Import/export HS code 280519: Various alkali metals
Includes metals like potassium and lithium, used in batteries, glass, and pharmaceuticals
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 22,073,151 |
| France | 787,927 |
| China | 509,188 |
| Germany | 204,853 |
| Netherlands | 86,590 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 13,267,687 | 8,805,464 | -4,462,223 |
| France | 500,504 | 287,423 | -213,081 |
| China | 62,300 | 446,888 | +384,588 |
| Germany | 119,631 | 85,222 | -34,409 |
| Netherlands | 31,837 | 54,753 | +22,916 |
| Austria | 45,606 | 0 | -45,606 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 20,621 | 21,119 | +498 |
| Canada | 9,723 | 0 | -9,723 |
| Switzerland | 2,233 | 7,072 | +4,839 |
| Japan | 4,758 | 1,841 | -2,917 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 22,061,206 |
| France | 786,625 |
| China | 690,477 |
| Germany | 214,886 |
| Canada | 9,723 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 13,265,637 | 8,795,569 | -4,470,068 |
| France | 500,504 | 286,121 | -214,383 |
| China | 163,472 | 527,005 | +363,533 |
| Germany | 121,612 | 93,274 | -28,338 |
| Canada | 9,723 | 0 | -9,723 |
| Switzerland | 2,233 | 7,072 | +4,839 |
| Japan | 4,758 | 1,841 | -2,917 |
| Luxembourg | 0 | 5,066 | +5,066 |
| United Kingdom | 1,090 | 0 | -1,090 |
| Turkey | 992 | 0 | -992 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 2 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 |
| East Central Scotland | 1 |
| Greater Manchester | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| East Central Scotland | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| South East Wales | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| West Central Scotland | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 22,252,890 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 891,432 |
| Air transport | 640,365 |
| Road transport | 2,233 |
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) | 13,234,012 | 9,018,878 | -4,215,134 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 547,820 | 343,612 | -204,208 |
| Air transport | 285,956 | 354,409 | +68,453 |
| Road transport | 2,233 | 0 | -2,233 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 19,023,235 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,742,765 |
| Felixstowe | 540,113 |
| Portsmouth | 507,318 |
| Glasgow Airport | 186,437 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 10,497,321 | 8,525,914 | -1,971,407 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,736,691 | 6,074 | -2,730,617 |
| Felixstowe | 94,886 | 445,227 | +350,341 |
| Portsmouth | 320,882 | 186,436 | -134,446 |
| Glasgow Airport | 134,152 | 52,285 | -81,867 |
| London Stansted Airport | 55,485 | 68,789 | +13,304 |
| Harwich | 27,715 | 94,408 | +66,693 |
| Immingham Docks | 45,606 | 67,555 | +21,949 |
| Brize Norton | 0 | 107,799 | +107,799 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 63,417 | 38,386 | -25,031 |
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 | 3 |
| Manufacture of electrical equipment | 3 |
| Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products | 3 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 3 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 2 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 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+ | 6 |
| 1m-15m | 5 |
| 15m-54m | 2 |
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 | 647,989 |
| Germany | 629,238 |
| France | 187,756 |
| Italy | 105,995 |
| Switzerland | 85,462 |
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 | 307,600 | 340,389 | +32,789 |
| Germany | 341,507 | 287,731 | -53,776 |
| France | 63,158 | 124,598 | +61,440 |
| Italy | 54,527 | 51,468 | -3,059 |
| Switzerland | 44,349 | 41,113 | -3,236 |
| Belgium | 34,526 | 14,000 | -20,526 |
| Philippines | 43,119 | 5,353 | -37,766 |
| Ireland | 1,653 | 30,835 | +29,182 |
| India | 13,179 | 11,271 | -1,908 |
| Australia | 4,670 | 16,036 | +11,366 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 529 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 252 | 277 | +25 |
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) | 989,882 |
| Air transport | 505,279 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 448,217 |
| Other | 738 |
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) | 499,115 | 490,767 | -8,348 |
| Air transport | 242,528 | 262,751 | +20,223 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 220,938 | 227,279 | +6,341 |
| Other | 461 | 277 | -184 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 491,114 |
| Southampton | 352,913 |
| Hull | 330,040 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 205,151 |
| London Stansted Airport | 201,500 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 328,646 | 162,468 | -166,178 |
| Southampton | 146,873 | 206,040 | +59,167 |
| Hull | 61,461 | 268,579 | +207,118 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 158,580 | 46,571 | -112,009 |
| London Stansted Airport | 51,187 | 150,313 | +99,126 |
| Immingham Docks | 95,740 | 15,437 | -80,303 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 43,119 | 9,738 | -33,381 |
| Manchester Airport | 5,357 | 45,840 | +40,483 |
| Dover | 14,108 | 26,130 | +12,022 |
| ZLC | 19,265 | 7,624 | -11,641 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 280519
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes metals like potassium and lithium, used in batteries, glass, and pharmaceuticals