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 | 55,275,694 |
| Ireland | 10,243,076 |
| Netherlands | 7,514,106 |
| Sweden | 4,243,388 |
| Turkey | 4,108,137 |
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 | 25,180,717 | 30,094,977 | +4,914,260 |
| Ireland | 5,424,240 | 4,818,836 | -605,404 |
| Netherlands | 3,752,030 | 3,762,076 | +10,046 |
| Sweden | 2,390,523 | 1,852,865 | -537,658 |
| Turkey | 2,205,429 | 1,902,708 | -302,721 |
| Poland | 1,584,487 | 1,132,483 | -452,004 |
| Romania | 776,710 | 904,827 | +128,117 |
| Germany | 772,259 | 612,110 | -160,149 |
| Spain | 713,776 | 585,849 | -127,927 |
| India | 581,818 | 652,498 | +70,680 |
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 | 55,949,734 |
| Netherlands | 6,770,476 |
| Ireland | 6,471,195 |
| Turkey | 4,248,397 |
| Sweden | 4,156,669 |
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 | 25,637,185 | 30,312,549 | +4,675,364 |
| Netherlands | 3,488,061 | 3,282,415 | -205,646 |
| Ireland | 3,295,344 | 3,175,851 | -119,493 |
| Turkey | 2,403,130 | 1,845,267 | -557,863 |
| Sweden | 2,303,804 | 1,852,865 | -450,939 |
| Poland | 1,650,677 | 1,467,832 | -182,845 |
| Romania | 835,858 | 928,295 | +92,437 |
| United States | 924,483 | 417,764 | -506,719 |
| India | 647,314 | 609,816 | -37,498 |
| Czechia | 614,143 | 600,087 | -14,056 |
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 | 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 | 9 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 6 | 9 | +3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 6 | 5 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| 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 | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| 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) | 69,117,381 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 21,744,038 |
| Other | 4,415,827 |
| Air transport | 1,091,922 |
| 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) | 32,922,386 | 36,194,995 | +3,272,609 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 11,318,628 | 10,425,410 | -893,218 |
| Other | 2,333,424 | 2,082,403 | -251,021 |
| Air transport | 491,516 | 600,406 | +108,890 |
| 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 | 49,093,839 |
| Immingham Docks | 11,664,269 |
| Felixstowe | 11,236,708 |
| Dover | 4,733,749 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,434,440 |
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 | 21,727,497 | 27,366,342 | +5,638,845 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,352,783 | 5,311,486 | -1,041,297 |
| Felixstowe | 5,924,468 | 5,312,240 | -612,228 |
| Dover | 2,799,872 | 1,933,877 | -865,995 |
| Liverpool Docks | 2,051,261 | 2,383,179 | +331,918 |
| 000 | 2,332,725 | 2,043,464 | -289,261 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,832,050 | 887,713 | -944,337 |
| Holyhead | 1,404,486 | 379,022 | -1,025,464 |
| Harwich | 528,894 | 440,179 | -88,715 |
| Thamesport | 430,154 | 450,406 | +20,252 |
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 | 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+ | 32 |
| 15m-54m | 21 |
| 0-1m | 9 |
| 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 | 9,172,839 |
| Spain | 6,402,260 |
| Netherlands | 6,122,140 |
| United States | 5,113,748 |
| Germany | 5,080,667 |
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 | 4,653,223 | 4,519,616 | -133,607 |
| Spain | 3,209,835 | 3,192,425 | -17,410 |
| Netherlands | 3,628,343 | 2,493,797 | -1,134,546 |
| United States | 2,836,157 | 2,277,591 | -558,566 |
| Germany | 3,049,160 | 2,031,507 | -1,017,653 |
| Australia | 3,229,608 | 1,636,055 | -1,593,553 |
| Portugal | 2,016,926 | 1,634,024 | -382,902 |
| France | 1,340,905 | 1,448,281 | +107,376 |
| Saudi Arabia | 921,200 | 1,534,048 | +612,848 |
| New Zealand | 668,807 | 1,071,007 | +402,200 |
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 | 201,045 |
| Netherlands | 135,044 |
| Sweden | 29,098 |
| XI | 17,238 |
| China | 7,103 |
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 | 112,153 | 88,892 | -23,261 |
| Netherlands | 16,210 | 118,834 | +102,624 |
| Sweden | 17,698 | 11,400 | -6,298 |
| XI | 10,676 | 6,562 | -4,114 |
| China | 6,671 | 432 | -6,239 |
| United Arab Emirates | 345 | 2,024 | +1,679 |
| Belgium | 871 | 530 | -341 |
| Germany | 852 | 6 | -846 |
| 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) | 34,337,852 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,627,829 |
| Air transport | 3,267,130 |
| Other | 450,969 |
| 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) | 17,539,612 | 16,798,240 | -741,372 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,538,717 | 8,089,112 | -3,449,605 |
| Air transport | 1,772,086 | 1,495,044 | -277,042 |
| Other | 196,948 | 254,021 | +57,073 |
| 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 | 17,752,546 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 15,976,891 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,143,068 |
| Southampton | 4,847,063 |
| Felixstowe | 3,258,993 |
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 | 9,342,672 | 8,409,874 | -932,798 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,984,496 | 7,992,395 | +7,899 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,127,732 | 3,015,336 | +887,604 |
| Southampton | 2,710,850 | 2,136,213 | -574,637 |
| Felixstowe | 2,624,994 | 633,999 | -1,990,995 |
| East Midlands Airport | 943,714 | 1,094,853 | +151,139 |
| Liverpool Docks | 781,284 | 912,594 | +131,310 |
| Newhaven | 899,261 | 182,115 | -717,146 |
| Eurotunnel | 682,133 | 331,195 | -350,938 |
| Middlesbrough | 622,871 | 350,976 | -271,895 |
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