Import/export HS code 291631: Benzoic acid, its salts, and esters
A common preservative and chemical used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals
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 | 12,944,834 |
| China | 4,679,274 |
| Germany | 1,467,056 |
| Estonia | 1,292,691 |
| Belgium | 501,089 |
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 | 7,635,353 | 5,309,481 | -2,325,872 |
| China | 2,981,991 | 1,697,283 | -1,284,708 |
| Germany | 914,872 | 552,184 | -362,688 |
| Estonia | 769,714 | 522,977 | -246,737 |
| Belgium | 253,497 | 247,592 | -5,905 |
| France | 279,808 | 153,631 | -126,177 |
| Switzerland | 158,938 | 141,687 | -17,251 |
| Italy | 181,631 | 110,436 | -71,195 |
| Finland | 140,520 | 74,074 | -66,446 |
| Ireland | 112,989 | 63,695 | -49,294 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 12,779,963 |
| China | 5,283,971 |
| Estonia | 1,898,613 |
| Italy | 726,772 |
| United States | 518,894 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 7,518,224 | 5,261,739 | -2,256,485 |
| China | 3,367,322 | 1,916,649 | -1,450,673 |
| Estonia | 1,154,492 | 744,121 | -410,371 |
| Italy | 370,477 | 356,295 | -14,182 |
| United States | 325,557 | 193,337 | -132,220 |
| France | 182,881 | 73,707 | -109,174 |
| India | 120,538 | 66,794 | -53,744 |
| Germany | 88,201 | 37,244 | -50,957 |
| Poland | 85,965 | 27,706 | -58,259 |
| Ireland | 75,021 | 30,681 | -44,340 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 12 |
| Inner London - West | 7 |
| Cheshire | 6 |
| Suffolk | 5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 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 | 11 | 10 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 6 | 6 | +0 |
| Cheshire | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Suffolk | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| Essex | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| West Midlands | 3 | 4 | +1 |
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) | 12,157,467 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,425,661 |
| Air transport | 790,137 |
| Other | 428,944 |
| Road transport | 8,610 |
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) | 7,019,995 | 5,137,472 | -1,882,523 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,903,361 | 3,522,300 | -2,381,061 |
| Air transport | 597,490 | 192,647 | -404,843 |
| Other | 174,784 | 254,160 | +79,376 |
| Road transport | 7,700 | 910 | -6,790 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 8,375,358 |
| Hull | 3,946,062 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,671,398 |
| Dover | 1,204,906 |
| Harwich | 808,289 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 5,001,346 | 3,374,012 | -1,627,334 |
| Hull | 2,377,620 | 1,568,442 | -809,178 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,151,837 | 1,519,561 | -632,276 |
| Dover | 621,462 | 583,444 | -38,018 |
| Harwich | 503,562 | 304,727 | -198,835 |
| London | 169,025 | 496,762 | +327,737 |
| Thamesport | 359,383 | 158,134 | -201,249 |
| Middlesbrough | 353,947 | 119,707 | -234,240 |
| 000 | 174,784 | 254,160 | +79,376 |
| Eurotunnel | 264,033 | 120,957 | -143,076 |
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 | 39 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 39 |
| Manufacture of food products | 5 |
| Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations | 4 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 22 |
| 2025-11 | 21 |
| 2025-10 | 20 |
| 2025-09 | 18 |
| 2025-08 | 27 |
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+ | 44 |
| 1m-15m | 27 |
| 15m-54m | 14 |
| 0-1m | 5 |
| Other | 5 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 1,582,989 |
| Spain | 1,366,538 |
| Germany | 1,233,547 |
| Netherlands | 1,173,865 |
| Poland | 1,011,013 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 882,225 | 700,764 | -181,461 |
| Spain | 818,378 | 548,160 | -270,218 |
| Germany | 626,733 | 606,814 | -19,919 |
| Netherlands | 767,298 | 406,567 | -360,731 |
| Poland | 919,291 | 91,722 | -827,569 |
| United States | 537,453 | 442,087 | -95,366 |
| Philippines | 418,769 | 342,562 | -76,207 |
| France | 452,464 | 145,873 | -306,591 |
| Greece | 94,597 | 213,190 | +118,593 |
| Thailand | 209,801 | 60,462 | -149,339 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 72,895 |
| XI | 9,932 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 71,449 | 1,446 | -70,003 |
| XI | 5,896 | 4,036 | -1,860 |
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) | 7,345,458 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,137,994 |
| Air transport | 329,206 |
| Other | 82,918 |
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) | 4,520,730 | 2,824,728 | -1,696,002 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,733,292 | 1,404,702 | -328,590 |
| Air transport | 179,936 | 149,270 | -30,666 |
| Other | 77,436 | 5,482 | -71,954 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,185,319 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,211,089 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,182,979 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,097,962 |
| Southampton | 841,529 |
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 | 2,608,521 | 1,576,798 | -1,031,723 |
| Immingham Docks | 874,590 | 336,499 | -538,091 |
| London Gateway Port | 878,420 | 304,559 | -573,861 |
| Liverpool Docks | 811,674 | 286,288 | -525,386 |
| Southampton | 176,472 | 665,057 | +488,585 |
| Hull | 359,428 | 273,125 | -86,303 |
| Felixstowe | 280,811 | 218,979 | -61,832 |
| Heysham | 84,828 | 322,927 | +238,099 |
| Holyhead | 72,509 | 130,636 | +58,127 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 88,914 | 80,478 | -8,436 |
Quick facts
HS code: 291631
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A common preservative and chemical used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals