Import/export HS code 291511: Formic acid

A chemical used in textiles, leather processing, and as a preservative

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 5,573,120
China 1,813,620
Finland 1,117,073
Belgium 938,766
Netherlands 848,741

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 2,684,580 2,888,540 +203,960
China 824,686 988,934 +164,248
Finland 578,837 538,236 -40,601
Belgium 579,139 359,627 -219,512
Netherlands 541,533 307,208 -234,325
France 101,442 17,860 -83,582
United States 26,060 73,032 +46,972
Sweden 42,558 25,639 -16,919
Ireland 6,206 29,611 +23,405
South Korea 0 22,882 +22,882

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 5,164,033
Finland 1,864,488
China 1,863,783
Belgium 920,179
Netherlands 482,328

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 2,582,422 2,581,611 -811
Finland 1,124,385 740,103 -384,282
China 830,118 1,033,665 +203,547
Belgium 358,878 561,301 +202,423
Netherlands 291,255 191,073 -100,182
United States 42,391 56,777 +14,386
Sweden 42,558 25,639 -16,919
United Kingdom 43,739 15,059 -28,680
Austria 33,070 0 -33,070
Czechia 5,304 15,288 +9,984

Importers across UK regions

What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.

Top 5 values

UK region Companies
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 4
West Yorkshire 4
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 3
Greater Manchester 3
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 3

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 3 3 +0
West Yorkshire 3 4 +1
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 3 2 -1
Greater Manchester 3 3 +0
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 2 3 +1
Northern Ireland 2 2 +0
North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset 2 1 -1
Cheshire 1 1 +0
Hampshire and Isle of Wight 1 1 +0
Inner London - West 0 1 +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) 8,112,747
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 2,413,612
Air transport 91,184
Other 54,816

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) 4,072,342 4,040,405 -31,937
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,269,247 1,144,365 -124,882
Air transport 42,814 48,370 +5,556
Other 30,307 24,509 -5,798

Import volume by port

What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Hull 2,581,591
Immingham Docks 2,344,074
Felixstowe 1,806,728
Middlesbrough 1,094,112
London 791,175

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 £
Hull 1,657,984 923,607 -734,377
Immingham Docks 1,108,654 1,235,420 +126,766
Felixstowe 741,306 1,065,422 +324,116
Middlesbrough 553,581 540,531 -13,050
London 374,812 416,363 +41,551
Grangemouth Docks 364,375 246,277 -118,098
London Gateway Port 27,658 260,748 +233,090
Dover 160,671 56,462 -104,209
Thamesport 136,790 0 -136,790
Purfleet 49,982 85,829 +35,847

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 14
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles 11
Other manufacturing 4
Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities 2
Manufacture of food products 2

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2026-04 10
2026-03 9
2026-02 11
2026-01 6
2025-12 13

Top importers

What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.

Importer company size by revenue band

What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.

Top 5 values

Revenue Companies
54m+ 19
15m-54m 5
1m-15m 4
Other 3
0-1m 1

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 £
Taiwan 1,462,538
Ireland 422,044
Netherlands 346,901
United States 180,758
China 147,475

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 £
Taiwan 896,454 566,084 -330,370
Ireland 270,266 151,778 -118,488
Netherlands 209,253 137,648 -71,605
United States 180,758 0 -180,758
China 44,676 102,799 +58,123
Belgium 27,711 55,685 +27,974
Georgia 0 55,109 +55,109
Saudi Arabia 45,902 0 -45,902
India 28,959 9,105 -19,854
Thailand 5,989 31,302 +25,313

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 £
Germany 158,190
China 73,286
XI 3,907
Ireland 83

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 £
Germany 112,324 45,866 -66,458
China 33,400 39,886 +6,486
XI 3,679 228 -3,451
Ireland 0 83 +83

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) 2,082,515
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 385,753
Air transport 255,773
Other 237,749

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) 1,278,055 804,460 -473,595
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 202,774 182,979 -19,795
Air transport 147,170 108,603 -38,567
Other 150,670 87,079 -63,591

Export volume by port

What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Southampton 939,267
Felixstowe 484,372
London Gateway Port 403,538
Immingham Docks 321,392
000 237,749

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 810,501 128,766 -681,735
Felixstowe 93,066 391,306 +298,240
London Gateway Port 261,821 141,717 -120,104
Immingham Docks 184,459 136,933 -47,526
000 150,670 87,079 -63,591
London Heathrow Airport 107,360 105,654 -1,706
Liverpool Docks 83,300 25,947 -57,353
Holyhead 35,267 37,683 +2,416
Dover / Eurotunnel 8,104 48,082 +39,978
Grangemouth Docks 0 55,109 +55,109

Quick facts

HS code: 291511

Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months

Description: A chemical used in textiles, leather processing, and as a preservative