Import/export HS code 280530: Rare-earth metals
Includes metals like cerium, lanthanum, and yttrium, used in magnets, electronics, and lasers
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 | 3,317,009 |
| China | 2,141,039 |
| Germany | 592,069 |
| Austria | 388,485 |
| Netherlands | 238,286 |
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 | 1,080,641 | 2,236,368 | +1,155,727 |
| China | 1,518,148 | 622,891 | -895,257 |
| Germany | 43,304 | 548,765 | +505,461 |
| Austria | 115,905 | 272,580 | +156,675 |
| Netherlands | 162,514 | 75,772 | -86,742 |
| Japan | 136,862 | 48,986 | -87,876 |
| Taiwan | 21,504 | 65,376 | +43,872 |
| Thailand | 58,157 | 0 | -58,157 |
| Canada | 0 | 33,522 | +33,522 |
| France | 944 | 19,576 | +18,632 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 6,059,345 |
| United States | 489,501 |
| Japan | 185,848 |
| Austria | 140,934 |
| Taiwan | 120,545 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 2,671,575 | 3,387,770 | +716,195 |
| United States | 184,022 | 305,479 | +121,457 |
| Japan | 136,862 | 48,986 | -87,876 |
| Austria | 26,553 | 114,381 | +87,828 |
| Taiwan | 55,169 | 65,376 | +10,207 |
| Thailand | 58,157 | 0 | -58,157 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 19,906 | +19,906 |
| United Kingdom | 14,826 | 958 | -13,868 |
| Viet Nam | 6,650 | 0 | -6,650 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 5,686 | 0 | -5,686 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 |
| Cheshire | 1 |
| Essex | 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 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 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) | 2,835,821 |
| Air transport | 2,328,534 |
| Other | 1,007,331 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 936,304 |
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) | 411,669 | 2,424,152 | +2,012,483 |
| Air transport | 1,687,373 | 641,161 | -1,046,212 |
| Other | 870,677 | 136,654 | -734,023 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 194,529 | 741,775 | +547,246 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 1,694,180 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,510,552 |
| 000 | 1,007,331 |
| 499 | 820,452 |
| Dover | 463,867 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 373,506 | 1,320,674 | +947,168 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,245,251 | 265,301 | -979,950 |
| 000 | 870,677 | 136,654 | -734,023 |
| 499 | 0 | 820,452 | +820,452 |
| Dover | 50,027 | 413,840 | +363,813 |
| London Stansted Airport | 200,816 | 186,931 | -13,885 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 187,599 | 50,308 | -137,291 |
| Southampton | 28,323 | 159,709 | +131,386 |
| Harwich | 24,402 | 143,073 | +118,671 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,727 | 152,232 | +149,505 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
|
Manufacture of basic metals
|
3 |
|
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
|
2 |
|
Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
|
2 |
|
Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products
|
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 | 2 |
| 2026-04 | 3 |
| 2026-02 | 1 |
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-12 | 1 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| LESS COMMON METALS LIMITED | 26 |
| TESTBOURNE LIMITED | 22 |
| NEWMET LIMITED | 15 |
| AVOCADO RESEARCH CHEMICALS LIMITED | 13 |
| GOODFELLOW CAMBRIDGE LIMITED | 13 |
| CERES POWER HOLDINGS PLC | 6 |
| PI-KEM LIMITED | 3 |
| BÜHLER UK LIMITED | 2 |
| JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC | 2 |
| ICD EUROPE LTD. | 2 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 4 |
| 54m+ | 3 |
| 15m-54m | 1 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,090,103 |
| Germany | 203,653 |
| Australia | 179,996 |
| Japan | 129,992 |
| South Africa | 95,443 |
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 | 607,323 | 482,780 | -124,543 |
| Germany | 37,504 | 166,149 | +128,645 |
| Australia | 26,222 | 153,774 | +127,552 |
| Japan | 46,715 | 83,277 | +36,562 |
| South Africa | 95,443 | 0 | -95,443 |
| France | 55,960 | 32,642 | -23,318 |
| Netherlands | 21,878 | 25,736 | +3,858 |
| Israel | 5,329 | 24,299 | +18,970 |
| China | 5,842 | 16,816 | +10,974 |
| Czechia | 8,588 | 7,794 | -794 |
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 | 880,180 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 877,154 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 228,804 |
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 | 529,147 | 351,033 | -178,114 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 350,658 | 526,496 | +175,838 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 61,473 | 167,331 | +105,858 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 599,557 |
| London Stansted Airport | 412,455 |
| Southampton | 264,411 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 203,367 |
| East Midlands Airport | 165,571 |
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 | 281,952 | 317,605 | +35,653 |
| London Stansted Airport | 229,850 | 182,605 | -47,245 |
| Southampton | 55,520 | 208,891 | +153,371 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 36,036 | 167,331 | +131,295 |
| East Midlands Airport | 136,578 | 28,993 | -107,585 |
| Manchester Airport | 70,761 | 72,479 | +1,718 |
| ZLC | 54,261 | 34,101 | -20,160 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 37,697 | 32,855 | -4,842 |
| Felixstowe | 37,285 | 0 | -37,285 |
| Holyhead | 1,338 | 0 | -1,338 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 280530
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes metals like cerium, lanthanum, and yttrium, used in magnets, electronics, and lasers