Import/export HS code 2821: Iron oxides and earth colours
Iron-based compounds and natural pigments, often used in paints, dyes, and construction materials
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 | 23,736,918 |
| China | 16,282,442 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 4,909,962 |
| Italy | 4,692,557 |
| Spain | 2,728,901 |
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 | 11,922,874 | 11,814,044 | -108,830 |
| China | 7,148,305 | 9,134,137 | +1,985,832 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 4,646,955 | 263,007 | -4,383,948 |
| Italy | 1,963,376 | 2,729,181 | +765,805 |
| Spain | 1,199,887 | 1,529,014 | +329,127 |
| Singapore | 0 | 1,491,852 | +1,491,852 |
| Belgium | 566,320 | 435,992 | -130,328 |
| France | 359,820 | 526,000 | +166,180 |
| Netherlands | 326,643 | 321,872 | -4,771 |
| Brazil | 259,694 | 126,809 | -132,885 |
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 | 24,038,681 |
| China | 17,927,199 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 5,040,258 |
| Italy | 4,968,969 |
| Spain | 2,304,898 |
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 | 11,916,251 | 12,122,430 | +206,179 |
| China | 9,178,945 | 8,748,254 | -430,691 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2,891,426 | 2,148,832 | -742,594 |
| Italy | 1,993,012 | 2,975,957 | +982,945 |
| Spain | 949,513 | 1,355,385 | +405,872 |
| United States | 607,387 | 450,828 | -156,559 |
| Brazil | 259,694 | 147,782 | -111,912 |
| France | 301,059 | 97,681 | -203,378 |
| India | 353,074 | 4,848 | -348,226 |
| Netherlands | 173,318 | 169,161 | -4,157 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 11 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 6 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 6 |
| Kent | 5 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 9 | +5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 6 | 4 | -2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 6 | 4 | -2 |
| Kent | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Lincolnshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 | 2 | +0 |
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) | 31,642,556 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 25,493,614 |
| Air transport | 608,422 |
| Other | 373,517 |
| Road transport | 120,320 |
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) | 16,709,172 | 14,933,384 | -1,775,788 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,105,655 | 13,387,959 | +1,282,304 |
| Air transport | 372,190 | 236,232 | -135,958 |
| Other | 153,582 | 219,935 | +66,353 |
| Road transport | 0 | 120,320 | +120,320 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 20,149,098 |
| Felixstowe | 18,443,352 |
| Eurotunnel | 4,627,883 |
| Liverpool Docks | 3,337,707 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,849,141 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 10,117,870 | 10,031,228 | -86,642 |
| Felixstowe | 10,185,162 | 8,258,190 | -1,926,972 |
| Eurotunnel | 2,203,766 | 2,424,117 | +220,351 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,121,794 | 2,215,913 | +1,094,119 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,262,790 | 1,586,351 | +323,561 |
| Dover | 525,683 | 1,274,512 | +748,829 |
| Harwich | 818,018 | 678,253 | -139,765 |
| London | 804,883 | 564,569 | -240,314 |
| Belfast Port | 570,955 | 363,200 | -207,755 |
| Southampton | 371,356 | 146,886 | -224,470 |
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 | 28 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 19 |
| Manufacture of food products | 14 |
| Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations | 6 |
| Other manufacturing | 6 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 21 |
| 2026-03 | 30 |
| 2026-02 | 20 |
| 2026-01 | 14 |
| 2025-12 | 17 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| VIBRANTZ MINERALS LIMITED | 83 |
| COLORCON LIMITED | 53 |
| OXERRA UK LIMITED | 51 |
| OMYA UK LIMITED | 48 |
| SUN CHEMICAL LIMITED | 47 |
| PJ COLOURS LIMITED | 45 |
| COTY MANUFACTURING UK LIMITED | 43 |
| AXALTA POWDER COATING SYSTEMS UK LIMITED | 39 |
| JOTUN PAINTS (EUROPE) LIMITED | 37 |
| SIBELCO UK LIMITED | 36 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 47 |
| 1m-15m | 20 |
| 15m-54m | 9 |
| Other | 5 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Spain | 3,741,592 |
| France | 1,561,730 |
| Ireland | 1,178,780 |
| Belgium | 1,101,718 |
| United States | 905,226 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 3,616,965 | 124,627 | -3,492,338 |
| France | 417,747 | 1,143,983 | +726,236 |
| Ireland | 616,747 | 562,033 | -54,714 |
| Belgium | 699,230 | 402,488 | -296,742 |
| United States | 362,306 | 542,920 | +180,614 |
| United Arab Emirates | 376,149 | 394,461 | +18,312 |
| Germany | 354,339 | 312,383 | -41,956 |
| South Africa | 371,347 | 267,632 | -103,715 |
| China | 304,958 | 313,465 | +8,507 |
| Saudi Arabia | 299,987 | 202,770 | -97,217 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 116,104 |
| China | 9,272 |
| Italy | 8,808 |
| XL | 6,786 |
| United States | 35 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 29,290 | 86,814 | +57,524 |
| China | 2,778 | 6,494 | +3,716 |
| Italy | 6,473 | 2,335 | -4,138 |
| XL | 0 | 6,786 | +6,786 |
| United States | 11 | 24 | +13 |
| Germany | 0 | 13 | +13 |
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) | 9,527,682 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,282,072 |
| Air transport | 766,076 |
| Other | 141,044 |
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) | 6,439,463 | 3,088,219 | -3,351,244 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,282,658 | 2,999,414 | -283,244 |
| Air transport | 408,986 | 357,090 | -51,896 |
| Other | 38,578 | 102,466 | +63,888 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 6,939,457 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,859,337 |
| Southampton | 1,674,358 |
| Felixstowe | 873,995 |
| Immingham Docks | 791,025 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,834,674 | 2,104,783 | -2,729,891 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,356,528 | 1,502,809 | +146,281 |
| Southampton | 823,040 | 851,318 | +28,278 |
| Felixstowe | 588,282 | 285,713 | -302,569 |
| Immingham Docks | 387,903 | 403,122 | +15,219 |
| Liverpool Docks | 481,461 | 257,595 | -223,866 |
| Heysham | 335,996 | 254,589 | -81,407 |
| Dover | 541,647 | 7,871 | -533,776 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 244,108 | 258,978 | +14,870 |
| Holyhead | 117,276 | 180,663 | +63,387 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 2821
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Iron-based compounds and natural pigments, often used in paints, dyes, and construction materials