Import/export HS code 120740: Sesame seeds
Small seeds from the sesame plant, used in cooking and oil production
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| India | 8,184,061 |
| Guatemala | 4,016,577 |
| China | 2,244,634 |
| Netherlands | 880,710 |
| Turkey | 820,337 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 4,119,572 | 4,064,489 | -55,083 |
| Guatemala | 1,882,459 | 2,134,118 | +251,659 |
| China | 1,302,907 | 941,727 | -361,180 |
| Netherlands | 364,499 | 516,211 | +151,712 |
| Turkey | 469,542 | 350,795 | -118,747 |
| France | 330,857 | 473,975 | +143,118 |
| Pakistan | 103,383 | 252,762 | +149,379 |
| Greece | 214,709 | 105,435 | -109,274 |
| Belgium | 122,968 | 107,523 | -15,445 |
| Germany | 64,941 | 56,117 | -8,824 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| India | 8,288,945 |
| Guatemala | 4,316,584 |
| China | 2,318,849 |
| Nigeria | 949,599 |
| Chad | 747,923 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 4,224,456 | 4,064,489 | -159,967 |
| Guatemala | 1,961,394 | 2,355,190 | +393,796 |
| China | 1,345,315 | 973,534 | -371,781 |
| Nigeria | 458,908 | 490,691 | +31,783 |
| Chad | 418,446 | 329,477 | -88,969 |
| Pakistan | 190,585 | 373,331 | +182,746 |
| Greece | 201,114 | 71,941 | -129,173 |
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 139,217 | 114,546 | -24,671 |
| Egypt | 111,830 | 43,977 | -67,853 |
| Somalia | 0 | 126,552 | +126,552 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Outer London - West and North West | 12 |
| Greater Manchester | 7 |
| Inner London - East | 7 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer London - West and North West | 9 | 7 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 7 | +4 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 6 | 4 | -2 |
| West Midlands | 6 | 5 | -1 |
| Essex | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Inner London - West | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Outer London - South | 4 | 3 | -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) | 16,472,163 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,117,227 |
| Other | 71,723 |
| Air transport | 18,897 |
| Road transport | 2,682 |
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) | 8,553,256 | 7,918,907 | -634,349 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 845,734 | 1,271,493 | +425,759 |
| Other | 48,320 | 23,403 | -24,917 |
| Air transport | 6,770 | 12,127 | +5,357 |
| Road transport | 2,682 | 0 | -2,682 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 8,147,334 |
| London Gateway Port | 7,499,938 |
| Southampton | 1,345,657 |
| Dover | 589,187 |
| Eurotunnel | 397,476 |
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 | 4,520,734 | 3,626,600 | -894,134 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,970,778 | 3,529,160 | -441,618 |
| Southampton | 269,911 | 1,075,746 | +805,835 |
| Dover | 277,555 | 311,632 | +34,077 |
| Eurotunnel | 120,287 | 277,189 | +156,902 |
| Harwich | 150,227 | 152,368 | +2,141 |
| Immingham Docks | 16,538 | 119,598 | +103,060 |
| London | 52,216 | 41,966 | -10,250 |
| 000 | 48,320 | 23,403 | -24,917 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 11,210 | 46,082 | +34,872 |
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 | 67 |
| Manufacture of food products | 20 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 16 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 9 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 3 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 22 |
| 2025-11 | 21 |
| 2025-10 | 20 |
| 2025-09 | 21 |
| 2025-08 | 21 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| UNICORN INGREDIENTS LTD | 118 |
| GLOBAL GRAINS AND INGREDIENTS LIMITED | 108 |
| FUERST DAY LAWSON LIMITED | 84 |
| FREEWORLD TRADING LIMITED | 80 |
| INTERLINK DIRECT LIMITED | 69 |
| WHITWORTHS LIMITED | 69 |
| CHELMER FOODS LIMITED | 69 |
| JAPAN FOOD EXPRESS LIMITED | 68 |
| SLEAFORD QUALITY FOODS LIMITED | 65 |
| NUTLAND UK LIMITED | 46 |
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+ | 27 |
| 0-1m | 18 |
| 15m-54m | 14 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 606,482 |
| Germany | 445,261 |
| Ireland | 348,338 |
| United States | 113,978 |
| Jordan | 106,323 |
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 | 396,338 | 210,144 | -186,194 |
| Germany | 396,231 | 49,030 | -347,201 |
| Ireland | 148,365 | 199,973 | +51,608 |
| United States | 84,128 | 29,850 | -54,278 |
| Jordan | 106,323 | 0 | -106,323 |
| Iceland | 77,738 | 15,279 | -62,459 |
| Poland | 92,153 | 0 | -92,153 |
| Sweden | 0 | 59,287 | +59,287 |
| Spain | 0 | 54,051 | +54,051 |
| France | 48 | 42,901 | +42,853 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 90,447 |
| China | 9,315 |
| Belgium | 5,210 |
| Bulgaria | 5,168 |
| Japan | 466 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 41,509 | 48,938 | +7,429 |
| China | 4,135 | 5,180 | +1,045 |
| Belgium | 389 | 4,821 | +4,432 |
| Bulgaria | 2,605 | 2,563 | -42 |
| Japan | 206 | 260 | +54 |
| Ireland | 0 | 450 | +450 |
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) | 1,418,322 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 403,514 |
| Other | 122,142 |
| Air transport | 94,165 |
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) | 860,915 | 557,407 | -303,508 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 339,547 | 63,967 | -275,580 |
| Other | 56,454 | 65,688 | +9,234 |
| Air transport | 92,183 | 1,982 | -90,201 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 638,564 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 402,095 |
| Harwich | 209,637 |
| Immingham Docks | 141,227 |
| London Gateway Port | 133,519 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 500,563 | 138,001 | -362,562 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 214,051 | 188,044 | -26,007 |
| Harwich | 135,029 | 74,608 | -60,421 |
| Immingham Docks | 131,406 | 9,821 | -121,585 |
| London Gateway Port | 128,534 | 4,985 | -123,549 |
| 000 | 56,454 | 65,688 | +9,234 |
| Liverpool Docks | 72,557 | 47,804 | -24,753 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 88,216 | 1,982 | -86,234 |
| Holyhead | 9,567 | 69,402 | +59,835 |
| Southampton | 0 | 29,850 | +29,850 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 120740
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Small seeds from the sesame plant, used in cooking and oil production