Import/export HS code 3403: Lubricating preparations
Lubricants for machinery, textiles, leather, and other materials, excluding those with 70% or more petroleum oils
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 | 86,575,449 |
| Belgium | 71,987,828 |
| Netherlands | 68,940,969 |
| United States | 34,865,740 |
| France | 33,896,249 |
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 | 43,923,209 | 42,652,240 | -1,270,969 |
| Belgium | 34,525,698 | 37,462,130 | +2,936,432 |
| Netherlands | 39,056,632 | 29,884,337 | -9,172,295 |
| United States | 18,114,623 | 16,751,117 | -1,363,506 |
| France | 19,405,611 | 14,490,638 | -4,914,973 |
| Switzerland | 5,729,510 | 4,170,054 | -1,559,456 |
| Spain | 4,494,759 | 4,480,958 | -13,801 |
| Italy | 3,288,868 | 3,666,925 | +378,057 |
| Denmark | 1,625,276 | 1,686,658 | +61,382 |
| Japan | 1,721,871 | 1,056,435 | -665,436 |
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 | 77,602,083 |
| United States | 68,385,124 |
| France | 53,267,624 |
| Netherlands | 45,355,147 |
| Belgium | 44,252,184 |
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 | 39,338,043 | 38,264,040 | -1,074,003 |
| United States | 36,630,550 | 31,754,574 | -4,875,976 |
| France | 26,473,708 | 26,793,916 | +320,208 |
| Netherlands | 25,795,937 | 19,559,210 | -6,236,727 |
| Belgium | 23,376,022 | 20,876,162 | -2,499,860 |
| Spain | 6,028,710 | 5,171,411 | -857,299 |
| Italy | 4,258,572 | 4,507,391 | +248,819 |
| Switzerland | 3,518,184 | 3,641,450 | +123,266 |
| Japan | 2,436,335 | 1,887,952 | -548,383 |
| Denmark | 1,710,061 | 1,581,701 | -128,360 |
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 | 83 |
| Inner London - West | 57 |
| Greater Manchester | 53 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 49 |
| West Yorkshire | 49 |
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 | 69 | 54 | -15 |
| Inner London - West | 41 | 43 | +2 |
| Greater Manchester | 45 | 41 | -4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 37 | 34 | -3 |
| West Yorkshire | 35 | 37 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 36 | 38 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 35 | 30 | -5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 28 | 28 | +0 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 30 | 20 | -10 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 24 | 27 | +3 |
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) | 222,108,813 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 76,503,435 |
| Air transport | 26,994,415 |
| Other | 12,688,535 |
| Road transport | 3,533,805 |
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) | 115,224,187 | 106,884,626 | -8,339,561 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 40,204,322 | 36,299,113 | -3,905,209 |
| Air transport | 14,194,305 | 12,800,110 | -1,394,195 |
| Other | 7,427,626 | 5,260,909 | -2,166,717 |
| Road transport | 1,552,549 | 1,981,256 | +428,707 |
| Rail transport | 243,852 | 120,074 | -123,778 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 74,127,249 |
| Immingham Docks | 58,948,295 |
| Eurotunnel | 32,937,673 |
| Felixstowe | 27,779,569 |
| London | 18,964,737 |
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 | 38,448,243 | 35,679,006 | -2,769,237 |
| Immingham Docks | 30,336,901 | 28,611,394 | -1,725,507 |
| Eurotunnel | 16,967,943 | 15,969,730 | -998,213 |
| Felixstowe | 16,906,539 | 10,873,030 | -6,033,509 |
| London | 9,742,635 | 9,222,102 | -520,533 |
| Portsmouth | 6,382,009 | 7,184,537 | +802,528 |
| Harwich | 5,486,135 | 7,517,105 | +2,030,970 |
| 000 | 7,427,626 | 5,260,909 | -2,166,717 |
| Southampton | 5,385,685 | 5,992,692 | +607,007 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,608,145 | 3,148,027 | -460,118 |
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 | 264 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 71 |
| Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 67 |
| Other manufacturing | 58 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 55 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 248 |
| 2025-10 | 260 |
| 2025-09 | 239 |
| 2025-08 | 230 |
| 2025-07 | 279 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| AEROSPHERES (UK) LIMITED | 117 |
| SIL-MID LIMITED | 112 |
| JEMTECH (UK) LIMITED | 109 |
| WESCO AIRCRAFT EMEA, LTD. | 103 |
| METAL IMPROVEMENT COMPANY LLC | 101 |
| WOOLBRO (DISTRIBUTION) LIMITED | 101 |
| BRITISH AIRWAYS PLC | 100 |
| SOLUTIA UK LIMITED | 99 |
| H.K. WENTWORTH LIMITED | 83 |
| THE LYCRA COMPANY UK LIMITED | 81 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 447 |
| 1m-15m | 266 |
| Other | 96 |
| 15m-54m | 90 |
| 0-1m | 71 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 29,850,458 |
| Germany | 24,106,561 |
| India | 21,322,702 |
| Turkey | 21,210,067 |
| Singapore | 21,141,159 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 14,509,221 | 15,341,237 | +832,016 |
| Germany | 11,585,761 | 12,520,800 | +935,039 |
| India | 11,362,948 | 9,959,754 | -1,403,194 |
| Turkey | 11,996,252 | 9,213,815 | -2,782,437 |
| Singapore | 12,440,510 | 8,700,649 | -3,739,861 |
| United States | 10,870,809 | 9,734,865 | -1,135,944 |
| Ireland | 9,575,566 | 9,623,279 | +47,713 |
| United Arab Emirates | 10,383,336 | 6,472,900 | -3,910,436 |
| Saudi Arabia | 9,679,651 | 6,600,256 | -3,079,395 |
| Netherlands | 7,529,966 | 8,675,878 | +1,145,912 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XU | 621,459 |
| Germany | 494,425 |
| XI | 234,001 |
| Ireland | 146,394 |
| Denmark | 127,492 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XU | 352,149 | 269,310 | -82,839 |
| Germany | 233,653 | 260,772 | +27,119 |
| XI | 109,065 | 124,936 | +15,871 |
| Ireland | 68,424 | 77,970 | +9,546 |
| Denmark | 63,775 | 63,717 | -58 |
| China | 21,854 | 38,154 | +16,300 |
| Austria | 16,043 | 38,980 | +22,937 |
| Netherlands | 26,585 | 23,480 | -3,105 |
| France | 13,031 | 20,790 | +7,759 |
| Belgium | 10,188 | 19,008 | +8,820 |
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) | 195,839,692 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 185,809,662 |
| Air transport | 42,582,264 |
| Other | 1,882,406 |
| Road transport | 134,866 |
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) | 99,894,727 | 95,944,965 | -3,949,762 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 108,289,144 | 77,520,518 | -30,768,626 |
| Air transport | 17,184,025 | 25,398,239 | +8,214,214 |
| Other | 936,766 | 945,640 | +8,874 |
| Road transport | 116,811 | 18,055 | -98,756 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 135,348,634 |
| London Gateway Port | 90,409,464 |
| Immingham Docks | 39,723,168 |
| Southampton | 31,319,983 |
| Felixstowe | 30,679,544 |
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 | 73,887,620 | 61,461,014 | -12,426,606 |
| London Gateway Port | 51,154,828 | 39,254,636 | -11,900,192 |
| Immingham Docks | 17,324,217 | 22,398,951 | +5,074,734 |
| Southampton | 15,912,182 | 15,407,801 | -504,381 |
| Felixstowe | 22,147,626 | 8,531,918 | -13,615,708 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 8,912,323 | 16,016,561 | +7,104,238 |
| Liverpool Docks | 8,332,661 | 11,201,309 | +2,868,648 |
| Holyhead | 6,221,644 | 5,756,842 | -464,802 |
| East Midlands Airport | 3,541,124 | 3,737,655 | +196,531 |
| Dover | 3,808,350 | 3,077,092 | -731,258 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3403
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Lubricants for machinery, textiles, leather, and other materials, excluding those with 70% or more petroleum oils