Import/export HS code 3208: Paints and varnishes (non-aqueous)
Paints and varnishes made from synthetic or modified natural polymers, dissolved or dispersed in non-water liquids
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 | 109,483,049 |
| France | 104,897,644 |
| Netherlands | 98,503,107 |
| Italy | 58,927,641 |
| Belgium | 43,194,376 |
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 | 53,647,356 | 55,835,693 | +2,188,337 |
| France | 53,186,107 | 51,711,537 | -1,474,570 |
| Netherlands | 49,915,622 | 48,587,485 | -1,328,137 |
| Italy | 26,524,952 | 32,402,689 | +5,877,737 |
| Belgium | 24,380,023 | 18,814,353 | -5,565,670 |
| Spain | 19,251,020 | 14,484,885 | -4,766,135 |
| United States | 14,695,476 | 14,334,335 | -361,141 |
| Sweden | 8,703,689 | 9,698,773 | +995,084 |
| Poland | 9,603,833 | 8,413,927 | -1,189,906 |
| Ireland | 6,724,427 | 7,056,709 | +332,282 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 138,212,993 |
| Italy | 74,351,266 |
| Netherlands | 71,497,133 |
| Spain | 46,558,257 |
| France | 40,533,457 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 69,252,153 | 68,960,840 | -291,313 |
| Italy | 36,484,459 | 37,866,807 | +1,382,348 |
| Netherlands | 37,748,306 | 33,748,827 | -3,999,479 |
| Spain | 23,250,514 | 23,307,743 | +57,229 |
| France | 19,141,924 | 21,391,533 | +2,249,609 |
| Poland | 19,629,878 | 19,244,946 | -384,932 |
| United States | 19,064,489 | 18,992,923 | -71,566 |
| Belgium | 14,385,989 | 13,238,902 | -1,147,087 |
| Switzerland | 11,874,492 | 12,370,439 | +495,947 |
| Sweden | 9,528,952 | 10,137,509 | +608,557 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 58 |
| West Midlands | 40 |
| Greater Manchester | 35 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 35 |
| Inner London - West | 31 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 45 | 49 | +4 |
| West Midlands | 27 | 37 | +10 |
| Greater Manchester | 30 | 23 | -7 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 29 | 24 | -5 |
| Inner London - West | 27 | 20 | -7 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 27 | 20 | -7 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 16 | 25 | +9 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 20 | 23 | +3 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 20 | 19 | -1 |
| Essex | 14 | 17 | +3 |
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) | 478,892,498 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 69,284,216 |
| Air transport | 31,381,623 |
| Other | 15,046,489 |
| Road transport | 3,385,161 |
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) | 238,782,236 | 240,110,262 | +1,328,026 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 34,965,572 | 34,318,644 | -646,928 |
| Air transport | 14,469,534 | 16,912,089 | +2,442,555 |
| Other | 7,470,395 | 7,576,094 | +105,699 |
| Road transport | 1,175,615 | 2,209,546 | +1,033,931 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 240,791,845 |
| Immingham Docks | 71,575,151 |
| Harwich | 45,920,529 |
| Felixstowe | 40,947,410 |
| London | 25,611,511 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 115,111,581 | 125,680,264 | +10,568,683 |
| Immingham Docks | 30,801,170 | 40,773,981 | +9,972,811 |
| Harwich | 23,429,005 | 22,491,524 | -937,481 |
| Felixstowe | 18,920,699 | 22,026,711 | +3,106,012 |
| London | 14,522,095 | 11,089,416 | -3,432,679 |
| Eurotunnel | 10,987,971 | 9,342,359 | -1,645,612 |
| Killingholme | 14,050,333 | 5,089,368 | -8,960,965 |
| 000 | 7,470,395 | 7,576,094 | +105,699 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,610,156 | 6,324,718 | -1,285,438 |
| Middlesbrough | 6,690,254 | 6,121,689 | -568,565 |
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 | 187 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 113 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 55 |
| Other manufacturing | 46 |
| Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 40 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 222 |
| 2026-03 | 216 |
| 2026-02 | 207 |
| 2026-01 | 191 |
| 2025-12 | 189 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| INTERNATIONAL PAINT LIMITED | 123 |
| 151 PRODUCTS LIMITED | 123 |
| PPG INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED | 116 |
| JOTUN PAINTS (EUROPE) LIMITED | 115 |
| 3M UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 114 |
| WESCO AIRCRAFT EMEA, LTD. | 109 |
| AEROSPHERES (UK) LIMITED | 104 |
| WOOLBRO (DISTRIBUTION) LIMITED | 103 |
| WHITFORD LIMITED | 99 |
| SIL-MID LIMITED | 97 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 259 |
| 1m-15m | 249 |
| 0-1m | 86 |
| 15m-54m | 73 |
| Other | 44 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 103,697,006 |
| Netherlands | 99,726,312 |
| Ireland | 92,984,053 |
| Germany | 79,717,980 |
| United States | 76,272,566 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 44,451,577 | 59,245,429 | +14,793,852 |
| Netherlands | 57,982,532 | 41,743,780 | -16,238,752 |
| Ireland | 50,144,575 | 42,839,478 | -7,305,097 |
| Germany | 39,580,458 | 40,137,522 | +557,064 |
| United States | 45,979,307 | 30,293,259 | -15,686,048 |
| Italy | 36,011,005 | 34,581,450 | -1,429,555 |
| Spain | 25,258,644 | 28,310,037 | +3,051,393 |
| France | 21,668,872 | 24,219,957 | +2,551,085 |
| Turkey | 23,263,254 | 21,464,866 | -1,798,388 |
| Poland | 14,182,560 | 19,545,844 | +5,363,284 |
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 | 1,795,758 |
| Ireland | 993,249 |
| Slovakia | 402,804 |
| Belgium | 223,486 |
| Germany | 222,490 |
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 | 719,796 | 1,075,962 | +356,166 |
| Ireland | 370,381 | 622,868 | +252,487 |
| Slovakia | 133,677 | 269,127 | +135,450 |
| Belgium | 101,101 | 122,385 | +21,284 |
| Germany | 86,472 | 136,018 | +49,546 |
| Spain | 83,756 | 70,027 | -13,729 |
| Netherlands | 42,985 | 99,696 | +56,711 |
| Poland | 49,971 | 28,495 | -21,476 |
| Italy | 25,893 | 30,356 | +4,463 |
| China | 21,776 | 23,532 | +1,756 |
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) | 717,938,576 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 263,103,816 |
| Air transport | 66,251,868 |
| Other | 9,863,003 |
| Road transport | 75,484 |
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) | 355,432,969 | 362,505,607 | +7,072,638 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 149,010,808 | 114,093,008 | -34,917,800 |
| Air transport | 32,153,561 | 34,098,307 | +1,944,746 |
| Other | 5,366,320 | 4,496,683 | -869,637 |
| Road transport | 49,699 | 25,785 | -23,914 |
| Rail transport | 44,566 | 0 | -44,566 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 353,202,208 |
| Immingham Docks | 199,252,789 |
| London Gateway Port | 94,406,040 |
| Southampton | 93,265,969 |
| Holyhead | 46,773,159 |
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 | 172,526,676 | 180,675,532 | +8,148,856 |
| Immingham Docks | 98,051,257 | 101,201,532 | +3,150,275 |
| London Gateway Port | 51,571,486 | 42,834,554 | -8,736,932 |
| Southampton | 56,333,548 | 36,932,421 | -19,401,127 |
| Holyhead | 26,511,666 | 20,261,493 | -6,250,173 |
| Felixstowe | 19,525,722 | 25,003,617 | +5,477,895 |
| London | 21,582,873 | 20,385,740 | -1,197,133 |
| Liverpool Docks | 19,258,278 | 11,334,557 | -7,923,721 |
| Dover | 14,819,666 | 12,264,559 | -2,555,107 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 12,529,798 | 13,058,830 | +529,032 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3208
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Paints and varnishes made from synthetic or modified natural polymers, dissolved or dispersed in non-water liquids