Import/export HS code 811231: Raw metals, powders, and scrap
Unprocessed metals, powders, or recyclable materials
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 | 27,773,886 |
| Germany | 18,599,931 |
| Estonia | 9,542,349 |
| France | 7,538,508 |
| Netherlands | 5,176,764 |
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 | 18,550,124 | 9,223,762 | -9,326,362 |
| Germany | 6,122,539 | 12,477,392 | +6,354,853 |
| Estonia | 719,787 | 8,822,562 | +8,102,775 |
| France | 4,639,246 | 2,899,262 | -1,739,984 |
| Netherlands | 2,859,234 | 2,317,530 | -541,704 |
| United States | 770,016 | 4,223,391 | +3,453,375 |
| Thailand | 969,523 | 979,142 | +9,619 |
| Switzerland | 647,625 | 411,040 | -236,585 |
| Japan | 0 | 14,848 | +14,848 |
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 | 32,549,150 |
| Germany | 13,202,701 |
| Estonia | 9,841,966 |
| United States | 7,090,013 |
| France | 6,186,418 |
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 | 18,776,833 | 13,772,317 | -5,004,516 |
| Germany | 3,918,872 | 9,283,829 | +5,364,957 |
| Estonia | 1,540,271 | 8,301,695 | +6,761,424 |
| United States | 2,866,622 | 4,223,391 | +1,356,769 |
| France | 2,986,713 | 3,199,705 | +212,992 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2,463,134 | 0 | -2,463,134 |
| Thailand | 969,523 | 979,142 | +9,619 |
| Kazakhstan | 1,647,380 | 0 | -1,647,380 |
| Ethiopia | 0 | 1,182,962 | +1,182,962 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 384,784 | +384,784 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 2 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 |
| Essex | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
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) | 36,226,341 |
| Air transport | 35,392,269 |
| Other | 3,594,938 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,433,475 |
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) | 12,890,140 | 23,336,201 | +10,446,061 |
| Air transport | 21,631,422 | 13,760,847 | -7,870,575 |
| Other | 0 | 3,594,938 | +3,594,938 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 756,532 | 676,943 | -79,589 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 18,988,538 |
| Dover | 17,292,561 |
| Immingham Docks | 15,414,339 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 15,154,557 |
| 000 | 3,594,938 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 13,640,470 | 5,348,068 | -8,292,402 |
| Dover | 6,615,605 | 10,676,956 | +4,061,351 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,904,382 | 12,509,957 | +9,605,575 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,807,754 | 8,346,803 | +1,539,049 |
| 000 | 0 | 3,594,938 | +3,594,938 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,821,859 | 0 | -1,821,859 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,181,513 | 2,795 | -1,178,718 |
| London | 1,121,564 | 0 | -1,121,564 |
| Felixstowe | 316,699 | 441,447 | +124,748 |
| Southampton | 756,532 | 0 | -756,532 |
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 | 6 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 2 |
| Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery | 2 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 1 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 2 |
| 2025-09 | 5 |
| 2025-08 | 2 |
| 2025-07 | 5 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 4 |
| 15m-54m | 3 |
| 1m-15m | 3 |
| Other | 1 |
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 | 15,737,914 |
| Australia | 12,407,218 |
| Germany | 11,164,874 |
| France | 3,091,250 |
| Netherlands | 1,469,374 |
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 | 7,195,168 | 8,542,746 | +1,347,578 |
| Australia | 11,605,004 | 802,214 | -10,802,790 |
| Germany | 4,449,364 | 6,715,510 | +2,266,146 |
| France | 1,914,300 | 1,176,950 | -737,350 |
| Netherlands | 1,031,381 | 437,993 | -593,388 |
| Japan | 651,472 | 390,170 | -261,302 |
| Taiwan | 693,518 | 0 | -693,518 |
| Ireland | 295,404 | 0 | -295,404 |
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 | 30,442,158 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 12,340,300 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,118,736 |
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 | 21,281,582 | 9,160,576 | -12,121,006 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,949,223 | 7,391,077 | +2,441,854 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,604,806 | 1,513,930 | -90,876 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 16,696,577 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 13,564,239 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 6,575,213 |
| Dover | 2,873,781 |
| Southampton | 2,756,443 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 15,522,796 | 1,173,781 | -14,349,015 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,614,511 | 7,949,728 | +2,335,217 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,554,085 | 3,021,128 | -532,957 |
| Dover | 430,646 | 2,443,135 | +2,012,489 |
| Southampton | 1,242,513 | 1,513,930 | +271,417 |
| Felixstowe | 1,326,785 | 437,993 | -888,792 |
| Immingham Docks | 0 | 1,387,624 | +1,387,624 |
| East Midlands Airport | 125,610 | 37,067 | -88,543 |
| Harwich | 0 | 101,197 | +101,197 |
| London Stansted Airport | 15,121 | 0 | -15,121 |
Quick facts
HS code: 811231
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Unprocessed metals, powders, or recyclable materials