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 | 544,196,701 |
| Netherlands | 344,790,677 |
| United States | 312,421,659 |
| Germany | 265,660,234 |
| France | 105,902,473 |
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 | 309,130,007 | 235,066,694 | -74,063,313 |
| Netherlands | 182,398,738 | 162,391,939 | -20,006,799 |
| United States | 152,273,478 | 160,148,181 | +7,874,703 |
| Germany | 151,384,595 | 114,275,639 | -37,108,956 |
| France | 61,613,822 | 44,288,651 | -17,325,171 |
| Saudi Arabia | 42,050,360 | 40,301,511 | -1,748,849 |
| Sweden | 25,557,441 | 23,594,750 | -1,962,691 |
| Italy | 20,877,720 | 17,000,406 | -3,877,314 |
| Ireland | 20,799,251 | 16,446,774 | -4,352,477 |
| Spain | 14,514,043 | 18,610,739 | +4,096,696 |
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 | 416,453,638 |
| Belgium | 343,243,117 |
| Germany | 271,136,473 |
| Netherlands | 222,798,315 |
| Saudi Arabia | 164,039,545 |
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 | 209,910,267 | 206,543,371 | -3,366,896 |
| Belgium | 184,276,846 | 158,966,271 | -25,310,575 |
| Germany | 148,492,716 | 122,643,757 | -25,848,959 |
| Netherlands | 128,602,145 | 94,196,170 | -34,405,975 |
| Saudi Arabia | 91,675,188 | 72,364,357 | -19,310,831 |
| France | 59,362,863 | 45,919,396 | -13,443,467 |
| Spain | 30,609,802 | 23,802,804 | -6,806,998 |
| Sweden | 25,162,636 | 24,137,098 | -1,025,538 |
| Italy | 25,203,679 | 23,172,940 | -2,030,739 |
| Egypt | 21,444,507 | 11,958,474 | -9,486,033 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 38 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 26 |
| Merseyside | 25 |
| West Yorkshire | 20 |
| Inner London - West | 19 |
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 | 29 | 32 | +3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 20 | 20 | +0 |
| Merseyside | 20 | 20 | +0 |
| West Yorkshire | 15 | 15 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 15 | 14 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 14 | 16 | +2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 12 | 12 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 14 | 15 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 13 | 8 | -5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 10 | 9 | -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) | 1,022,542,239 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 772,622,747 |
| Other | 239,898,064 |
| Road transport | 25,758,019 |
| Air transport | 6,841,452 |
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) | 518,451,528 | 504,090,711 | -14,360,817 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 452,124,514 | 320,498,233 | -131,626,281 |
| Other | 141,802,579 | 98,095,485 | -43,707,094 |
| Road transport | 1,295,998 | 24,462,021 | +23,166,023 |
| Air transport | 3,346,511 | 3,494,941 | +148,430 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 401,192,357 |
| 000 | 239,898,064 |
| London | 239,897,479 |
| Hull | 211,696,341 |
| Middlesbrough | 196,250,291 |
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 | 200,883,456 | 200,308,901 | -574,555 |
| 000 | 141,802,579 | 98,095,485 | -43,707,094 |
| London | 125,766,958 | 114,130,521 | -11,636,437 |
| Hull | 130,592,981 | 81,103,360 | -49,489,621 |
| Middlesbrough | 120,476,189 | 75,774,102 | -44,702,087 |
| Dover | 83,911,008 | 66,792,701 | -17,118,307 |
| Felixstowe | 72,961,507 | 58,210,412 | -14,751,095 |
| Liverpool Docks | 43,991,204 | 49,983,499 | +5,992,295 |
| London Gateway Port | 42,200,964 | 34,950,661 | -7,250,303 |
| Southampton | 13,332,309 | 35,802,992 | +22,470,683 |
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 | 93 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 69 |
| Other manufacturing | 31 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 21 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 125 |
| 2025-10 | 137 |
| 2025-09 | 135 |
| 2025-08 | 113 |
| 2025-07 | 135 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| RAI POLYMERS UK LTD | 113 |
| PLASTRIBUTION LIMITED | 104 |
| LONGFIELD CHEMICALS LIMITED | 101 |
| BECTON, DICKINSON U.K. LIMITED | 95 |
| SAFIC-ALCAN UK LIMITED | 93 |
| BIESTERFELD PETROPLAS LIMITED | 92 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 83 |
| CHANNELPLAST LIMITED | 79 |
| DISTRUPOL LIMITED | 78 |
| ENTEK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 75 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 203 |
| 1m-15m | 115 |
| 15m-54m | 58 |
| Other | 34 |
| 0-1m | 21 |
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 | 244,736,420 |
| Belgium | 240,794,404 |
| Ireland | 52,880,522 |
| Germany | 44,893,829 |
| United States | 37,788,179 |
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 | 110,710,753 | 134,025,667 | +23,314,914 |
| Belgium | 109,445,469 | 131,348,935 | +21,903,466 |
| Ireland | 26,627,970 | 26,252,552 | -375,418 |
| Germany | 20,597,050 | 24,296,779 | +3,699,729 |
| United States | 15,918,391 | 21,869,788 | +5,951,397 |
| France | 15,258,547 | 12,865,801 | -2,392,746 |
| Poland | 12,549,166 | 11,025,968 | -1,523,198 |
| Italy | 7,643,708 | 13,581,464 | +5,937,756 |
| Czechia | 10,959,986 | 9,542,275 | -1,417,711 |
| Spain | 9,062,062 | 10,196,526 | +1,134,464 |
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 | 27,013,441 |
| South Korea | 1,601,313 |
| XI | 1,164,467 |
| XU | 287,775 |
| China | 49,970 |
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 | 13,467,048 | 13,546,393 | +79,345 |
| South Korea | 851,762 | 749,551 | -102,211 |
| XI | 520,083 | 644,384 | +124,301 |
| XU | 180,607 | 107,168 | -73,439 |
| China | 20,252 | 29,718 | +9,466 |
| Ireland | 26,304 | 21,567 | -4,737 |
| Germany | 26,311 | 14,134 | -12,177 |
| Portugal | 1 | 14,636 | +14,635 |
| Netherlands | 5,729 | 948 | -4,781 |
| Italy | 608 | 1,915 | +1,307 |
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) | 618,439,565 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 209,778,990 |
| Other | 30,230,514 |
| Air transport | 17,581,227 |
| Road transport | 27,583 |
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) | 278,112,914 | 340,326,651 | +62,213,737 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 104,804,356 | 104,974,634 | +170,278 |
| Other | 15,099,498 | 15,131,016 | +31,518 |
| Air transport | 9,770,609 | 7,810,618 | -1,959,991 |
| Road transport | 11,747 | 15,836 | +4,089 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 298,755,575 |
| Immingham Docks | 154,121,011 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 113,901,372 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 66,286,308 |
| Felixstowe | 35,105,042 |
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 | 119,825,138 | 178,930,437 | +59,105,299 |
| Immingham Docks | 65,574,904 | 88,546,107 | +22,971,203 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 55,918,717 | 57,982,655 | +2,063,938 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 34,446,663 | 31,839,645 | -2,607,018 |
| Felixstowe | 22,375,841 | 12,729,201 | -9,646,640 |
| London Gateway Port | 14,531,242 | 17,094,716 | +2,563,474 |
| 000 | 15,099,498 | 15,131,016 | +31,518 |
| Southampton | 10,641,972 | 13,571,794 | +2,929,822 |
| London | 11,945,257 | 9,509,220 | -2,436,037 |
| Liverpool Docks | 8,256,349 | 7,045,673 | -1,210,676 |
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