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 | 13,836,624 |
| China | 4,569,272 |
| Germany | 1,598,072 |
| Estonia | 1,235,437 |
| Belgium | 521,512 |
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 | 7,209,786 | 6,626,838 | -582,948 |
| China | 2,839,107 | 1,730,165 | -1,108,942 |
| Germany | 996,908 | 601,164 | -395,744 |
| Estonia | 653,429 | 582,008 | -71,421 |
| Belgium | 344,967 | 176,545 | -168,422 |
| France | 187,172 | 237,161 | +49,989 |
| Switzerland | 160,630 | 205,227 | +44,597 |
| Italy | 90,229 | 160,954 | +70,725 |
| Finland | 214,594 | 0 | -214,594 |
| Ireland | 98,499 | 108,665 | +10,166 |
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 | 13,210,441 |
| China | 5,250,367 |
| Estonia | 2,073,416 |
| Italy | 678,886 |
| United States | 528,268 |
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 | 7,242,454 | 5,967,987 | -1,274,467 |
| China | 3,191,043 | 2,059,324 | -1,131,719 |
| Estonia | 1,041,701 | 1,031,715 | -9,986 |
| Italy | 391,292 | 287,594 | -103,698 |
| United States | 280,136 | 248,132 | -32,004 |
| Germany | 84,609 | 311,704 | +227,095 |
| France | 118,491 | 110,650 | -7,841 |
| India | 117,227 | 86,172 | -31,055 |
| Spain | 48,873 | 76,618 | +27,745 |
| Poland | 57,867 | 54,825 | -3,042 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 11 |
| Inner London - West | 7 |
| Suffolk | 6 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 5 |
| Cheshire | 5 |
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 | 9 | 10 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 6 | 6 | +0 |
| Suffolk | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Cheshire | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Essex | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| West Midlands | 3 | 3 | +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) | 12,891,984 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,436,068 |
| Air transport | 880,123 |
| Other | 601,534 |
| Road transport | 910 |
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) | 6,623,936 | 6,268,048 | -355,888 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,592,143 | 3,843,925 | -1,748,218 |
| Air transport | 590,254 | 289,869 | -300,385 |
| Other | 232,722 | 368,812 | +136,090 |
| Road transport | 0 | 910 | +910 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 8,673,985 |
| Hull | 4,054,097 |
| Immingham Docks | 4,003,197 |
| Dover | 1,322,228 |
| London | 865,536 |
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 | 4,987,252 | 3,686,733 | -1,300,519 |
| Hull | 2,196,006 | 1,858,091 | -337,915 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,933,856 | 2,069,341 | +135,485 |
| Dover | 583,558 | 738,670 | +155,112 |
| London | 352,684 | 512,852 | +160,168 |
| Harwich | 461,664 | 326,058 | -135,606 |
| Thamesport | 419,961 | 211,292 | -208,669 |
| 000 | 232,722 | 368,812 | +136,090 |
| Killingholme | 237,717 | 166,190 | -71,527 |
| Middlesbrough | 233,347 | 119,707 | -113,640 |
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
|
44 |
|
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
|
38 |
|
Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations
|
4 |
|
Manufacture of food products
|
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 25 |
| 2026-04 | 16 |
| 2026-03 | 32 |
| 2026-02 | 25 |
| 2026-01 | 22 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| INNOSPEC LIMITED | 90 |
| BLAGDEN SPECIALTY CHEMICALS LIMITED | 67 |
| TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 63 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 61 |
| BRENNTAG UK HOLDING LIMITED | 59 |
| CPL AROMAS LIMITED | 53 |
| BEVERAGE SERVICES LIMITED | 52 |
| AZELIS UK LIMITED | 52 |
| OQEMA LIMITED | 48 |
| IMCD UK LIMITED | 48 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 43 |
| 1m-15m | 29 |
| 15m-54m | 17 |
| 0-1m | 6 |
| 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 | 1,591,242 |
| Spain | 1,538,608 |
| Netherlands | 1,146,898 |
| Germany | 1,086,972 |
| United States | 962,056 |
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 | 830,868 | 760,374 | -70,494 |
| Spain | 812,560 | 726,048 | -86,512 |
| Netherlands | 673,361 | 473,537 | -199,824 |
| Germany | 584,234 | 502,738 | -81,496 |
| United States | 466,252 | 495,804 | +29,552 |
| Poland | 703,115 | 121,634 | -581,481 |
| Philippines | 391,358 | 299,481 | -91,877 |
| Greece | 94,597 | 498,024 | +403,427 |
| France | 383,974 | 153,888 | -230,086 |
| Thailand | 263,569 | 58,486 | -205,083 |
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 | 74,021 |
| XI | 11,826 |
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 | 58,092 | 15,929 | -42,163 |
| XI | 5,476 | 6,350 | +874 |
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) | 7,672,293 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,167,089 |
| Air transport | 237,926 |
| Other | 87,931 |
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) | 4,123,773 | 3,548,520 | -575,253 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,913,547 | 1,253,542 | -660,005 |
| Air transport | 135,408 | 102,518 | -32,890 |
| Other | 63,659 | 24,272 | -39,387 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,557,054 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,168,864 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,095,269 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,084,174 |
| Southampton | 955,255 |
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 | 2,346,263 | 2,210,791 | -135,472 |
| Immingham Docks | 773,501 | 395,363 | -378,138 |
| Liverpool Docks | 759,314 | 335,955 | -423,359 |
| London Gateway Port | 762,295 | 321,879 | -440,416 |
| Southampton | 360,156 | 595,099 | +234,943 |
| Hull | 322,855 | 291,974 | -30,881 |
| Heysham | 72,203 | 368,292 | +296,089 |
| Felixstowe | 372,940 | 64,494 | -308,446 |
| Portsmouth | 113,834 | 107,017 | -6,817 |
| Holyhead | 133,050 | 71,255 | -61,795 |
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