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 | 9,208,795 |
| Guatemala | 4,497,492 |
| China | 2,873,328 |
| Turkey | 1,083,816 |
| Netherlands | 1,008,852 |
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 | 4,599,845 | 4,608,950 | +9,105 |
| Guatemala | 1,974,229 | 2,523,263 | +549,034 |
| China | 1,398,686 | 1,474,642 | +75,956 |
| Turkey | 602,620 | 481,196 | -121,424 |
| Netherlands | 413,725 | 595,127 | +181,402 |
| France | 330,857 | 648,103 | +317,246 |
| Pakistan | 147,796 | 224,714 | +76,918 |
| Greece | 214,709 | 105,435 | -109,274 |
| Belgium | 128,050 | 138,887 | +10,837 |
| Chile | 88,692 | 43,035 | -45,657 |
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 | 9,294,339 |
| Guatemala | 4,840,854 |
| China | 2,947,491 |
| Nigeria | 1,112,103 |
| Chad | 972,748 |
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 | 4,704,729 | 4,589,610 | -115,119 |
| Guatemala | 2,154,782 | 2,686,072 | +531,290 |
| China | 1,441,094 | 1,506,397 | +65,303 |
| Nigeria | 471,013 | 641,090 | +170,077 |
| Chad | 542,410 | 430,338 | -112,072 |
| Pakistan | 247,643 | 357,966 | +110,323 |
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 141,307 | 207,982 | +66,675 |
| Greece | 201,114 | 71,941 | -129,173 |
| Egypt | 111,830 | 69,353 | -42,477 |
| 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 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 10 |
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 |
| Inner London - 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 | 8 | -1 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 6 | 7 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 | 7 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 8 | +5 |
| Inner London - East | 7 | 5 | -2 |
| West Midlands | 6 | 6 | +0 |
| Essex | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| 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) | 18,957,536 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,497,095 |
| Other | 91,395 |
| Air transport | 21,455 |
| Road transport | 4,177 |
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) | 9,333,787 | 9,623,749 | +289,962 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,072,267 | 1,424,828 | +352,561 |
| Other | 51,482 | 39,913 | -11,569 |
| Air transport | 10,473 | 10,982 | +509 |
| Road transport | 2,682 | 1,495 | -1,187 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 9,016,875 |
| London Gateway Port | 8,945,821 |
| Southampton | 1,468,195 |
| Dover | 741,787 |
| Eurotunnel | 450,251 |
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 | 5,074,834 | 3,942,041 | -1,132,793 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,111,199 | 4,834,622 | +723,423 |
| Southampton | 490,063 | 978,132 | +488,069 |
| Dover | 325,812 | 415,975 | +90,163 |
| Eurotunnel | 125,369 | 324,882 | +199,513 |
| Harwich | 150,227 | 220,564 | +70,337 |
| Immingham Docks | 43,485 | 139,126 | +95,641 |
| 499 | 0 | 98,716 | +98,716 |
| London | 64,321 | 34,389 | -29,932 |
| 000 | 51,482 | 39,913 | -11,569 |
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 | 75 |
| Manufacture of food products | 20 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 19 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 10 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 17 |
| 2026-03 | 30 |
| 2026-02 | 25 |
| 2026-01 | 22 |
| 2025-12 | 15 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| UNICORN INGREDIENTS LTD | 122 |
| GLOBAL GRAINS AND INGREDIENTS LIMITED | 112 |
| FUERST DAY LAWSON LIMITED | 85 |
| FREEWORLD TRADING LIMITED | 80 |
| INTERLINK DIRECT LIMITED | 72 |
| CHELMER FOODS LIMITED | 70 |
| WHITWORTHS LIMITED | 69 |
| JAPAN FOOD EXPRESS LIMITED | 68 |
| SLEAFORD QUALITY FOODS LIMITED | 65 |
| NUTLAND UK LIMITED | 50 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 39 |
| 54m+ | 28 |
| 0-1m | 20 |
| 15m-54m | 14 |
| Other | 5 |
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 | 664,408 |
| Germany | 458,386 |
| Ireland | 412,843 |
| United States | 113,978 |
| Iceland | 109,387 |
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 | 394,284 | 270,124 | -124,160 |
| Germany | 384,841 | 73,545 | -311,296 |
| Ireland | 169,989 | 242,854 | +72,865 |
| United States | 84,128 | 29,850 | -54,278 |
| Iceland | 77,738 | 31,649 | -46,089 |
| Jordan | 106,323 | 0 | -106,323 |
| Poland | 92,153 | 0 | -92,153 |
| France | 48 | 88,496 | +88,448 |
| Sweden | 0 | 59,287 | +59,287 |
| Spain | 1,745 | 52,306 | +50,561 |
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 | 115,550 |
| China | 14,564 |
| Belgium | 10,409 |
| Bulgaria | 5,274 |
| Ireland | 504 |
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 | 43,219 | 72,331 | +29,112 |
| China | 4,939 | 9,625 | +4,686 |
| Belgium | 701 | 9,708 | +9,007 |
| Bulgaria | 2,942 | 2,332 | -610 |
| Ireland | 18 | 486 | +468 |
| Japan | 330 | 124 | -206 |
| India | 0 | 389 | +389 |
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) | 1,560,532 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 427,829 |
| Other | 158,254 |
| 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) | 867,774 | 692,758 | -175,016 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 341,484 | 86,345 | -255,139 |
| Other | 59,520 | 98,734 | +39,214 |
| 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 | 671,444 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 489,464 |
| Harwich | 209,637 |
| 000 | 158,254 |
| Immingham Docks | 157,653 |
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 | 497,863 | 173,581 | -324,282 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 205,052 | 284,412 | +79,360 |
| Harwich | 135,029 | 74,608 | -60,421 |
| 000 | 59,520 | 98,734 | +39,214 |
| Immingham Docks | 131,406 | 26,247 | -105,159 |
| London Gateway Port | 130,471 | 3,048 | -127,423 |
| Liverpool Docks | 68,651 | 63,905 | -4,746 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 88,216 | 1,982 | -86,234 |
| Holyhead | 28,767 | 56,698 | +27,931 |
| Heysham | 8,330 | 23,549 | +15,219 |
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