Import/export HS code 280511: Sodium
A reactive metal used in chemical production, streetlights, and as a coolant in nuclear reactors
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 1,896,198 |
| Ireland | 1,207,447 |
| India | 161,420 |
| Hungary | 31,504 |
| Italy | 19,280 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 971,830 | 924,368 | -47,462 |
| Ireland | 678,987 | 528,460 | -150,527 |
| India | 66,016 | 95,404 | +29,388 |
| Hungary | 28,753 | 2,751 | -26,002 |
| Italy | 11,520 | 7,760 | -3,760 |
| Canada | 3,974 | 4,837 | +863 |
| Belgium | 7,886 | 0 | -7,886 |
| United States | 6,007 | 0 | -6,007 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 1,904,084 |
| India | 161,420 |
| Hungary | 31,504 |
| China | 15,494 |
| Italy | 7,760 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 979,716 | 924,368 | -55,348 |
| India | 66,016 | 95,404 | +29,388 |
| Hungary | 28,753 | 2,751 | -26,002 |
| China | 15,494 | 0 | -15,494 |
| Italy | 0 | 7,760 | +7,760 |
| United States | 6,007 | 0 | -6,007 |
| Canada | 0 | 4,837 | +4,837 |
| Ireland | 0 | 1,017 | +1,017 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Cheshire | 1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 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) | 1,675,916 |
| Other | 1,206,430 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 277,727 |
| Air transport | 178,480 |
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) | 818,639 | 857,277 | +38,638 |
| Other | 678,987 | 527,443 | -151,544 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 200,125 | 77,602 | -122,523 |
| Air transport | 77,222 | 101,258 | +24,036 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Hull | 1,675,916 |
| 000 | 1,206,430 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 172,636 |
| Middlesbrough | 153,352 |
| London | 62,253 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 818,639 | 857,277 | +38,638 |
| 000 | 678,987 | 527,443 | -151,544 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 72,395 | 100,241 | +27,846 |
| Middlesbrough | 153,352 | 0 | -153,352 |
| London | 6,500 | 55,753 | +49,253 |
| Harwich | 33,378 | 14,089 | -19,289 |
| Immingham Docks | 0 | 7,760 | +7,760 |
| Dover | 6,895 | 0 | -6,895 |
| London Stansted Airport | 4,827 | 0 | -4,827 |
| East Midlands Airport | 0 | 1,017 | +1,017 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 2 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 1 |
| Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products | 1 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 1 |
| Other professional, scientific and technical activities | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-06 | 1 |
| 2024-06 | 3 |
| 2024-03 | 2 |
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+ | 3 |
| 15m-54m | 1 |
| 1m-15m | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 184,154 |
| South Africa | 149,318 |
| Sri Lanka | 54,483 |
| France | 34,629 |
| Ireland | 21,307 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 80,856 | 103,298 | +22,442 |
| South Africa | 70,574 | 78,744 | +8,170 |
| Sri Lanka | 29,731 | 24,752 | -4,979 |
| France | 34,629 | 0 | -34,629 |
| Ireland | 12,983 | 8,324 | -4,659 |
| Australia | 9,950 | 0 | -9,950 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 7,159 | +7,159 |
| Poland | 4,625 | 0 | -4,625 |
| United States | 0 | 3,198 | +3,198 |
| Germany | 2,734 | 0 | -2,734 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 8,324 |
| XI | 6,817 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 0 | 8,324 | +8,324 |
| XI | 6,817 | 0 | -6,817 |
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 | 215,504 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 203,801 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 40,796 |
| Other | 15,141 |
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 | 100,792 | 114,712 | +13,920 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 100,305 | 103,496 | +3,191 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 40,796 | 0 | -40,796 |
| Other | 6,817 | 8,324 | +1,507 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 184,154 |
| London Gateway Port | 160,175 |
| Felixstowe | 43,626 |
| Immingham Docks | 16,583 |
| London | 16,329 |
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 | 80,856 | 103,298 | +22,442 |
| London Gateway Port | 75,563 | 84,612 | +9,049 |
| Felixstowe | 24,742 | 18,884 | -5,858 |
| Immingham Docks | 16,583 | 0 | -16,583 |
| London | 16,329 | 0 | -16,329 |
| 000 | 6,817 | 8,324 | +1,507 |
| ZLC | 9,950 | 4,255 | -5,695 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,625 | 7,159 | +2,534 |
| Holyhead | 3,539 | 0 | -3,539 |
| Dover | 2,747 | 0 | -2,747 |
Quick facts
HS code: 280511
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A reactive metal used in chemical production, streetlights, and as a coolant in nuclear reactors