Import/export HS code 281122: Silicon dioxide
A compound used in glass, ceramics, and as a food additive
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 37,404,386 |
| France | 19,771,407 |
| Netherlands | 18,707,026 |
| China | 17,641,211 |
| United States | 11,314,313 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 19,254,774 | 18,149,612 | -1,105,162 |
| France | 8,098,396 | 11,673,011 | +3,574,615 |
| Netherlands | 8,167,117 | 10,539,909 | +2,372,792 |
| China | 7,271,604 | 10,369,607 | +3,098,003 |
| United States | 8,309,747 | 3,004,566 | -5,305,181 |
| Belgium | 2,701,705 | 2,788,444 | +86,739 |
| Norway | 2,264,579 | 2,638,597 | +374,018 |
| Japan | 1,735,101 | 1,088,836 | -646,265 |
| Taiwan | 1,817,119 | 311,780 | -1,505,339 |
| Switzerland | 1,092,231 | 464,869 | -627,362 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 33,545,562 |
| France | 22,074,823 |
| China | 20,718,309 |
| Netherlands | 10,317,703 |
| United States | 9,732,652 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 15,596,591 | 17,948,971 | +2,352,380 |
| France | 8,924,872 | 13,149,951 | +4,225,079 |
| China | 9,166,527 | 11,551,782 | +2,385,255 |
| Netherlands | 5,474,880 | 4,842,823 | -632,057 |
| United States | 7,260,748 | 2,471,904 | -4,788,844 |
| Belgium | 4,846,428 | 3,684,265 | -1,162,163 |
| Norway | 3,136,674 | 3,545,658 | +408,984 |
| Japan | 2,262,013 | 1,866,232 | -395,781 |
| Taiwan | 1,909,159 | 683,550 | -1,225,609 |
| Finland | 1,794,515 | 372,952 | -1,421,563 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 16 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 11 |
| Greater Manchester | 10 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 10 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 9 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 13 | 13 | +0 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 9 | 8 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 9 | 9 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 9 | 6 | -3 |
| Inner London - East | 6 | 7 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 5 | 7 | +2 |
| Merseyside | 6 | 9 | +3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Cheshire | 7 | 6 | -1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 79,986,706 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 42,805,054 |
| Air transport | 6,043,545 |
| Other | 780,454 |
| Road transport | 472,523 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 38,752,945 | 41,233,761 | +2,480,816 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 22,134,345 | 20,670,709 | -1,463,636 |
| Air transport | 2,987,749 | 3,055,796 | +68,047 |
| Other | 526,182 | 254,272 | -271,910 |
| Road transport | 217,241 | 255,282 | +38,041 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 18,691,453 |
| Immingham Docks | 15,810,887 |
| Felixstowe | 13,083,961 |
| Tyne | 11,472,382 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 10,681,200 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 7,923,265 | 10,768,188 | +2,844,923 |
| Immingham Docks | 7,554,836 | 8,256,051 | +701,215 |
| Felixstowe | 7,352,785 | 5,731,176 | -1,621,609 |
| Tyne | 5,783,990 | 5,688,392 | -95,598 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,268,832 | 7,412,368 | +4,143,536 |
| Eurotunnel | 6,113,430 | 3,021,290 | -3,092,140 |
| Southampton | 1,928,935 | 4,506,907 | +2,577,972 |
| Middlesbrough | 2,003,823 | 3,651,735 | +1,647,912 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,526,089 | 3,198,712 | +1,672,623 |
| Belfast Port | 4,381,775 | 243,695 | -4,138,080 |
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
|
47 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
45 |
|
Manufacture of food products
|
16 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
15 |
|
Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities
|
14 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 61 |
| 2026-04 | 61 |
| 2026-03 | 45 |
| 2026-02 | 64 |
| 2026-01 | 57 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 124 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 120 |
| ASTON CHEMICALS LIMITED | 110 |
| TOLSA UK LIMITED | 93 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 93 |
| SAFIC-ALCAN UK LIMITED | 73 |
| ANPARIO PLC | 64 |
| VWR INTERNATIONAL LTD | 61 |
| CAMBRIDGE COMMODITIES LIMITED | 58 |
| AZELIS UK LIMITED | 55 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 107 |
| 1m-15m | 41 |
| 15m-54m | 25 |
| Other | 16 |
| 0-1m | 4 |
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 | 202,688,857 |
| Belgium | 11,799,980 |
| Germany | 10,698,625 |
| Saudi Arabia | 6,350,280 |
| Ireland | 5,703,931 |
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 | 173,169,429 | 29,519,428 | -143,650,001 |
| Belgium | 7,924,725 | 3,875,255 | -4,049,470 |
| Germany | 5,905,643 | 4,792,982 | -1,112,661 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2,594,862 | 3,755,418 | +1,160,556 |
| Ireland | 2,116,733 | 3,587,198 | +1,470,465 |
| Italy | 3,436,628 | 2,236,809 | -1,199,819 |
| China | 2,252,700 | 3,326,247 | +1,073,547 |
| Sweden | 2,444,232 | 2,591,970 | +147,738 |
| Poland | 2,875,249 | 1,987,304 | -887,945 |
| Spain | 2,180,037 | 1,648,817 | -531,220 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Norway | 12,334 |
| XI | 4,949 |
| China | 479 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 12,334 | 0 | -12,334 |
| XI | 0 | 4,949 | +4,949 |
| China | 479 | 0 | -479 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 238,437,420 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 54,487,739 |
| Air transport | 4,252,684 |
| Road transport | 22,600 |
| Other | 18,203 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 192,061,622 | 46,375,798 | -145,685,824 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 31,267,367 | 23,220,372 | -8,046,995 |
| Air transport | 2,230,842 | 2,021,842 | -209,000 |
| Road transport | 22,600 | 0 | -22,600 |
| Other | 13,254 | 4,949 | -8,305 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 208,915,163 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 31,790,465 |
| London Gateway Port | 19,850,571 |
| Immingham Docks | 12,131,838 |
| Holyhead | 4,608,156 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 175,612,303 | 33,302,860 | -142,309,443 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 19,084,284 | 12,706,181 | -6,378,103 |
| London Gateway Port | 10,421,628 | 9,428,943 | -992,685 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,993,464 | 5,138,374 | -1,855,090 |
| Holyhead | 1,523,862 | 3,084,294 | +1,560,432 |
| Felixstowe | 2,869,448 | 1,061,670 | -1,807,778 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,797,109 | 1,565,357 | -231,752 |
| Newhaven | 1,138,551 | 1,067,573 | -70,978 |
| London | 1,324,000 | 639,953 | -684,047 |
| Hull | 1,009,476 | 944,568 | -64,908 |
Quick facts
HS code: 281122
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A compound used in glass, ceramics, and as a food additive