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 | 2,567,315 |
| China | 2,013,160 |
| Germany | 533,633 |
| Austria | 404,831 |
| Netherlands | 340,662 |
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 | 708,619 | 1,858,696 | +1,150,077 |
| China | 694,138 | 1,319,022 | +624,884 |
| Germany | 27,644 | 505,989 | +478,345 |
| Austria | 208,229 | 196,602 | -11,627 |
| Netherlands | 131,483 | 209,179 | +77,696 |
| Japan | 0 | 185,848 | +185,848 |
| Thailand | 0 | 58,157 | +58,157 |
| Taiwan | 14,570 | 11,543 | -3,027 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 10,108 | 8,458 | -1,650 |
| France | 13,729 | 969 | -12,760 |
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 | 5,294,392 |
| United States | 460,191 |
| Japan | 185,848 |
| Austria | 69,556 |
| Taiwan | 59,778 |
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 | 1,578,640 | 3,715,752 | +2,137,112 |
| United States | 162,777 | 297,414 | +134,637 |
| Japan | 0 | 185,848 | +185,848 |
| Austria | 0 | 69,556 | +69,556 |
| Taiwan | 48,235 | 11,543 | -36,692 |
| Thailand | 0 | 58,157 | +58,157 |
| United Kingdom | 11,703 | 10,507 | -1,196 |
| Viet Nam | 6,650 | 0 | -6,650 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 0 | 5,686 | +5,686 |
| Netherlands | 4,539 | 0 | -4,539 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 |
| Cheshire | 1 |
| Essex | 1 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 |
| Inner London - East | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Inner London - West | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 0 | 1 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 2,244,608 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,035,286 |
| Other | 1,009,131 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 881,661 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 440,319 | 1,804,289 | +1,363,970 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 692,197 | 1,343,089 | +650,892 |
| Other | 547,195 | 461,936 | -85,259 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 136,512 | 745,149 | +608,637 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 1,556,058 |
| Felixstowe | 1,438,772 |
| 000 | 1,009,131 |
| Dover | 456,946 |
| London Stansted Airport | 357,295 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 167,264 | 1,388,794 | +1,221,530 |
| Felixstowe | 420,299 | 1,018,473 | +598,174 |
| 000 | 547,195 | 461,936 | -85,259 |
| Dover | 98,538 | 358,408 | +259,870 |
| London Stansted Airport | 166,589 | 190,706 | +24,117 |
| Immingham Docks | 95,215 | 152,232 | +57,017 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 52,373 | 179,124 | +126,751 |
| Eurotunnel | 118,157 | 92,585 | -25,572 |
| Southampton | 28,323 | 159,709 | +131,386 |
| Harwich | 0 | 167,475 | +167,475 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of basic metals | 2 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 2 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 2 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 1 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-10 | 3 |
| 2025-07 | 1 |
| 2025-05 | 2 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| LESS COMMON METALS LIMITED | 25 |
| TESTBOURNE LIMITED | 21 |
| NEWMET LIMITED | 14 |
| GOODFELLOW CAMBRIDGE LIMITED | 13 |
| AVOCADO RESEARCH CHEMICALS LIMITED | 12 |
| CERES POWER HOLDINGS PLC | 6 |
| JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC | 2 |
| ICD EUROPE LTD. | 2 |
| PI-KEM LIMITED | 2 |
| BÜHLER UK LIMITED | 1 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 3 |
| 54m+ | 2 |
| 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 | 916,117 |
| Germany | 232,122 |
| Australia | 222,617 |
| France | 110,383 |
| South Africa | 98,617 |
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 | 604,431 | 311,686 | -292,745 |
| Germany | 52,450 | 179,672 | +127,222 |
| Australia | 108,973 | 113,644 | +4,671 |
| France | 96,978 | 13,405 | -83,573 |
| South Africa | 98,617 | 0 | -98,617 |
| Japan | 25,380 | 43,791 | +18,411 |
| Israel | 5,329 | 24,299 | +18,970 |
| Czechia | 12,249 | 15,332 | +3,083 |
| Netherlands | 18,106 | 7,659 | -10,447 |
| China | 4,476 | 15,223 | +10,747 |
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 | 857,778 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 751,218 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 222,296 |
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 | 584,489 | 273,289 | -311,200 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 433,958 | 317,260 | -116,698 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 48,852 | 173,444 | +124,592 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 454,635 |
| London Stansted Airport | 374,964 |
| Southampton | 283,397 |
| East Midlands Airport | 216,298 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 196,859 |
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 | 340,342 | 114,293 | -226,049 |
| London Stansted Airport | 253,331 | 121,633 | -131,698 |
| Southampton | 80,430 | 202,967 | +122,537 |
| East Midlands Airport | 182,299 | 33,999 | -148,300 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 23,415 | 173,444 | +150,029 |
| Manchester Airport | 70,679 | 45,893 | -24,786 |
| ZLC | 46,607 | 34,028 | -12,579 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 31,573 | 37,736 | +6,163 |
| 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