Import/export HS code 320420: Fluorescent brighteners
Chemicals used to make fabrics, paper, and plastics appear brighter and whiter
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 | 2,073,034 |
| Spain | 1,834,960 |
| Switzerland | 1,274,772 |
| France | 790,368 |
| India | 679,365 |
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 | 1,205,319 | 867,715 | -337,604 |
| Spain | 1,185,489 | 649,471 | -536,018 |
| Switzerland | 729,095 | 545,677 | -183,418 |
| France | 586,664 | 203,704 | -382,960 |
| India | 213,567 | 465,798 | +252,231 |
| United States | 296,095 | 304,916 | +8,821 |
| Netherlands | 318,951 | 215,201 | -103,750 |
| Belgium | 296,010 | 191,400 | -104,610 |
| China | 235,234 | 123,912 | -111,322 |
| Italy | 252,038 | 61,885 | -190,153 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Spain | 1,694,710 |
| Germany | 1,660,807 |
| Switzerland | 1,555,249 |
| India | 1,343,004 |
| United States | 646,478 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 1,081,320 | 613,390 | -467,930 |
| Germany | 834,410 | 826,397 | -8,013 |
| Switzerland | 1,006,028 | 549,221 | -456,807 |
| India | 740,695 | 602,309 | -138,386 |
| United States | 370,775 | 275,703 | -95,072 |
| China | 374,839 | 247,368 | -127,471 |
| Belgium | 351,852 | 190,935 | -160,917 |
| Italy | 251,878 | 63,844 | -188,034 |
| France | 172,094 | 104,848 | -67,246 |
| Netherlands | 72,698 | 100,743 | +28,045 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 14 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 9 |
| Merseyside | 8 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 7 |
| West Yorkshire | 6 |
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 | 12 | 5 | -7 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 7 | 2 | -5 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| South East Wales | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Lancashire | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,126,062 |
| Air transport | 1,896,152 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,752,854 |
| Road transport | 251,351 |
| Other | 307 |
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) | 3,506,060 | 1,620,002 | -1,886,058 |
| Air transport | 1,046,335 | 849,817 | -196,518 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 786,332 | 966,522 | +180,190 |
| Road transport | 47,047 | 204,304 | +157,257 |
| Other | 1 | 306 | +305 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 1,456,497 |
| London | 1,167,949 |
| Felixstowe | 1,079,287 |
| Dover | 1,069,194 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,033,490 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 770,061 | 686,436 | -83,625 |
| London | 779,053 | 388,896 | -390,157 |
| Felixstowe | 583,124 | 496,163 | -86,961 |
| Dover | 637,246 | 431,948 | -205,298 |
| East Midlands Airport | 565,727 | 467,763 | -97,964 |
| Killingholme | 430,002 | 34,283 | -395,719 |
| Eurotunnel | 282,749 | 62,676 | -220,073 |
| London Gateway Port | 177,598 | 109,602 | -67,996 |
| London Stansted Airport | 190,747 | 87,711 | -103,036 |
| ZLC | 47,047 | 204,304 | +157,257 |
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 | 42 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 27 |
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 12 |
| Scientific research and development | 10 |
| Other manufacturing | 7 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 21 |
| 2025-11 | 29 |
| 2025-10 | 17 |
| 2025-09 | 22 |
| 2025-08 | 14 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 86 |
| CARST & WALKER (UK) LTD. | 54 |
| ARCHROMA UK, LTD | 48 |
| TOCRIS COOKSON LIMITED | 42 |
| CHEMETALL LIMITED | 40 |
| JAMES M.BROWN LIMITED | 40 |
| CORNELIUS GROUP PLC | 37 |
| ASPEN PUMPS GROUP LIMITED | 37 |
| MILLIKEN INDUSTRIALS LIMITED | 35 |
| BASF PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 35 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 46 |
| 1m-15m | 36 |
| 15m-54m | 16 |
| Other | 8 |
| 0-1m | 4 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 642,504 |
| Belgium | 235,758 |
| Germany | 181,309 |
| France | 138,258 |
| Spain | 136,007 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 385,449 | 257,055 | -128,394 |
| Belgium | 79,691 | 156,067 | +76,376 |
| Germany | 101,448 | 79,861 | -21,587 |
| France | 87,385 | 50,873 | -36,512 |
| Spain | 40,956 | 95,051 | +54,095 |
| Ireland | 114,353 | 14,188 | -100,165 |
| Italy | 41,469 | 1,657 | -39,812 |
| Costa Rica | 19,448 | 20,084 | +636 |
| Hungary | 0 | 28,911 | +28,911 |
| India | 6,756 | 16,311 | +9,555 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 1,061,958 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 573,716 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 119,641 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 592,208 | 469,750 | -122,458 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 331,537 | 242,179 | -89,358 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 60,545 | 59,096 | -1,449 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 526,800 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 470,134 |
| Manchester Airport | 203,681 |
| East Midlands Airport | 127,110 |
| London Stansted Airport | 126,735 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 316,413 | 210,387 | -106,026 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 234,241 | 235,893 | +1,652 |
| Manchester Airport | 34,161 | 169,520 | +135,359 |
| East Midlands Airport | 113,057 | 14,053 | -99,004 |
| London Stansted Airport | 69,927 | 56,808 | -13,119 |
| ZLC | 57,693 | 18,982 | -38,711 |
| London Gateway Port | 22,880 | 34,612 | +11,732 |
| Holyhead | 39,309 | 0 | -39,309 |
| Liverpool Docks | 28,327 | 0 | -28,327 |
| Eurotunnel | 25,188 | 0 | -25,188 |
Quick facts
HS code: 320420
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Chemicals used to make fabrics, paper, and plastics appear brighter and whiter