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 | 54,566,856 |
| Ireland | 9,833,332 |
| Netherlands | 7,159,944 |
| Turkey | 4,016,274 |
| Sweden | 3,980,807 |
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 | 24,774,070 | 29,792,786 | +5,018,716 |
| Ireland | 5,185,231 | 4,648,101 | -537,130 |
| Netherlands | 3,758,813 | 3,401,131 | -357,682 |
| Turkey | 2,209,254 | 1,807,020 | -402,234 |
| Sweden | 2,409,694 | 1,571,113 | -838,581 |
| Poland | 1,478,222 | 1,080,324 | -397,898 |
| Romania | 836,707 | 786,436 | -50,271 |
| Germany | 710,643 | 605,234 | -105,409 |
| Spain | 713,749 | 585,849 | -127,900 |
| India | 642,457 | 548,474 | -93,983 |
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 | 55,207,203 |
| Netherlands | 6,443,752 |
| Ireland | 6,308,959 |
| Turkey | 4,188,023 |
| Sweden | 3,894,088 |
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 | 25,227,523 | 29,979,680 | +4,752,157 |
| Netherlands | 3,486,350 | 2,957,402 | -528,948 |
| Ireland | 3,133,108 | 3,175,851 | +42,743 |
| Turkey | 2,440,055 | 1,747,968 | -692,087 |
| Sweden | 2,322,975 | 1,571,113 | -751,862 |
| Poland | 1,547,259 | 1,404,274 | -142,985 |
| Romania | 895,855 | 809,904 | -85,951 |
| United States | 874,288 | 413,654 | -460,634 |
| India | 707,953 | 505,792 | -202,161 |
| Czechia | 659,216 | 498,041 | -161,175 |
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 | 12 |
| Inner London - West | 11 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 9 |
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 6 |
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 | 7 | -3 |
| Inner London - West | 6 | 9 | +3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 6 | 6 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 | 5 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 3 | 6 | +3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| West Yorkshire | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Inner London - East | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Kent | 3 | 2 | -1 |
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) | 67,848,241 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 20,977,027 |
| Other | 4,136,647 |
| Air transport | 1,086,771 |
| Road transport | 8,332 |
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) | 32,800,616 | 35,047,625 | +2,247,009 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 11,218,674 | 9,758,353 | -1,460,321 |
| Other | 2,256,428 | 1,880,219 | -376,209 |
| Air transport | 517,717 | 569,054 | +51,337 |
| Road transport | 8,332 | 0 | -8,332 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 49,076,424 |
| Immingham Docks | 11,086,746 |
| Felixstowe | 10,396,230 |
| Dover | 4,510,263 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,218,822 |
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 | 22,006,356 | 27,070,068 | +5,063,712 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,377,615 | 4,709,131 | -1,668,484 |
| Felixstowe | 5,578,881 | 4,817,349 | -761,532 |
| Dover | 2,777,607 | 1,732,656 | -1,044,951 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,835,643 | 2,383,179 | +547,536 |
| 000 | 2,255,156 | 1,841,906 | -413,250 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,857,390 | 862,373 | -995,017 |
| Holyhead | 1,404,486 | 379,022 | -1,025,464 |
| Harwich | 497,590 | 425,901 | -71,689 |
| Thamesport | 403,051 | 426,076 | +23,025 |
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 | 25 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 5 |
| Other manufacturing | 5 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 15 |
| 2025-11 | 15 |
| 2025-10 | 18 |
| 2025-09 | 17 |
| 2025-08 | 13 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| UNIQUE UK, INC. | 87 |
| PREEMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 62 |
| NISBETS LIMITED | 59 |
| TALKING TABLES LIMITED | 55 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 47 |
| LUMEA LTD | 43 |
| ASTROLUXE LIMITED | 42 |
| HENBRANDT LIMITED | 38 |
| ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED | 32 |
| VESTEY FOODS UK LIMITED | 32 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 48 |
| 54m+ | 30 |
| 15m-54m | 21 |
| 0-1m | 9 |
| Other | 8 |
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 | 9,017,021 |
| Spain | 6,109,761 |
| Netherlands | 5,680,388 |
| United States | 4,895,416 |
| Germany | 4,700,613 |
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 | 4,803,738 | 4,213,283 | -590,455 |
| Spain | 3,439,525 | 2,670,236 | -769,289 |
| Netherlands | 3,430,829 | 2,249,559 | -1,181,270 |
| United States | 2,803,434 | 2,091,982 | -711,452 |
| Germany | 2,853,296 | 1,847,317 | -1,005,979 |
| Australia | 3,096,437 | 1,084,989 | -2,011,448 |
| Portugal | 2,006,120 | 1,374,859 | -631,261 |
| France | 1,450,118 | 1,267,518 | -182,600 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,079,079 | 1,376,169 | +297,090 |
| New Zealand | 606,876 | 986,285 | +379,409 |
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 | 195,027 |
| Netherlands | 132,288 |
| Sweden | 26,458 |
| XI | 16,403 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2,369 |
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 | 121,144 | 73,883 | -47,261 |
| Netherlands | 15,628 | 116,660 | +101,032 |
| Sweden | 16,791 | 9,667 | -7,124 |
| XI | 10,936 | 5,467 | -5,469 |
| United Arab Emirates | 915 | 1,454 | +539 |
| Belgium | 871 | 530 | -341 |
| China | 730 | 370 | -360 |
| Germany | 858 | 0 | -858 |
| Turkey | 7 | 0 | -7 |
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) | 33,191,512 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 17,607,658 |
| Air transport | 2,963,594 |
| Other | 428,761 |
| 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) | 18,272,130 | 14,919,382 | -3,352,748 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,687,593 | 6,920,065 | -3,767,528 |
| Air transport | 1,540,483 | 1,423,111 | -117,372 |
| Other | 196,719 | 232,042 | +35,323 |
| Rail transport | 9,415 | 0 | -9,415 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 17,183,644 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 15,218,229 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,105,950 |
| Southampton | 4,709,844 |
| Felixstowe | 2,447,361 |
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 | 9,382,847 | 7,800,797 | -1,582,050 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,383,659 | 6,834,570 | -1,549,089 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,275,811 | 2,830,139 | +554,328 |
| Southampton | 3,224,887 | 1,484,957 | -1,739,930 |
| Felixstowe | 1,898,084 | 549,277 | -1,348,807 |
| East Midlands Airport | 956,920 | 1,034,711 | +77,791 |
| Liverpool Docks | 764,498 | 853,290 | +88,792 |
| Eurotunnel | 708,538 | 248,799 | -459,739 |
| Newhaven | 737,339 | 182,115 | -555,224 |
| Middlesbrough | 603,991 | 272,638 | -331,353 |
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