |
| Other | 90,946 | 79,719 | -11,227 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 47,988,382 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 9,252,985 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,701,288 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,732,235 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 4,690,739 |
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 | 25,253,144 | 22,735,238 | -2,517,906 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,875,235 | 6,377,750 | +3,502,515 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,427,538 | 3,273,750 | -153,788 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,797,996 | 2,934,239 | +136,243 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 2,617,443 | 2,073,296 | -544,147 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,678,049 | 2,028,619 | +350,570 |
| Southampton | 1,464,769 | 1,650,895 | +186,126 |
| Holyhead | 1,577,816 | 1,301,853 | -275,963 |
| ZLC | 1,033,418 | 1,365,514 | +332,096 |
| Felixstowe | 832,135 | 1,278,692 | +446,557 |
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