Import/export HS code 490191: Dictionaries and encyclopaedias
Includes dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and their serial instalments
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 | 992,949 |
| United States | 629,433 |
| Belgium | 400,068 |
| Estonia | 297,236 |
| Japan | 276,630 |
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 | 926,688 | 66,261 | -860,427 |
| United States | 519,539 | 109,894 | -409,645 |
| Belgium | 301,201 | 98,867 | -202,334 |
| Estonia | 297,236 | 0 | -297,236 |
| Japan | 251,940 | 24,690 | -227,250 |
| India | 135,159 | 50,471 | -84,688 |
| Netherlands | 30,561 | 139,939 | +109,378 |
| Italy | 108,275 | 25,689 | -82,586 |
| France | 46,738 | 51,801 | +5,063 |
| United Arab Emirates | 66,000 | 5,629 | -60,371 |
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 | 1,044,710 |
| United States | 625,737 |
| United Kingdom | 418,045 |
| Estonia | 297,236 |
| Japan | 277,341 |
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 | 971,112 | 73,598 | -897,514 |
| United States | 527,388 | 98,349 | -429,039 |
| United Kingdom | 266,576 | 151,469 | -115,107 |
| Estonia | 297,236 | 0 | -297,236 |
| Japan | 251,940 | 25,401 | -226,539 |
| India | 135,159 | 50,471 | -84,688 |
| Italy | 113,175 | 39,839 | -73,336 |
| Belgium | 53,540 | 98,867 | +45,327 |
| France | 39,665 | 34,203 | -5,462 |
| United Arab Emirates | 66,000 | 2,248 | -63,752 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 8 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 |
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 | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Outer London - South | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 | 0 | -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) | 1,691,769 |
| Air transport | 918,063 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 852,034 |
| Other | 39,320 |
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) | 1,524,455 | 167,314 | -1,357,141 |
| Air transport | 645,191 | 272,872 | -372,319 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 658,995 | 193,039 | -465,956 |
| Other | 11,203 | 28,117 | +16,914 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 1,226,539 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 421,699 |
| Eurotunnel | 399,382 |
| Dover | 311,970 |
| Felixstowe | 227,079 |
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 | 1,191,716 | 34,823 | -1,156,893 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 328,663 | 93,036 | -235,627 |
| Eurotunnel | 265,396 | 133,986 | -131,410 |
| Dover | 298,482 | 13,488 | -284,994 |
| Felixstowe | 152,776 | 74,303 | -78,473 |
| East Midlands Airport | 98,650 | 105,640 | +6,990 |
| London Stansted Airport | 115,120 | 37,307 | -77,813 |
| London Gateway Port | 81,383 | 10,620 | -70,763 |
| Immingham Docks | 89,227 | 0 | -89,227 |
| Leeds Bradford Airport | 74,522 | 2,842 | -71,680 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 10 |
| Publishing activities | 9 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 9 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 3 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 3 |
| 2025-10 | 3 |
| 2025-09 | 3 |
| 2025-08 | 6 |
| 2025-07 | 3 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| THE BOOK DEPOSITORY LIMITED | 48 |
| IMPRINT DIGITAL LIMITED | 42 |
| KOMATSU UK LIMITED | 40 |
| MONEYSAVERS LONDON LTD | 30 |
| BRISTOL LABORATORIES LIMITED | 28 |
| PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED | 24 |
| AMAZON EU S.A R.L. | 13 |
| GARDNERS BOOKS LIMITED | 13 |
| BLACKWELL UK LIMITED | 13 |
| W. & G. FOYLE LIMITED | 11 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 14 |
| 54m+ | 13 |
| 15m-54m | 5 |
| Other | 5 |
| 0-1m | 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 Arab Emirates | 21,732,588 |
| China | 15,260,831 |
| India | 7,562,253 |
| United States | 6,523,413 |
| Singapore | 6,345,273 |
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 Arab Emirates | 2,084,361 | 19,648,227 | +17,563,866 |
| China | 5,438,335 | 9,822,496 | +4,384,161 |
| India | 3,350,776 | 4,211,477 | +860,701 |
| United States | 3,821,962 | 2,701,451 | -1,120,511 |
| Singapore | 1,920,011 | 4,425,262 | +2,505,251 |
| Qatar | 1,418,168 | 2,140,868 | +722,700 |
| Israel | 1,676,365 | 1,525,553 | -150,812 |
| Pakistan | 639,885 | 2,420,729 | +1,780,844 |
| Jordan | 1,102,362 | 1,707,294 | +604,932 |
| Saudi Arabia | 844,461 | 1,699,794 | +855,333 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XU | 276 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XU | 102 | 174 | +72 |
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) | 51,234,337 |
| Air transport | 44,449,432 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,432,642 |
| Road transport | 15,829 |
| Other | 276 |
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) | 21,999,862 | 29,234,475 | +7,234,613 |
| Air transport | 7,773,125 | 36,676,307 | +28,903,182 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,468,775 | 963,867 | -504,908 |
| Road transport | 15,829 | 0 | -15,829 |
| Other | 102 | 174 | +72 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 42,850,222 |
| London Gateway Port | 27,503,093 |
| Southampton | 16,772,133 |
| Felixstowe | 4,122,166 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,533,112 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 7,246,436 | 35,603,786 | +28,357,350 |
| London Gateway Port | 11,521,645 | 15,981,448 | +4,459,803 |
| Southampton | 7,436,188 | 9,335,945 | +1,899,757 |
| Felixstowe | 1,840,776 | 2,281,390 | +440,614 |
| Liverpool Docks | 686,548 | 846,564 | +160,016 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 776,699 | 645,265 | -131,434 |
| London | 348,804 | 740,420 | +391,616 |
| Holyhead | 453,989 | 234,067 | -219,922 |
| East Midlands Airport | 310,582 | 258,242 | -52,340 |
| London Gatwick Airport | 0 | 508,626 | +508,626 |
Quick facts
HS code: 490191
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and their serial instalments