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 | 23,233,955 |
| China | 16,090,700 |
| Italy | 4,900,624 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 4,261,426 |
| Spain | 2,735,225 |
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 | 11,544,207 | 11,689,748 | +145,541 |
| China | 7,767,192 | 8,323,508 | +556,316 |
| Italy | 1,851,722 | 3,048,902 | +1,197,180 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 3,998,419 | 263,007 | -3,735,412 |
| Spain | 1,197,490 | 1,537,735 | +340,245 |
| Singapore | 0 | 2,077,494 | +2,077,494 |
| Belgium | 562,115 | 406,659 | -155,456 |
| France | 346,144 | 593,427 | +247,283 |
| Netherlands | 343,955 | 316,497 | -27,458 |
| Austria | 118,944 | 213,912 | +94,968 |
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 | 23,511,234 |
| China | 18,083,290 |
| Italy | 5,236,616 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 4,628,870 |
| Spain | 2,280,297 |
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 | 11,580,536 | 11,930,698 | +350,162 |
| China | 9,164,456 | 8,918,834 | -245,622 |
| Italy | 1,864,760 | 3,371,856 | +1,507,096 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2,874,265 | 1,754,605 | -1,119,660 |
| Spain | 920,566 | 1,359,731 | +439,165 |
| United States | 614,787 | 498,781 | -116,006 |
| France | 297,974 | 89,140 | -208,834 |
| Netherlands | 173,318 | 181,098 | +7,780 |
| Brazil | 240,224 | 112,706 | -127,518 |
| India | 330,681 | 2,571 | -328,110 |
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 | 7 |
| 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 | 6 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 6 | 4 | -2 |
| Kent | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Lincolnshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| 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) | 31,526,444 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 25,043,332 |
| Air transport | 612,294 |
| Other | 345,083 |
| 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) | 15,785,562 | 15,740,882 | -44,680 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,501,595 | 12,541,737 | +40,142 |
| Air transport | 361,155 | 251,139 | -110,016 |
| Other | 129,877 | 215,206 | +85,329 |
| 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 | 19,625,018 |
| Felixstowe | 18,349,977 |
| Eurotunnel | 4,966,123 |
| Liverpool Docks | 3,395,367 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,760,350 |
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 | 9,739,973 | 9,885,045 | +145,072 |
| Felixstowe | 9,949,601 | 8,400,376 | -1,549,225 |
| Eurotunnel | 2,114,591 | 2,851,532 | +736,941 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,251,528 | 2,143,839 | +892,311 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,433,400 | 1,326,950 | -106,450 |
| Dover | 512,057 | 1,251,187 | +739,130 |
| Harwich | 830,511 | 665,760 | -164,751 |
| London | 825,914 | 497,714 | -328,200 |
| Belfast Port | 527,835 | 326,600 | -201,235 |
| Southampton | 346,686 | 157,483 | -189,203 |
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 |
|
Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities
|
5 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 28 |
| 2026-04 | 21 |
| 2026-03 | 30 |
| 2026-02 | 20 |
| 2026-01 | 14 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| VIBRANTZ MINERALS LIMITED | 84 |
| COLORCON LIMITED | 54 |
| OXERRA UK LIMITED | 51 |
| OMYA UK LIMITED | 49 |
| SUN CHEMICAL LIMITED | 48 |
| PJ COLOURS LIMITED | 46 |
| COTY MANUFACTURING UK LIMITED | 43 |
| AXALTA POWDER COATING SYSTEMS UK LIMITED | 40 |
| 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 | 19 |
| 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 | 3,701,617 |
| France | 1,654,024 |
| Ireland | 1,276,848 |
| Belgium | 1,064,496 |
| United States | 913,447 |
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 | 3,573,093 | 128,524 | -3,444,569 |
| France | 421,654 | 1,232,370 | +810,716 |
| Ireland | 635,877 | 640,971 | +5,094 |
| Belgium | 705,326 | 359,170 | -346,156 |
| United States | 389,439 | 524,008 | +134,569 |
| United Arab Emirates | 381,281 | 418,694 | +37,413 |
| South Africa | 398,695 | 329,924 | -68,771 |
| China | 345,301 | 281,947 | -63,354 |
| Germany | 276,144 | 323,874 | +47,730 |
| Saudi Arabia | 284,732 | 234,016 | -50,716 |
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 | 144,002 |
| China | 10,702 |
| Italy | 8,014 |
| 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 | 28,974 | 115,028 | +86,054 |
| China | 2,909 | 7,793 | +4,884 |
| Italy | 5,679 | 2,335 | -3,344 |
| XL | 0 | 6,786 | +6,786 |
| United States | 11 | 24 | +13 |
| Germany | 13 | 0 | -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) | 9,497,799 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,526,449 |
| Air transport | 774,418 |
| Other | 169,578 |
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) | 6,248,474 | 3,249,325 | -2,999,149 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,294,534 | 3,231,915 | -62,619 |
| Air transport | 437,291 | 337,127 | -100,164 |
| Other | 37,612 | 131,966 | +94,354 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 6,780,698 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,033,050 |
| Southampton | 1,675,965 |
| Felixstowe | 1,001,067 |
| Immingham Docks | 806,665 |
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 | 4,606,365 | 2,174,333 | -2,432,032 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,384,510 | 1,648,540 | +264,030 |
| Southampton | 770,640 | 905,325 | +134,685 |
| Felixstowe | 607,740 | 393,327 | -214,413 |
| Immingham Docks | 390,816 | 415,849 | +25,033 |
| Liverpool Docks | 530,675 | 187,079 | -343,596 |
| Heysham | 338,986 | 234,071 | -104,915 |
| Dover | 541,647 | 7,871 | -533,776 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 272,413 | 231,506 | -40,907 |
| Holyhead | 121,678 | 263,643 | +141,965 |
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