Import/export HS code 3901: Ethylene polymers in raw form
Basic forms of ethylene-based plastics, used to make various plastic 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 539,704,150 |
| Netherlands | 344,802,343 |
| United States | 315,392,009 |
| Germany | 260,138,474 |
| France | 103,488,174 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 306,257,039 | 233,447,111 | -72,809,928 |
| Netherlands | 183,319,307 | 161,483,036 | -21,836,271 |
| United States | 162,669,235 | 152,722,774 | -9,946,461 |
| Germany | 146,425,041 | 113,713,433 | -32,711,608 |
| France | 59,548,784 | 43,939,390 | -15,609,394 |
| Saudi Arabia | 40,310,284 | 40,683,175 | +372,891 |
| Sweden | 25,406,238 | 23,745,480 | -1,660,758 |
| Italy | 20,614,599 | 17,213,882 | -3,400,717 |
| Ireland | 22,092,439 | 14,429,138 | -7,663,301 |
| Spain | 15,108,879 | 18,277,457 | +3,168,578 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 419,187,487 |
| Belgium | 342,894,796 |
| Germany | 266,894,430 |
| Netherlands | 219,793,851 |
| Saudi Arabia | 158,583,404 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 221,731,524 | 197,455,963 | -24,275,561 |
| Belgium | 183,626,856 | 159,267,940 | -24,358,916 |
| Germany | 144,520,667 | 122,373,763 | -22,146,904 |
| Netherlands | 127,566,578 | 92,227,273 | -35,339,305 |
| Saudi Arabia | 88,660,194 | 69,923,210 | -18,736,984 |
| France | 56,845,809 | 48,214,628 | -8,631,181 |
| Spain | 29,867,174 | 23,422,532 | -6,444,642 |
| Sweden | 25,083,427 | 24,191,824 | -891,603 |
| Italy | 25,514,704 | 23,250,953 | -2,263,751 |
| Egypt | 20,963,772 | 11,480,196 | -9,483,576 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 36 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 28 |
| Merseyside | 25 |
| Inner London - West | 21 |
| West Yorkshire | 21 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 27 | 30 | +3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 18 | 22 | +4 |
| Merseyside | 20 | 20 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 17 | 14 | -3 |
| West Yorkshire | 16 | 15 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 14 | 16 | +2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 14 | 16 | +2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 11 | 11 | +0 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 12 | 14 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 13 | 8 | -5 |
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) | 1,027,467,845 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 757,822,022 |
| Other | 229,029,360 |
| Road transport | 33,731,142 |
| Air transport | 6,806,984 |
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) | 532,503,775 | 494,964,070 | -37,539,705 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 438,874,495 | 318,947,527 | -119,926,968 |
| Other | 142,855,308 | 86,174,052 | -56,681,256 |
| Road transport | 1,131,044 | 32,600,098 | +31,469,054 |
| Air transport | 3,314,656 | 3,492,328 | +177,672 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 404,926,832 |
| London | 238,952,641 |
| 000 | 229,029,360 |
| Hull | 204,257,607 |
| Middlesbrough | 191,332,773 |
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 | 200,108,744 | 204,818,088 | +4,709,344 |
| London | 126,653,212 | 112,299,429 | -14,353,783 |
| 000 | 142,855,308 | 86,174,052 | -56,681,256 |
| Hull | 127,954,725 | 76,302,882 | -51,651,843 |
| Middlesbrough | 120,583,283 | 70,749,490 | -49,833,793 |
| Dover | 81,777,247 | 67,182,740 | -14,594,507 |
| Felixstowe | 71,917,077 | 56,176,975 | -15,740,102 |
| Liverpool Docks | 48,240,951 | 48,764,602 | +523,651 |
| London Gateway Port | 43,729,153 | 32,961,018 | -10,768,135 |
| Southampton | 13,961,731 | 39,542,844 | +25,581,113 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 112 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 91 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 68 |
| Other manufacturing | 31 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 23 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 137 |
| 2025-11 | 125 |
| 2025-10 | 137 |
| 2025-09 | 135 |
| 2025-08 | 113 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| RAI POLYMERS UK LTD | 114 |
| PLASTRIBUTION LIMITED | 105 |
| LONGFIELD CHEMICALS LIMITED | 102 |
| BECTON, DICKINSON U.K. LIMITED | 96 |
| SAFIC-ALCAN UK LIMITED | 94 |
| BIESTERFELD PETROPLAS LIMITED | 93 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 83 |
| CHANNELPLAST LIMITED | 80 |
| DISTRUPOL LIMITED | 79 |
| ENTEK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 76 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 206 |
| 1m-15m | 118 |
| 15m-54m | 61 |
| Other | 34 |
| 0-1m | 20 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 240,861,043 |
| Belgium | 233,874,654 |
| Ireland | 52,974,642 |
| Germany | 44,619,491 |
| United States | 39,528,344 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 111,922,062 | 128,938,981 | +17,016,919 |
| Belgium | 108,853,005 | 125,021,649 | +16,168,644 |
| Ireland | 26,663,324 | 26,311,318 | -352,006 |
| Germany | 22,835,781 | 21,783,710 | -1,052,071 |
| United States | 16,323,060 | 23,205,284 | +6,882,224 |
| France | 16,721,558 | 10,751,611 | -5,969,947 |
| Poland | 12,652,985 | 11,199,382 | -1,453,603 |
| Italy | 9,036,296 | 12,181,454 | +3,145,158 |
| Czechia | 10,892,161 | 9,271,581 | -1,620,580 |
| Spain | 9,234,938 | 9,732,343 | +497,405 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 27,150,091 |
| South Korea | 1,670,416 |
| XI | 1,092,154 |
| China | 51,647 |
| Ireland | 47,282 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 13,601,833 | 13,548,258 | -53,575 |
| South Korea | 806,483 | 863,933 | +57,450 |
| XI | 437,500 | 654,654 | +217,154 |
| China | 23,143 | 28,504 | +5,361 |
| Ireland | 25,547 | 21,735 | -3,812 |
| Germany | 25,559 | 14,415 | -11,144 |
| Portugal | 1 | 14,636 | +14,635 |
| Netherlands | 5,729 | 948 | -4,781 |
| Italy | 608 | 1,915 | +1,307 |
| XL | 664 | 515 | -149 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 607,213,057 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 211,463,642 |
| Other | 30,344,676 |
| Air transport | 16,715,737 |
| Road transport | 25,556 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 285,164,232 | 322,048,825 | +36,884,593 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 107,739,880 | 103,723,762 | -4,016,118 |
| Other | 15,087,470 | 15,257,206 | +169,736 |
| Air transport | 9,056,870 | 7,658,867 | -1,398,003 |
| Road transport | 9,720 | 15,836 | +6,116 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 291,450,575 |
| Immingham Docks | 154,690,516 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 113,318,025 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 68,151,598 |
| Felixstowe | 35,375,523 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 125,551,218 | 165,899,357 | +40,348,139 |
| Immingham Docks | 73,501,349 | 81,189,167 | +7,687,818 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 55,431,086 | 57,886,939 | +2,455,853 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 34,760,145 | 33,391,453 | -1,368,692 |
| Felixstowe | 22,045,032 | 13,330,491 | -8,714,541 |
| London Gateway Port | 15,284,212 | 16,308,228 | +1,024,016 |
| 000 | 15,087,470 | 15,257,206 | +169,736 |
| Southampton | 10,490,773 | 15,251,686 | +4,760,913 |
| London | 12,802,446 | 8,925,033 | -3,877,413 |
| Liverpool Docks | 8,458,804 | 6,593,448 | -1,865,356 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3901
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Basic forms of ethylene-based plastics, used to make various plastic products