Import/export HS code 2501: Salt and sodium chloride
All types of salt, including table salt, denatured salt, and pure sodium chloride, even if mixed with water or anti-caking agents. Also includes seawater
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Spain | 6,791,880 |
| Netherlands | 4,591,752 |
| Tunisia | 2,610,725 |
| India | 2,241,148 |
| Ireland | 2,027,962 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 3,632,971 | 3,158,909 | -474,062 |
| Netherlands | 2,178,495 | 2,413,257 | +234,762 |
| Tunisia | 1,145,543 | 1,465,182 | +319,639 |
| India | 1,128,647 | 1,112,501 | -16,146 |
| Ireland | 1,195,875 | 832,087 | -363,788 |
| Germany | 1,752,779 | 274,379 | -1,478,400 |
| Poland | 1,062,522 | 903,100 | -159,422 |
| France | 1,097,816 | 329,760 | -768,056 |
| Switzerland | 658,487 | 453,733 | -204,754 |
| Turkey | 1,008,350 | 30,785 | -977,565 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Spain | 7,143,783 |
| Netherlands | 4,692,533 |
| India | 3,103,305 |
| Tunisia | 2,639,860 |
| Poland | 1,963,778 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 3,936,993 | 3,206,790 | -730,203 |
| Netherlands | 2,635,479 | 2,057,054 | -578,425 |
| India | 1,622,519 | 1,480,786 | -141,733 |
| Tunisia | 1,174,678 | 1,465,182 | +290,504 |
| Poland | 1,060,678 | 903,100 | -157,578 |
| Germany | 1,156,301 | 332,830 | -823,471 |
| France | 1,076,121 | 278,118 | -798,003 |
| Turkey | 1,123,964 | 113,230 | -1,010,734 |
| United States | 448,587 | 467,450 | +18,863 |
| China | 448,330 | 335,676 | -112,654 |
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 | 65 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 43 |
| Inner London - East | 35 |
| Inner London - West | 33 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 33 |
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 | 47 | 53 | +6 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 32 | 35 | +3 |
| Inner London - East | 28 | 27 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 23 | 23 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 22 | 26 | +4 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 24 | 25 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 25 | 27 | +2 |
| Greater Manchester | 21 | 19 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 22 | 18 | -4 |
| West Midlands | 15 | 20 | +5 |
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) | 20,097,271 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 7,685,297 |
| Other | 1,856,468 |
| Air transport | 737,697 |
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) | 11,711,982 | 8,385,289 | -3,326,693 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,908,461 | 2,776,836 | -2,131,625 |
| Other | 1,109,773 | 746,695 | -363,078 |
| Air transport | 446,308 | 291,389 | -154,919 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London | 4,890,358 |
| Felixstowe | 2,731,380 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,572,217 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,165,739 |
| Ayr Harbour | 2,122,526 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 2,239,192 | 2,651,166 | +411,974 |
| Felixstowe | 2,219,038 | 512,342 | -1,706,696 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,592,154 | 980,063 | -612,091 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,414,664 | 751,075 | -663,589 |
| Ayr Harbour | 1,129,522 | 993,004 | -136,518 |
| Southampton | 811,453 | 1,184,845 | +373,392 |
| 000 | 1,109,773 | 746,695 | -363,078 |
| Harwich | 880,737 | 889,417 | +8,680 |
| ROS | 581,153 | 774,925 | +193,772 |
| Glasgow | 626,147 | 699,497 | +73,350 |
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
|
316 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
155 |
|
Manufacture of food products
|
85 |
|
Food and beverage service activities
|
35 |
|
Office administrative, office support and other business support activities
|
23 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 144 |
| 2026-04 | 143 |
| 2026-03 | 148 |
| 2026-02 | 151 |
| 2026-01 | 151 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TJX UK | 122 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 121 |
| J.C. PEACOCK & CO., LIMITED | 120 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 117 |
| MCCORMICK (UK) LIMITED | 116 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 105 |
| ASIAN TRADERS LIMITED | 93 |
| JJ FOOD SERVICE LIMITED | 92 |
| SALT EXPRESS LIMITED | 89 |
| ALAMGEER FOODS LIMITED | 88 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 243 |
| 54m+ | 127 |
| 0-1m | 122 |
| 15m-54m | 64 |
| Other | 42 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 42,374,735 |
| United States | 31,442,299 |
| Belgium | 26,961,700 |
| Spain | 7,331,671 |
| Netherlands | 7,099,789 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 22,092,406 | 20,282,329 | -1,810,077 |
| United States | 11,277,911 | 20,164,388 | +8,886,477 |
| Belgium | 14,137,028 | 12,824,672 | -1,312,356 |
| Spain | 3,503,459 | 3,828,212 | +324,753 |
| Netherlands | 3,330,088 | 3,769,701 | +439,613 |
| Australia | 2,842,036 | 2,841,277 | -759 |
| Denmark | 2,456,026 | 2,718,596 | +262,570 |
| Germany | 2,153,943 | 2,307,513 | +153,570 |
| France | 1,781,167 | 1,792,111 | +10,944 |
| Norway | 1,536,040 | 1,977,929 | +441,889 |
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 | 14,501,206 |
| Spain | 1,145,151 |
| Ireland | 112,877 |
| France | 63,396 |
| Viet Nam | 58,884 |
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 | 8,485,719 | 6,015,487 | -2,470,232 |
| Spain | 554,263 | 590,888 | +36,625 |
| Ireland | 82,530 | 30,347 | -52,183 |
| France | 34,980 | 28,416 | -6,564 |
| Viet Nam | 23,860 | 35,024 | +11,164 |
| Tunisia | 23,258 | 17,253 | -6,005 |
| India | 18,925 | 3,488 | -15,437 |
| Turkey | 11,381 | 9,585 | -1,796 |
| Italy | 11,763 | 4,983 | -6,780 |
| Portugal | 0 | 13,697 | +13,697 |
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) | 86,785,279 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 61,247,775 |
| Other | 18,854,059 |
| Air transport | 2,434,136 |
| Road transport | 13,753 |
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) | 37,612,913 | 49,172,366 | +11,559,453 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 31,249,548 | 29,998,227 | -1,251,321 |
| Other | 10,686,694 | 8,167,365 | -2,519,329 |
| Air transport | 1,224,829 | 1,209,307 | -15,522 |
| Road transport | 13,753 | 0 | -13,753 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 26,632,342 |
| Runcorn | 24,962,380 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 22,510,093 |
| Felixstowe | 20,083,793 |
| 000 | 18,854,059 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 15,336,727 | 11,295,615 | -4,041,112 |
| Runcorn | 12,531,230 | 12,431,150 | -100,080 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 11,613,348 | 10,896,745 | -716,603 |
| Felixstowe | 3,620,942 | 16,462,851 | +12,841,909 |
| 000 | 10,686,694 | 8,167,365 | -2,519,329 |
| Immingham Docks | 7,347,222 | 7,408,050 | +60,828 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,801,317 | 6,429,855 | +1,628,538 |
| Southampton | 4,539,789 | 6,338,039 | +1,798,250 |
| Holyhead | 2,846,542 | 1,815,038 | -1,031,504 |
| Heysham | 2,548,293 | 1,043,168 | -1,505,125 |
Quick facts
HS code: 2501
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: All types of salt, including table salt, denatured salt, and pure sodium chloride, even if mixed with water or anti-caking agents. Also includes seawater