Import/export HS code 3606: Fire-starting alloys and combustible materials
Includes ferro-cerium and other fire-starting alloys, as well as items made from combustible materials like lighter flints and similar products
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 10,112,229 |
| Netherlands | 7,373,124 |
| Turkey | 4,096,654 |
| China | 2,332,915 |
| Poland | 2,280,284 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 6,340,412 | 3,771,817 | -2,568,595 |
| Netherlands | 3,736,038 | 3,637,086 | -98,952 |
| Turkey | 2,202,141 | 1,894,513 | -307,628 |
| China | 1,040,087 | 1,292,828 | +252,741 |
| Poland | 1,285,260 | 995,024 | -290,236 |
| Romania | 707,770 | 974,983 | +267,213 |
| Germany | 561,689 | 708,089 | +146,400 |
| United States | 695,526 | 345,773 | -349,753 |
| Czechia | 411,042 | 478,087 | +67,045 |
| Philippines | 313,247 | 334,456 | +21,209 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 6,672,590 |
| Ireland | 6,568,820 |
| Turkey | 4,289,122 |
| China | 2,744,754 |
| Poland | 2,623,375 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 3,484,945 | 3,187,645 | -297,300 |
| Ireland | 4,112,437 | 2,456,383 | -1,656,054 |
| Turkey | 2,394,609 | 1,894,513 | -500,096 |
| China | 1,388,348 | 1,356,406 | -31,942 |
| Poland | 1,337,566 | 1,285,809 | -51,757 |
| Romania | 724,978 | 974,983 | +250,005 |
| United States | 844,461 | 456,808 | -387,653 |
| Czechia | 407,959 | 480,682 | +72,723 |
| Germany | 369,225 | 316,327 | -52,898 |
| Philippines | 313,247 | 334,456 | +21,209 |
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 | 7 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 6 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 6 |
| West Yorkshire | 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 | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 1 | 5 | +4 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 4 | 0 | -4 |
| West Midlands | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 1 | 2 | +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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 19,473,086 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,902,817 |
| Other | 4,092,835 |
| Air transport | 166,480 |
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) | 10,664,069 | 8,809,017 | -1,855,052 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,714,657 | 5,188,160 | -526,497 |
| Other | 2,386,113 | 1,706,722 | -679,391 |
| Air transport | 81,198 | 85,282 | +4,084 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 6,840,727 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,601,806 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,656,294 |
| Dover | 4,101,008 |
| 000 | 4,092,835 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 3,584,490 | 3,256,237 | -328,253 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,544,376 | 3,057,430 | -486,946 |
| Liverpool Docks | 2,892,404 | 1,763,890 | -1,128,514 |
| Dover | 2,180,664 | 1,920,344 | -260,320 |
| 000 | 2,386,113 | 1,706,722 | -679,391 |
| Holyhead | 1,404,486 | 379,022 | -1,025,464 |
| Southampton | 1,016,229 | 524,086 | -492,143 |
| Harwich | 499,722 | 480,004 | -19,718 |
| Thamesport | 404,846 | 338,662 | -66,184 |
| Killingholme | 70,308 | 518,682 | +448,374 |
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 | 45 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 14 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 4 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 3 |
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 3 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 13 |
| 2025-10 | 7 |
| 2025-09 | 10 |
| 2025-08 | 6 |
| 2025-07 | 9 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| PREEMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 62 |
| NISBETS LIMITED | 58 |
| LUMEA LTD | 43 |
| ASTROLUXE LIMITED | 41 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 31 |
| ROTHENBERGER (U.K.) LIMITED | 27 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 23 |
| NEVILLE UK PLC | 23 |
| WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS (U.K.) LIMITED | 22 |
| CLIPPER U.K. LTD | 18 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 35 |
| 54m+ | 20 |
| 15m-54m | 14 |
| Other | 6 |
| 0-1m | 4 |
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 | 9,091,530 |
| Spain | 6,275,323 |
| Netherlands | 6,013,183 |
| Australia | 4,692,021 |
| Germany | 4,643,607 |
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 | 4,544,187 | 4,547,343 | +3,156 |
| Spain | 3,233,806 | 3,041,517 | -192,289 |
| Netherlands | 3,616,934 | 2,396,249 | -1,220,685 |
| Australia | 2,827,641 | 1,864,380 | -963,261 |
| Germany | 2,843,771 | 1,799,836 | -1,043,935 |
| United States | 2,155,318 | 1,682,864 | -472,454 |
| Portugal | 1,994,040 | 1,642,137 | -351,903 |
| Saudi Arabia | 889,028 | 1,414,018 | +524,990 |
| France | 1,166,336 | 1,026,893 | -139,443 |
| New Zealand | 575,280 | 1,064,454 | +489,174 |
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 | 198,626 |
| Netherlands | 135,102 |
| XU | 32,862 |
| XI | 8,408 |
| 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 | 94,727 | 103,899 | +9,172 |
| Netherlands | 23,569 | 111,533 | +87,964 |
| XU | 16,688 | 16,174 | -514 |
| XI | 6,381 | 2,027 | -4,354 |
| United Arab Emirates | 345 | 2,024 | +1,679 |
| XS | 0 | 507 | +507 |
| China | 49 | 0 | -49 |
| 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) | 32,177,334 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 20,641,280 |
| Air transport | 411,297 |
| Other | 377,930 |
| 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) | 16,407,013 | 15,770,321 | -636,692 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,096,834 | 8,544,446 | -3,552,388 |
| Air transport | 270,400 | 140,897 | -129,503 |
| Other | 141,766 | 236,164 | +94,398 |
| 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 | 16,527,048 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 14,513,658 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,984,816 |
| Southampton | 4,890,781 |
| Felixstowe | 3,123,718 |
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 | 8,375,781 | 8,151,267 | -224,514 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,485,971 | 7,027,687 | -458,284 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,049,700 | 2,935,116 | +885,416 |
| Southampton | 2,409,628 | 2,481,153 | +71,525 |
| Felixstowe | 2,354,193 | 769,525 | -1,584,668 |
| Liverpool Docks | 974,037 | 961,713 | -12,324 |
| Newhaven | 1,162,636 | 231,153 | -931,483 |
| Eurotunnel | 956,556 | 327,578 | -628,978 |
| Middlesbrough | 683,682 | 347,184 | -336,498 |
| Killingholme | 1,024,702 | 0 | -1,024,702 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3606
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes ferro-cerium and other fire-starting alloys, as well as items made from combustible materials like lighter flints and similar products