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 | 24,137,420 |
| France | 836,576 |
| China | 823,895 |
| Germany | 206,039 |
| Netherlands | 88,766 |
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 | 12,915,044 | 11,222,376 | -1,692,668 |
| France | 502,376 | 334,200 | -168,176 |
| China | 8,440 | 815,455 | +807,015 |
| Germany | 119,631 | 86,408 | -33,223 |
| Netherlands | 23,390 | 65,376 | +41,986 |
| Austria | 45,606 | 0 | -45,606 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 12,993 | 19,467 | +6,474 |
| Switzerland | 2,233 | 7,072 | +4,839 |
| Luxembourg | 0 | 5,066 | +5,066 |
| Japan | 3,962 | 0 | -3,962 |
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 | 24,123,735 |
| China | 999,820 |
| France | 835,274 |
| Germany | 212,029 |
| Switzerland | 9,305 |
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 | 12,911,305 | 11,212,430 | -1,698,875 |
| China | 95,226 | 904,594 | +809,368 |
| France | 502,376 | 332,898 | -169,478 |
| Germany | 118,669 | 93,360 | -25,309 |
| Switzerland | 2,233 | 7,072 | +4,839 |
| Luxembourg | 0 | 5,066 | +5,066 |
| Japan | 3,962 | 0 | -3,962 |
| United Kingdom | 1,090 | 0 | -1,090 |
| Turkey | 992 | 0 | -992 |
| Australia | 0 | 951 | +951 |
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 | 0 | -1 |
| 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) | 24,260,727 |
| Air transport | 1,026,588 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 902,676 |
| 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) | 12,822,180 | 11,438,547 | -1,383,633 |
| Air transport | 286,682 | 739,906 | +453,224 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 524,758 | 377,918 | -146,840 |
| 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 | 20,666,413 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,739,734 |
| Felixstowe | 913,596 |
| Portsmouth | 521,675 |
| Brize Norton | 374,873 |
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 | 10,088,520 | 10,577,893 | +489,373 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,733,660 | 6,074 | -2,727,586 |
| Felixstowe | 90,056 | 823,540 | +733,484 |
| Portsmouth | 311,556 | 210,119 | -101,437 |
| Brize Norton | 0 | 374,873 | +374,873 |
| London Stansted Airport | 66,921 | 193,276 | +126,355 |
| Glasgow Airport | 123,878 | 81,368 | -42,510 |
| Harwich | 27,715 | 94,408 | +66,693 |
| Immingham Docks | 45,606 | 67,555 | +21,949 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 12,475 | 48,944 | +36,469 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of electrical equipment | 3 |
| Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products | 3 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 3 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 2 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-03 | 3 |
| 2026-02 | 4 |
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-12 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
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 | 4 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 888,269 |
| United States | 725,768 |
| France | 187,505 |
| Switzerland | 104,250 |
| Italy | 91,883 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 413,230 | 475,039 | +61,809 |
| United States | 393,853 | 331,915 | -61,938 |
| France | 56,174 | 131,331 | +75,157 |
| Switzerland | 47,105 | 57,145 | +10,040 |
| Italy | 29,952 | 61,931 | +31,979 |
| Philippines | 43,119 | 16,280 | -26,839 |
| Belgium | 39,911 | 9,382 | -30,529 |
| Ireland | 4,893 | 36,143 | +31,250 |
| Australia | 4,670 | 30,886 | +26,216 |
| India | 22,398 | 894 | -21,504 |
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 | 775 |
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 | 223 | 552 | +329 |
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) | 1,212,376 |
| Air transport | 655,863 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 463,536 |
| Other | 942 |
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) | 556,270 | 656,106 | +99,836 |
| Air transport | 252,622 | 403,241 | +150,619 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 293,163 | 170,373 | -122,790 |
| Other | 390 | 552 | +162 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Hull | 570,953 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 467,339 |
| London Stansted Airport | 361,066 |
| Southampton | 351,274 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 197,338 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 210,717 | 360,236 | +149,519 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 243,105 | 224,234 | -18,871 |
| London Stansted Airport | 89,868 | 271,198 | +181,330 |
| Southampton | 218,577 | 132,697 | -85,880 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 135,660 | 61,678 | -73,982 |
| Immingham Docks | 107,241 | 10,819 | -96,422 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 43,119 | 22,826 | -20,293 |
| Manchester Airport | 3,877 | 45,840 | +41,963 |
| Dover | 14,108 | 26,130 | +12,022 |
| Holyhead | 0 | 34,687 | +34,687 |
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