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 | 13,959,850 |
| China | 4,725,544 |
| Germany | 1,581,972 |
| Estonia | 1,268,949 |
| Belgium | 531,963 |
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 | 7,288,996 | 6,670,854 | -618,142 |
| China | 2,945,119 | 1,780,425 | -1,164,694 |
| Germany | 972,252 | 609,720 | -362,532 |
| Estonia | 653,331 | 615,618 | -37,713 |
| Belgium | 294,235 | 237,728 | -56,507 |
| France | 240,990 | 206,512 | -34,478 |
| Switzerland | 160,630 | 171,766 | +11,136 |
| Italy | 90,343 | 136,113 | +45,770 |
| Finland | 164,909 | 49,685 | -115,224 |
| Ireland | 98,272 | 96,472 | -1,800 |
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 | 13,389,130 |
| China | 5,365,046 |
| Estonia | 2,078,232 |
| Italy | 715,827 |
| United States | 523,627 |
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 | 7,233,216 | 6,155,914 | -1,077,302 |
| China | 3,294,525 | 2,070,521 | -1,224,004 |
| Estonia | 1,030,565 | 1,047,667 | +17,102 |
| Italy | 375,686 | 340,141 | -35,545 |
| United States | 273,088 | 250,539 | -22,549 |
| Germany | 83,218 | 245,549 | +162,331 |
| France | 146,116 | 75,651 | -70,465 |
| India | 121,859 | 77,443 | -44,416 |
| Poland | 85,965 | 54,825 | -31,140 |
| Spain | 51,195 | 66,154 | +14,959 |
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 |
| Cheshire | 5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 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 |
| Cheshire | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Essex | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| 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) | 12,900,315 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,688,839 |
| Air transport | 875,277 |
| Other | 566,304 |
| 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) | 6,581,097 | 6,319,218 | -261,879 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,749,196 | 3,939,643 | -1,809,553 |
| Air transport | 597,881 | 277,396 | -320,485 |
| Other | 219,268 | 347,036 | +127,768 |
| Road transport | 0 | 910 | +910 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 8,711,774 |
| Hull | 4,076,296 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,994,354 |
| Dover | 1,390,330 |
| London | 834,209 |
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 | 4,918,175 | 3,793,599 | -1,124,576 |
| Hull | 2,310,003 | 1,766,293 | -543,710 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,908,432 | 2,085,922 | +177,490 |
| Dover | 609,560 | 780,770 | +171,210 |
| London | 223,163 | 611,046 | +387,883 |
| Harwich | 471,662 | 315,892 | -155,770 |
| Thamesport | 381,977 | 288,192 | -93,785 |
| 000 | 219,268 | 347,036 | +127,768 |
| Killingholme | 267,032 | 103,679 | -163,353 |
| 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 | 42 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 37 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 16 |
| 2026-03 | 32 |
| 2026-02 | 25 |
| 2026-01 | 22 |
| 2025-12 | 19 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| INNOSPEC LIMITED | 89 |
| BLAGDEN SPECIALTY CHEMICALS LIMITED | 67 |
| TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 62 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 60 |
| BRENNTAG UK HOLDING LIMITED | 58 |
| CPL AROMAS LIMITED | 53 |
| AZELIS UK LIMITED | 52 |
| BEVERAGE SERVICES LIMITED | 51 |
| OQEMA LIMITED | 47 |
| IMCD UK LIMITED | 47 |
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 | 15 |
| 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 | 1,612,326 |
| Spain | 1,507,698 |
| Netherlands | 1,238,994 |
| Germany | 1,087,089 |
| United States | 964,590 |
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 | 791,459 | 820,867 | +29,408 |
| Spain | 812,560 | 695,138 | -117,422 |
| Netherlands | 816,778 | 422,216 | -394,562 |
| Germany | 501,207 | 585,882 | +84,675 |
| United States | 451,513 | 513,077 | +61,564 |
| Poland | 765,301 | 168,555 | -596,746 |
| Philippines | 391,357 | 354,158 | -37,199 |
| Greece | 94,597 | 463,677 | +369,080 |
| France | 391,113 | 157,771 | -233,342 |
| Azerbaijan | 0 | 303,184 | +303,184 |
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 | 80,590 |
| 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 | 64,661 | 15,929 | -48,732 |
| 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) | 7,833,162 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,191,672 |
| Air transport | 240,230 |
| Other | 92,507 |
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) | 4,181,022 | 3,652,140 | -528,882 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,922,968 | 1,268,704 | -654,264 |
| Air transport | 139,301 | 100,929 | -38,372 |
| Other | 70,228 | 22,279 | -47,949 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,716,436 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,175,704 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,159,055 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,128,260 |
| Southampton | 916,241 |
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 | 2,402,591 | 2,313,845 | -88,746 |
| Immingham Docks | 820,300 | 355,404 | -464,896 |
| London Gateway Port | 838,435 | 320,620 | -517,815 |
| Liverpool Docks | 723,017 | 405,243 | -317,774 |
| Southampton | 300,689 | 615,552 | +314,863 |
| Hull | 330,921 | 249,906 | -81,015 |
| Heysham | 82,646 | 377,118 | +294,472 |
| Felixstowe | 372,042 | 67,953 | -304,089 |
| Portsmouth | 111,308 | 109,543 | -1,765 |
| Holyhead | 95,653 | 72,900 | -22,753 |
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