Import/export HS code 3205: Color lakes and preparations
Color lakes used in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals, often mixed with other substances
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Peru | 6,267,518 |
| United States | 1,799,663 |
| Netherlands | 1,336,284 |
| India | 436,243 |
| Ireland | 399,759 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peru | 2,658,521 | 3,608,997 | +950,476 |
| United States | 822,470 | 977,193 | +154,723 |
| Netherlands | 839,028 | 497,256 | -341,772 |
| India | 208,019 | 228,224 | +20,205 |
| Ireland | 16,448 | 383,311 | +366,863 |
| Germany | 103,682 | 148,081 | +44,399 |
| Belgium | 89,225 | 155,822 | +66,597 |
| France | 140,335 | 64,210 | -76,125 |
| Spain | 89,542 | 84,242 | -5,300 |
| Australia | 91,914 | 4,447 | -87,467 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Peru | 6,465,159 |
| United States | 1,862,064 |
| India | 494,342 |
| Germany | 257,201 |
| Netherlands | 140,017 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peru | 2,775,576 | 3,689,583 | +914,007 |
| United States | 876,927 | 985,137 | +108,210 |
| India | 238,895 | 255,447 | +16,552 |
| Germany | 51,824 | 205,377 | +153,553 |
| Netherlands | 40,114 | 99,903 | +59,789 |
| United Kingdom | 118,659 | 8,753 | -109,906 |
| Italy | 36,688 | 57,147 | +20,459 |
| Spain | 45,261 | 27,506 | -17,755 |
| Belgium | 6,353 | 29,850 | +23,497 |
| Turkey | 5,231 | 17,971 | +12,740 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Kent | 5 |
| Inner London - West | 3 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 3 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Lancashire | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Merseyside | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 6,510,016 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,111,756 |
| Other | 1,723,741 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 999,428 |
| Road transport | 13,818 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 2,669,622 | 3,840,394 | +1,170,772 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 996,946 | 1,114,810 | +117,864 |
| Other | 905,349 | 818,392 | -86,957 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 545,889 | 453,539 | -92,350 |
| Road transport | 0 | 13,818 | +13,818 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 4,035,948 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,299,925 |
| 000 | 1,723,741 |
| Southampton | 1,152,378 |
| London | 728,363 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,861,008 | 2,174,940 | +313,932 |
| East Midlands Airport | 782,452 | 1,517,473 | +735,021 |
| 000 | 905,349 | 818,392 | -86,957 |
| Southampton | 556,852 | 595,526 | +38,674 |
| London | 363,430 | 364,933 | +1,503 |
| Felixstowe | 237,920 | 195,870 | -42,050 |
| Eurotunnel | 106,476 | 141,984 | +35,508 |
| Dover | 130,527 | 83,106 | -47,421 |
| London Gateway Port | 37,791 | 119,424 | +81,633 |
| Leeds Bradford Airport | 3,552 | 92,617 | +89,065 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of food products | 12 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 11 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 11 |
| Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations | 4 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 3 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 8 |
| 2025-11 | 12 |
| 2025-10 | 8 |
| 2025-09 | 13 |
| 2025-08 | 6 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| COLORCON LIMITED | 119 |
| SENSIENT COLORS UK LTD | 108 |
| NEELIKON SPECIALITIES EUROPE LTD | 101 |
| KANEGRADE LIMITED | 55 |
| PLANT-EX INGREDIENTS LTD | 48 |
| DIANA FOOD LIMITED | 39 |
| SUN CHEMICAL LIMITED | 34 |
| ROHA UK LIMITED | 33 |
| GIVAUDAN UK LIMITED | 26 |
| EQUILIBRIUM CHEMICAL SERVICES LTD | 24 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 24 |
| 1m-15m | 14 |
| 15m-54m | 7 |
| 0-1m | 1 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Turkey | 4,940,662 |
| Egypt | 4,414,868 |
| Italy | 3,521,532 |
| Spain | 2,433,673 |
| France | 2,013,885 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 2,265,317 | 2,675,345 | +410,028 |
| Egypt | 2,448,523 | 1,966,345 | -482,178 |
| Italy | 1,752,497 | 1,769,035 | +16,538 |
| Spain | 1,253,985 | 1,179,688 | -74,297 |
| France | 1,013,564 | 1,000,321 | -13,243 |
| Pakistan | 932,849 | 994,651 | +61,802 |
| Germany | 945,134 | 658,612 | -286,522 |
| Ireland | 737,955 | 706,556 | -31,399 |
| Poland | 566,321 | 787,296 | +220,975 |
| India | 646,269 | 363,559 | -282,710 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 14,617 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 6,259 | 8,358 | +2,099 |
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) | 24,133,595 |
| Air transport | 9,267,448 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,398,414 |
| Other | 14,617 |
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) | 11,935,044 | 12,198,551 | +263,507 |
| Air transport | 4,902,125 | 4,365,323 | -536,802 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,830,485 | 2,567,929 | -262,556 |
| Other | 6,259 | 8,358 | +2,099 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 21,454,659 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 8,589,489 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,111,366 |
| Dover | 1,160,362 |
| Holyhead | 1,041,042 |
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 | 10,933,817 | 10,520,842 | -412,975 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 4,460,482 | 4,129,007 | -331,475 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,241,001 | 1,870,365 | -370,636 |
| Dover | 275,243 | 885,119 | +609,876 |
| Holyhead | 479,270 | 561,772 | +82,502 |
| Felixstowe | 429,401 | 324,090 | -105,311 |
| Southampton | 126,703 | 340,471 | +213,768 |
| Manchester Airport | 196,316 | 141,003 | -55,313 |
| East Midlands Airport | 213,064 | 54,088 | -158,976 |
| Heysham | 121,420 | 93,757 | -27,663 |
Quick facts
HS code: 3205
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Color lakes used in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals, often mixed with other substances