Import/export HS code 290532: Propylene glycol (propane-1,2-diol)
A chemical used in food, cosmetics, and antifreeze
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 23,548,883 |
| Germany | 22,761,717 |
| China | 3,840,305 |
| Belgium | 3,572,226 |
| South Korea | 2,094,649 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 10,382,030 | 13,166,853 | +2,784,823 |
| Germany | 13,125,746 | 9,635,971 | -3,489,775 |
| China | 1,488,711 | 2,351,594 | +862,883 |
| Belgium | 1,798,585 | 1,773,641 | -24,944 |
| South Korea | 1,317,292 | 777,357 | -539,935 |
| France | 574,001 | 338,996 | -235,005 |
| Ireland | 400,769 | 165,186 | -235,583 |
| Spain | 142,829 | 225,793 | +82,964 |
| United States | 242,500 | 105,303 | -137,197 |
| Niger | 104,529 | 156,897 | +52,368 |
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 | 24,279,169 |
| Netherlands | 20,644,595 |
| China | 5,022,830 |
| South Korea | 2,741,186 |
| United States | 1,427,888 |
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 | 14,905,190 | 9,373,979 | -5,531,211 |
| Netherlands | 7,975,445 | 12,669,150 | +4,693,705 |
| China | 1,568,131 | 3,454,699 | +1,886,568 |
| South Korea | 1,660,144 | 1,081,042 | -579,102 |
| United States | 1,172,276 | 255,612 | -916,664 |
| Spain | 617,217 | 798,717 | +181,500 |
| France | 810,111 | 249,723 | -560,388 |
| Belgium | 493,767 | 301,262 | -192,505 |
| Italy | 147,896 | 208,293 | +60,397 |
| Ireland | 275,782 | 0 | -275,782 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 9 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 6 |
| West Yorkshire | 6 |
| Inner London - West | 5 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 9 | +4 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 | 6 | +3 |
| Inner London - West | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Essex | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Merseyside | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
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) | 32,308,207 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 25,523,786 |
| Other | 867,128 |
| Air transport | 275,318 |
| Road transport | 1,861 |
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) | 19,869,404 | 12,438,803 | -7,430,601 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,558,429 | 15,965,357 | +6,406,928 |
| Other | 374,679 | 492,449 | +117,770 |
| Air transport | 163,631 | 111,687 | -51,944 |
| Road transport | 0 | 1,861 | +1,861 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 20,020,610 |
| Middlesbrough | 11,406,098 |
| Tyne | 8,266,993 |
| London | 6,652,898 |
| Felixstowe | 4,470,538 |
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 | 8,612,047 | 11,408,563 | +2,796,516 |
| Middlesbrough | 5,585,884 | 5,820,214 | +234,330 |
| Tyne | 5,495,488 | 2,771,505 | -2,723,983 |
| London | 3,706,924 | 2,945,974 | -760,950 |
| Felixstowe | 2,173,587 | 2,296,951 | +123,364 |
| Hull | 1,805,114 | 1,057,735 | -747,379 |
| Dover | 939,817 | 989,096 | +49,279 |
| 000 | 374,679 | 492,449 | +117,770 |
| 499 | 0 | 538,521 | +538,521 |
| Liverpool Docks | 367,029 | 53,973 | -313,056 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 31 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 27 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 7 |
| Manufacture of food products | 7 |
| Other manufacturing | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 16 |
| 2026-03 | 17 |
| 2026-02 | 17 |
| 2026-01 | 17 |
| 2025-12 | 12 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 74 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 58 |
| SOLVENTIS LTD. | 53 |
| TILLEY DISTRIBUTION UK LIMITED | 53 |
| BASF PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 51 |
| TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 40 |
| FRANK WRIGHT LIMITED | 38 |
| OQEMA LIMITED | 34 |
| MONARCH CHEMICALS LIMITED | 31 |
| HAYMAN GROUP LTD | 29 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 45 |
| 1m-15m | 21 |
| 15m-54m | 10 |
| Other | 6 |
| 0-1m | 2 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 1,202,632 |
| Ireland | 804,554 |
| Denmark | 640,086 |
| Germany | 505,816 |
| Sweden | 465,075 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 455,255 | 747,377 | +292,122 |
| Ireland | 456,535 | 348,019 | -108,516 |
| Denmark | 554,823 | 85,263 | -469,560 |
| Germany | 102,373 | 403,443 | +301,070 |
| Sweden | 230,395 | 234,680 | +4,285 |
| France | 167,050 | 268,542 | +101,492 |
| Spain | 35,029 | 227,023 | +191,994 |
| United States | 125,872 | 73,526 | -52,346 |
| Australia | 38,975 | 71,440 | +32,465 |
| Netherlands | 8,210 | 99,996 | +91,786 |
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 | 149,692 |
| France | 25,632 |
| Germany | 18,174 |
| Netherlands | 5,980 |
| China | 2,279 |
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 | 56,305 | 93,387 | +37,082 |
| France | 25,632 | 0 | -25,632 |
| Germany | 7,379 | 10,795 | +3,416 |
| Netherlands | 5,980 | 0 | -5,980 |
| China | 0 | 2,279 | +2,279 |
| Spain | 1,584 | 0 | -1,584 |
| United States | 212 | 0 | -212 |
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) | 3,927,839 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,289,382 |
| Air transport | 388,419 |
| Other | 208,672 |
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) | 1,647,697 | 2,280,142 | +632,445 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 654,555 | 634,827 | -19,728 |
| Air transport | 202,495 | 185,924 | -16,571 |
| Other | 97,833 | 110,839 | +13,006 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 1,364,071 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,339,899 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 834,681 |
| London Gateway Port | 349,534 |
| Heysham | 342,975 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 389,495 | 974,576 | +585,081 |
| Immingham Docks | 825,394 | 514,505 | -310,889 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 267,556 | 567,125 | +299,569 |
| London Gateway Port | 158,336 | 191,198 | +32,862 |
| Heysham | 200,585 | 142,390 | -58,195 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 129,554 | 123,194 | -6,360 |
| 000 | 97,833 | 110,839 | +13,006 |
| Liverpool Docks | 60,445 | 140,321 | +79,876 |
| Southampton | 73,635 | 74,145 | +510 |
| Dover | 76,388 | 56,371 | -20,017 |
Quick facts
HS code: 290532
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A chemical used in food, cosmetics, and antifreeze