Import/export HS code 36: Explosives and Fireworks
Includes items like explosives, fireworks, matches, and other flammable materials
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 55,004,685 |
| Ireland | 10,159,904 |
| Netherlands | 7,391,875 |
| Sweden | 4,427,735 |
| Turkey | 4,197,136 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 25,042,868 | 29,961,817 | +4,918,949 |
| Ireland | 6,369,720 | 3,790,184 | -2,579,536 |
| Netherlands | 3,747,273 | 3,644,602 | -102,671 |
| Sweden | 2,567,245 | 1,860,490 | -706,755 |
| Turkey | 2,264,299 | 1,932,837 | -331,462 |
| Poland | 1,458,414 | 1,231,294 | -227,120 |
| Romania | 707,770 | 974,983 | +267,213 |
| Germany | 677,814 | 762,522 | +84,708 |
| Spain | 676,036 | 621,772 | -54,264 |
| India | 581,242 | 671,436 | +90,194 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 55,680,119 |
| Netherlands | 6,675,466 |
| Ireland | 6,568,820 |
| Turkey | 4,427,989 |
| Sweden | 4,341,011 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 25,486,521 | 30,193,598 | +4,707,077 |
| Netherlands | 3,487,821 | 3,187,645 | -300,176 |
| Ireland | 4,112,437 | 2,456,383 | -1,656,054 |
| Turkey | 2,462,000 | 1,965,989 | -496,011 |
| Sweden | 2,480,521 | 1,860,490 | -620,031 |
| Poland | 1,511,958 | 1,580,079 | +68,121 |
| Romania | 766,918 | 974,983 | +208,065 |
| United States | 895,374 | 475,214 | -420,160 |
| Czechia | 623,324 | 653,492 | +30,168 |
| India | 646,738 | 628,754 | -17,984 |
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 | 13 |
| Inner London - West | 12 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 7 |
| Greater Manchester | 7 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 7 |
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 | 10 | 9 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 7 | 10 | +3 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 1 | 5 | +4 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Kent | 4 | 2 | -2 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 69,005,442 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 21,866,008 |
| Other | 4,203,072 |
| Air transport | 1,127,258 |
| Road transport | 15,055 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 32,944,251 | 36,061,191 | +3,116,940 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 11,831,843 | 10,034,165 | -1,797,678 |
| Other | 2,441,200 | 1,761,872 | -679,328 |
| Air transport | 498,894 | 628,364 | +129,470 |
| Road transport | 15,055 | 0 | -15,055 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 48,539,480 |
| Immingham Docks | 11,805,618 |
| Felixstowe | 11,521,854 |
| Dover | 4,769,333 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,656,294 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 21,443,680 | 27,095,800 | +5,652,120 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,489,577 | 5,316,041 | -1,173,536 |
| Felixstowe | 6,094,432 | 5,427,422 | -667,010 |
| Dover | 2,538,921 | 2,230,412 | -308,509 |
| Liverpool Docks | 2,892,404 | 1,763,890 | -1,128,514 |
| 000 | 2,440,288 | 1,741,481 | -698,807 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,804,874 | 911,344 | -893,530 |
| Holyhead | 1,404,486 | 379,022 | -1,025,464 |
| Harwich | 505,589 | 480,004 | -25,585 |
| Thamesport | 441,597 | 388,072 | -53,525 |
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 | 58 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 26 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 6 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 4 |
| Other manufacturing | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 15 |
| 2025-10 | 18 |
| 2025-09 | 17 |
| 2025-08 | 13 |
| 2025-07 | 16 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| UNIQUE UK, INC. | 86 |
| PREEMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 62 |
| NISBETS LIMITED | 59 |
| TALKING TABLES LIMITED | 55 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 47 |
| LUMEA LTD | 43 |
| ASTROLUXE LIMITED | 41 |
| HENBRANDT LIMITED | 38 |
| ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED | 31 |
| VESTEY FOODS UK LIMITED | 31 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 50 |
| 54m+ | 32 |
| 15m-54m | 19 |
| 0-1m | 10 |
| Other | 9 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 9,172,358 |
| Spain | 6,482,890 |
| Netherlands | 6,187,695 |
| United States | 5,213,728 |
| Germany | 5,119,116 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 4,592,591 | 4,579,767 | -12,824 |
| Spain | 3,294,684 | 3,188,206 | -106,478 |
| Netherlands | 3,673,201 | 2,514,494 | -1,158,707 |
| United States | 2,798,424 | 2,415,304 | -383,120 |
| Germany | 3,059,892 | 2,059,224 | -1,000,668 |
| Australia | 3,072,596 | 1,885,937 | -1,186,659 |
| Portugal | 2,003,314 | 1,645,167 | -358,147 |
| France | 1,408,907 | 1,360,170 | -48,737 |
| Saudi Arabia | 889,986 | 1,415,711 | +525,725 |
| New Zealand | 576,217 | 1,074,009 | +497,792 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 202,757 |
| Netherlands | 135,102 |
| XU | 35,979 |
| Sweden | 29,301 |
| XI | 17,728 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 97,740 | 105,017 | +7,277 |
| Netherlands | 23,569 | 111,533 | +87,964 |
| XU | 18,017 | 17,962 | -55 |
| Sweden | 16,055 | 13,246 | -2,809 |
| XI | 11,050 | 6,678 | -4,372 |
| China | 10,509 | 506 | -10,003 |
| QV | 1,949 | 2,580 | +631 |
| United Arab Emirates | 345 | 2,024 | +1,679 |
| Belgium | 1,112 | 659 | -453 |
| Germany | 852 | 6 | -846 |
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) | 33,674,177 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 20,958,662 |
| Air transport | 3,151,951 |
| Other | 457,891 |
| Rail transport | 9,415 |
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) | 16,744,668 | 16,929,509 | +184,841 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,382,882 | 8,575,780 | -3,807,102 |
| Air transport | 1,793,006 | 1,358,945 | -434,061 |
| Other | 192,076 | 265,815 | +73,739 |
| Rail transport | 9,415 | 0 | -9,415 |
| Road transport | 5,627 | 0 | -5,627 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 16,627,224 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 15,816,676 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,017,688 |
| Southampton | 4,900,921 |
| Felixstowe | 3,368,071 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 8,421,728 | 8,205,496 | -216,232 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,725,906 | 8,090,770 | +364,864 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,074,174 | 2,943,514 | +869,340 |
| Southampton | 2,414,405 | 2,486,516 | +72,111 |
| Felixstowe | 2,595,148 | 772,923 | -1,822,225 |
| East Midlands Airport | 968,339 | 1,012,292 | +43,953 |
| Liverpool Docks | 980,574 | 968,809 | -11,765 |
| Newhaven | 1,169,085 | 231,153 | -937,932 |
| Eurotunnel | 956,556 | 327,578 | -628,978 |
| Middlesbrough | 683,682 | 371,348 | -312,334 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 36
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes items like explosives, fireworks, matches, and other flammable materials