Import/export HS code 3605: Matches
Regular matches used for lighting fires, not including pyrotechnic items like fireworks
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 4,339,872 |
| China | 1,534,463 |
| India | 1,163,981 |
| Belgium | 364,764 |
| Poland | 142,147 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2,480,569 | 1,859,303 | -621,266 |
| China | 802,876 | 731,587 | -71,289 |
| India | 524,052 | 639,929 | +115,877 |
| Belgium | 200,993 | 163,771 | -37,222 |
| Poland | 86,648 | 55,499 | -31,149 |
| Hungary | 62,774 | 68,247 | +5,473 |
| Turkey | 62,158 | 38,324 | -23,834 |
| Germany | 51,558 | 27,445 | -24,113 |
| France | 20,903 | 45,133 | +24,230 |
| United States | 30,018 | 34,362 | +4,344 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 4,339,824 |
| China | 1,659,190 |
| India | 1,121,299 |
| Poland | 338,194 |
| United Kingdom | 199,835 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2,480,521 | 1,859,303 | -621,218 |
| China | 810,728 | 848,462 | +37,734 |
| India | 524,052 | 597,247 | +73,195 |
| Poland | 174,392 | 163,802 | -10,590 |
| United Kingdom | 130,209 | 69,626 | -60,583 |
| Hungary | 75,128 | 74,882 | -246 |
| Turkey | 67,391 | 71,476 | +4,085 |
| Germany | 44,207 | 11,426 | -32,781 |
| United States | 26,047 | 5,623 | -20,424 |
| Italy | 14,093 | 4,958 | -9,135 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 9 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 |
| Inner London - East | 3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 3 |
| Merseyside | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 6 | 8 | +2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Merseyside | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 0 | 1 | +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) | 6,604,479 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,164,630 |
| Air transport | 277,065 |
| Other | 48,444 |
| 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) | 3,667,094 | 2,937,385 | -729,709 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 517,201 | 647,429 | +130,228 |
| Air transport | 160,220 | 116,845 | -43,375 |
| Other | 29,518 | 18,926 | -10,592 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 4,345,993 |
| Felixstowe | 1,431,393 |
| London Gateway Port | 907,804 |
| Dover | 317,747 |
| Southampton | 221,040 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 2,484,627 | 1,861,366 | -623,261 |
| Felixstowe | 790,652 | 640,741 | -149,911 |
| London Gateway Port | 423,108 | 484,696 | +61,588 |
| Dover | 174,935 | 142,812 | -32,123 |
| Southampton | 29,532 | 191,508 | +161,976 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 135,338 | 70,540 | -64,798 |
| Eurotunnel | 29,249 | 88,301 | +59,052 |
| Belfast Port | 69,751 | 19,656 | -50,095 |
| Thamesport | 36,751 | 49,410 | +12,659 |
| East Midlands Airport | 67,736 | 14,781 | -52,955 |
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 | 13 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 10 |
| Other manufacturing | 3 |
| Accommodation | 2 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-10 | 11 |
| 2025-09 | 6 |
| 2025-08 | 3 |
| 2025-07 | 4 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED | 31 |
| VESTEY FOODS UK LIMITED | 29 |
| SAINT GERMAIN LIMITED | 21 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 20 |
| DHIMAN ENTERPRISES LIMITED | 19 |
| SURVITEC GROUP LIMITED | 18 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 15 |
| ARCHIVIST LIMITED | 14 |
| KOMBAT UK LIMITED | 12 |
| TALKING TABLES LIMITED | 8 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 12 |
| 54m+ | 10 |
| 15m-54m | 4 |
| 0-1m | 3 |
| Other | 3 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,333,098 |
| France | 551,723 |
| Germany | 344,483 |
| Australia | 266,512 |
| Canada | 209,337 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 600,658 | 732,440 | +131,782 |
| France | 218,446 | 333,277 | +114,831 |
| Germany | 112,600 | 231,883 | +119,283 |
| Australia | 244,955 | 21,557 | -223,398 |
| Canada | 176,678 | 32,659 | -144,019 |
| Spain | 60,878 | 144,791 | +83,913 |
| Netherlands | 56,267 | 118,245 | +61,978 |
| Switzerland | 82,388 | 89,321 | +6,933 |
| Sweden | 49,278 | 109,909 | +60,631 |
| Ireland | 71,765 | 87,277 | +15,512 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 29,301 |
| China | 10,785 |
| XI | 9,320 |
| Ireland | 4,131 |
| XU | 3,117 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 16,055 | 13,246 | -2,809 |
| China | 10,279 | 506 | -9,773 |
| XI | 4,669 | 4,651 | -18 |
| Ireland | 3,013 | 1,118 | -1,895 |
| XU | 1,329 | 1,788 | +459 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 2,631,889 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,296,008 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 289,435 |
| Other | 59,283 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 1,452,344 | 1,179,545 | -272,799 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 205,963 | 1,090,045 | +884,082 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 258,101 | 31,334 | -226,767 |
| Other | 37,309 | 21,974 | -15,335 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 1,925,102 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,207,369 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 302,935 |
| Felixstowe | 230,678 |
| London Stansted Airport | 167,543 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 922,443 | 1,002,659 | +80,216 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 146,038 | 1,061,331 | +915,293 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 192,301 | 110,634 | -81,667 |
| Felixstowe | 227,280 | 3,398 | -223,882 |
| London Stansted Airport | 166,485 | 1,058 | -165,427 |
| Manchester Airport | 109,546 | 31,492 | -78,054 |
| ZLC | 61,569 | 33,702 | -27,867 |
| 000 | 37,309 | 21,974 | -15,335 |
| Holyhead | 19,651 | 16,073 | -3,578 |
| London Gateway Port | 24,474 | 8,398 | -16,076 |
Quick facts
HS code: 3605
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Regular matches used for lighting fires, not including pyrotechnic items like fireworks