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 | 22,157,074 |
| China | 1,351,493 |
| France | 816,658 |
| Germany | 167,915 |
| 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 | 11,733,932 | 10,423,142 | -1,310,790 |
| China | 7,503 | 1,343,990 | +1,336,487 |
| France | 579,485 | 237,173 | -342,312 |
| Germany | 81,507 | 86,408 | +4,901 |
| Netherlands | 23,390 | 65,376 | +41,986 |
| Austria | 45,606 | 0 | -45,606 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 25,257 | 8,252 | -17,005 |
| Switzerland | 6,850 | 5,391 | -1,459 |
| Luxembourg | 5,066 | 0 | -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 | 22,095,923 |
| China | 1,527,470 |
| France | 815,356 |
| Germany | 175,777 |
| United Kingdom | 46,120 |
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 | 11,730,193 | 10,365,730 | -1,364,463 |
| China | 105,556 | 1,421,914 | +1,316,358 |
| France | 579,485 | 235,871 | -343,614 |
| Germany | 81,542 | 94,235 | +12,693 |
| United Kingdom | 1,090 | 45,030 | +43,940 |
| Switzerland | 6,850 | 5,391 | -1,459 |
| Luxembourg | 5,066 | 0 | -5,066 |
| Japan | 3,962 | 0 | -3,962 |
| Austria | 0 | 1,561 | +1,561 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| 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 | 1 | 0 | -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) | 22,768,236 |
| Air transport | 1,040,493 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 871,521 |
| Road transport | 5,169 |
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) | 11,648,779 | 11,119,457 | -529,322 |
| Air transport | 290,766 | 749,727 | +458,961 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 573,909 | 297,612 | -276,297 |
| Road transport | 2,233 | 2,936 | +703 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 18,809,238 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,736,728 |
| Felixstowe | 1,260,820 |
| Portsmouth | 527,647 |
| 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 | 8,915,245 | 9,893,993 | +978,748 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,733,534 | 3,194 | -2,730,340 |
| Felixstowe | 69,590 | 1,191,230 | +1,121,640 |
| Portsmouth | 397,834 | 129,813 | -268,021 |
| Brize Norton | 0 | 374,873 | +374,873 |
| London Stansted Airport | 73,879 | 228,652 | +154,773 |
| Glasgow Airport | 110,255 | 64,401 | -45,854 |
| Harwich | 27,715 | 94,408 | +66,693 |
| Immingham Docks | 45,606 | 67,555 | +21,949 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 14,687 | 45,202 | +30,515 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
|
Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products
|
3 |
|
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
|
2 |
|
Manufacture of electrical equipment
|
2 |
|
Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
|
2 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 3 |
| 2026-03 | 3 |
| 2026-02 | 4 |
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-12 | 3 |
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+ | 5 |
| 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 | 961,733 |
| United States | 698,868 |
| France | 186,799 |
| Switzerland | 101,157 |
| 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 | 488,865 | 472,868 | -15,997 |
| United States | 336,553 | 362,315 | +25,762 |
| France | 79,361 | 107,438 | +28,077 |
| Switzerland | 57,387 | 43,770 | -13,617 |
| Italy | 54,644 | 37,239 | -17,405 |
| Belgium | 25,805 | 19,811 | -5,994 |
| Ireland | 7,900 | 33,059 | +25,159 |
| Australia | 4,670 | 30,886 | +26,216 |
| Spain | 14,057 | 4,818 | -9,239 |
| Philippines | 5,353 | 10,927 | +5,574 |
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 | 737 |
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 | 289 | 448 | +159 |
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) | 1,281,640 |
| Air transport | 624,117 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 420,417 |
| Other | 865 |
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) | 679,738 | 601,902 | -77,836 |
| Air transport | 189,344 | 434,773 | +245,429 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 255,397 | 165,020 | -90,377 |
| Other | 417 | 448 | +31 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Hull | 630,212 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 470,051 |
| London Stansted Airport | 396,781 |
| Southampton | 351,274 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 137,548 |
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 | 290,045 | 340,167 | +50,122 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 272,241 | 197,810 | -74,431 |
| London Stansted Airport | 87,567 | 309,214 | +221,647 |
| Southampton | 218,577 | 132,697 | -85,880 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 75,870 | 61,678 | -14,192 |
| Immingham Docks | 93,135 | 21,789 | -71,346 |
| Manchester Airport | 2,463 | 45,840 | +43,377 |
| Dover | 40,238 | 0 | -40,238 |
| Holyhead | 2,980 | 31,707 | +28,727 |
| ZLC | 21,560 | 5,638 | -15,922 |
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