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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 22,171,730 |
| Netherlands | 21,239,717 |
| China | 3,264,550 |
| Belgium | 3,026,546 |
| South Korea | 1,780,948 |
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 | 13,175,423 | 8,996,307 | -4,179,116 |
| Netherlands | 11,447,239 | 9,792,478 | -1,654,761 |
| China | 1,535,618 | 1,728,932 | +193,314 |
| Belgium | 1,848,796 | 1,177,750 | -671,046 |
| South Korea | 1,373,802 | 407,146 | -966,656 |
| France | 600,212 | 318,428 | -281,784 |
| Ireland | 613,132 | 144,600 | -468,532 |
| Spain | 196,044 | 161,139 | -34,905 |
| United States | 244,663 | 66,132 | -178,531 |
| 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 | 24,042,610 |
| Netherlands | 18,203,923 |
| China | 4,035,101 |
| South Korea | 2,329,010 |
| Spain | 1,332,256 |
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 | 15,064,932 | 8,977,678 | -6,087,254 |
| Netherlands | 8,769,503 | 9,434,420 | +664,917 |
| China | 1,694,112 | 2,340,989 | +646,877 |
| South Korea | 1,694,933 | 634,077 | -1,060,856 |
| Spain | 703,016 | 629,240 | -73,776 |
| United States | 1,171,283 | 63,960 | -1,107,323 |
| France | 919,510 | 189,149 | -730,361 |
| Belgium | 412,189 | 339,085 | -73,104 |
| Ireland | 597,802 | 0 | -597,802 |
| Italy | 149,853 | 208,293 | +58,440 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 6 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 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 | 6 | 8 | +2 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Essex | 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) | 33,202,061 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 20,372,661 |
| Other | 877,232 |
| Air transport | 250,324 |
| 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) | 22,338,397 | 10,863,664 | -11,474,733 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 8,525,650 | 11,847,011 | +3,321,361 |
| Other | 472,488 | 404,744 | -67,744 |
| Air transport | 163,922 | 86,402 | -77,520 |
| 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 | 18,440,239 |
| Middlesbrough | 11,666,779 |
| Tyne | 7,361,879 |
| London | 5,682,249 |
| Felixstowe | 3,656,988 |
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 | 9,808,205 | 8,632,034 | -1,176,171 |
| Middlesbrough | 6,163,321 | 5,503,458 | -659,863 |
| Tyne | 4,968,149 | 2,393,730 | -2,574,419 |
| London | 3,641,181 | 2,041,068 | -1,600,113 |
| Felixstowe | 2,209,327 | 1,447,661 | -761,666 |
| Hull | 1,756,708 | 831,159 | -925,549 |
| Dover | 930,877 | 807,405 | -123,472 |
| 000 | 472,488 | 404,744 | -67,744 |
| Liverpool Docks | 633,703 | 94,607 | -539,096 |
| 499 | 0 | 490,906 | +490,906 |
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 | 28 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 23 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 7 |
| Manufacture of food products | 7 |
| Other manufacturing | 5 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 17 |
| 2025-11 | 14 |
| 2025-10 | 12 |
| 2025-09 | 20 |
| 2025-08 | 16 |
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 | 55 |
| SOLVENTIS LTD. | 49 |
| TILLEY DISTRIBUTION UK LIMITED | 49 |
| BASF PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 47 |
| TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 40 |
| FRANK WRIGHT LIMITED | 36 |
| OQEMA LIMITED | 31 |
| MONARCH CHEMICALS LIMITED | 30 |
| OQEMA LONDON LIMITED | 27 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 40 |
| 1m-15m | 18 |
| 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 | 1,199,090 |
| Ireland | 728,403 |
| Denmark | 698,247 |
| Sweden | 433,644 |
| Germany | 401,266 |
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 | 370,914 | 828,176 | +457,262 |
| Ireland | 449,609 | 278,794 | -170,815 |
| Denmark | 577,446 | 120,801 | -456,645 |
| Sweden | 230,395 | 203,249 | -27,146 |
| Germany | 112,239 | 289,027 | +176,788 |
| France | 158,183 | 170,808 | +12,625 |
| United States | 117,983 | 33,108 | -84,875 |
| Spain | 5,556 | 111,527 | +105,971 |
| Australia | 40,206 | 56,889 | +16,683 |
| Netherlands | 6,778 | 70,241 | +63,463 |
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 | 105,263 |
| Germany | 30,213 |
| France | 25,632 |
| Netherlands | 5,980 |
| Spain | 1,584 |
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 | 47,766 | 57,497 | +9,731 |
| Germany | 21,331 | 8,882 | -12,449 |
| France | 25,632 | 0 | -25,632 |
| Netherlands | 5,980 | 0 | -5,980 |
| Spain | 1,584 | 0 | -1,584 |
| United States | 0 | 212 | +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) | 3,444,081 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,101,855 |
| Air transport | 310,151 |
| Other | 170,108 |
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) | 1,501,869 | 1,942,212 | +440,343 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 681,364 | 420,491 | -260,873 |
| Air transport | 192,977 | 117,174 | -75,803 |
| Other | 102,933 | 67,175 | -35,758 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 1,263,613 |
| Middlesbrough | 1,231,116 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 611,810 |
| Heysham | 324,309 |
| London Gateway Port | 278,174 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 856,689 | 406,924 | -449,765 |
| Middlesbrough | 305,154 | 925,962 | +620,808 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 217,308 | 394,502 | +177,194 |
| Heysham | 184,507 | 139,802 | -44,705 |
| London Gateway Port | 159,567 | 118,607 | -40,960 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 105,145 | 76,098 | -29,047 |
| Liverpool Docks | 59,139 | 118,624 | +59,485 |
| 000 | 102,933 | 67,175 | -35,758 |
| Dover | 74,730 | 48,450 | -26,280 |
| Holyhead | 99,514 | 16,620 | -82,894 |
Quick facts
HS code: 290532
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A chemical used in food, cosmetics, and antifreeze