Import/export HS code 3212: Pigments and dyes for paints and retail sale
Pigments, metallic powders, and dyes in liquid or paste form for making paints. Includes stamping foils and retail-packaged coloring products
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 | 23,444,666 |
| Netherlands | 13,469,242 |
| United States | 11,149,124 |
| China | 10,783,685 |
| Italy | 8,150,066 |
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 | 11,626,285 | 11,818,381 | +192,096 |
| Netherlands | 6,609,846 | 6,859,396 | +249,550 |
| United States | 6,144,456 | 5,004,668 | -1,139,788 |
| China | 4,374,150 | 6,409,535 | +2,035,385 |
| Italy | 4,141,129 | 4,008,937 | -132,192 |
| France | 3,560,958 | 3,424,249 | -136,709 |
| Austria | 2,490,991 | 1,999,391 | -491,600 |
| Malaysia | 2,439,729 | 1,897,847 | -541,882 |
| Sweden | 2,079,996 | 1,874,456 | -205,540 |
| Poland | 1,896,999 | 1,370,655 | -526,344 |
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 | 22,210,522 |
| China | 13,305,475 |
| Netherlands | 13,245,959 |
| United States | 13,106,896 |
| Italy | 8,427,150 |
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 | 11,387,947 | 10,822,575 | -565,372 |
| China | 5,703,850 | 7,601,625 | +1,897,775 |
| Netherlands | 6,755,916 | 6,490,043 | -265,873 |
| United States | 6,909,882 | 6,197,014 | -712,868 |
| Italy | 4,313,996 | 4,113,154 | -200,842 |
| Austria | 2,542,579 | 2,430,106 | -112,473 |
| Malaysia | 2,526,457 | 2,165,479 | -360,978 |
| Sweden | 2,043,677 | 1,828,986 | -214,691 |
| South Korea | 1,666,092 | 1,945,006 | +278,914 |
| France | 1,635,448 | 1,664,776 | +29,328 |
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 | 30 |
| Greater Manchester | 24 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 14 |
| West Yorkshire | 13 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 12 |
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 | 25 | 19 | -6 |
| Greater Manchester | 20 | 17 | -3 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 13 | 8 | -5 |
| West Yorkshire | 11 | 12 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 | 11 | +4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 9 | 10 | +1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 10 | 9 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 11 | 4 | -7 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 7 | 8 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 9 | 6 | -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) | 57,552,513 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 27,180,398 |
| Air transport | 17,926,833 |
| Other | 870,775 |
| Road transport | 394,996 |
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) | 29,143,112 | 28,409,401 | -733,711 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,836,406 | 13,343,992 | -492,414 |
| Air transport | 8,299,121 | 9,627,712 | +1,328,591 |
| Other | 446,972 | 423,803 | -23,169 |
| Road transport | 262,917 | 132,079 | -130,838 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 30,142,146 |
| Immingham Docks | 12,320,929 |
| Southampton | 11,652,399 |
| Eurotunnel | 7,359,917 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,162,920 |
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 | 15,271,823 | 14,870,323 | -401,500 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,479,650 | 6,841,279 | +1,361,629 |
| Southampton | 6,356,534 | 5,295,865 | -1,060,669 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,688,112 | 3,671,805 | -16,307 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,532,040 | 2,630,880 | -901,160 |
| Felixstowe | 2,530,212 | 2,527,461 | -2,751 |
| Thamesport | 2,493,012 | 2,400,080 | -92,932 |
| London Stansted Airport | 823,089 | 2,780,870 | +1,957,781 |
| London | 1,287,174 | 1,501,714 | +214,540 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,268,797 | 1,452,232 | +183,435 |
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 | 95 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 72 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 38 |
| Other manufacturing | 16 |
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 12 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 85 |
| 2026-03 | 94 |
| 2026-02 | 83 |
| 2026-01 | 79 |
| 2025-12 | 74 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 121 |
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 116 |
| INTERNATIONAL PAINT LIMITED | 110 |
| SILBERLINE LIMITED | 96 |
| SUN CHEMICAL LIMITED | 94 |
| FUJICHEM SONNEBORN LIMITED | 76 |
| PPG INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED | 71 |
| KYOCERA AVX COMPONENTS LIMITED | 69 |
| ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED | 64 |
| BAXTER HEALTHCARE LIMITED | 61 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 118 |
| 54m+ | 97 |
| 15m-54m | 39 |
| 0-1m | 36 |
| Other | 10 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 12,802,481 |
| Italy | 10,960,709 |
| Poland | 8,086,663 |
| France | 7,385,917 |
| China | 6,688,823 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 6,456,237 | 6,346,244 | -109,993 |
| Italy | 6,082,302 | 4,878,407 | -1,203,895 |
| Poland | 4,538,455 | 3,548,208 | -990,247 |
| France | 4,317,743 | 3,068,174 | -1,249,569 |
| China | 3,242,824 | 3,445,999 | +203,175 |
| Netherlands | 2,472,184 | 2,656,619 | +184,435 |
| United States | 2,335,477 | 2,431,014 | +95,537 |
| Ireland | 2,383,902 | 2,180,907 | -202,995 |
| Spain | 1,633,986 | 2,124,677 | +490,691 |
| Belgium | 1,332,041 | 762,034 | -570,007 |
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 | 63,242 |
| XI | 55,491 |
| Ireland | 22,998 |
| New Zealand | 18,342 |
| Germany | 5,192 |
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 | 36,226 | 27,016 | -9,210 |
| XI | 10,461 | 45,030 | +34,569 |
| Ireland | 14,062 | 8,936 | -5,126 |
| New Zealand | 7,267 | 11,075 | +3,808 |
| Germany | 1,497 | 3,695 | +2,198 |
| Italy | 877 | 1,060 | +183 |
| France | 538 | 0 | -538 |
| Canada | 0 | 301 | +301 |
| Belgium | 117 | 0 | -117 |
| Denmark | 0 | 16 | +16 |
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) | 56,938,528 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 20,141,649 |
| Air transport | 18,859,223 |
| Other | 174,922 |
| Road transport | 31,564 |
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) | 31,118,491 | 25,820,037 | -5,298,454 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,777,119 | 10,364,530 | +587,411 |
| Air transport | 8,877,414 | 9,981,809 | +1,104,395 |
| Other | 74,599 | 100,323 | +25,724 |
| Road transport | 31,564 | 0 | -31,564 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 44,349,075 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 9,175,643 |
| Immingham Docks | 7,660,049 |
| London Gateway Port | 6,507,187 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 4,803,812 |
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 | 24,230,493 | 20,118,582 | -4,111,911 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 4,457,899 | 4,717,744 | +259,845 |
| Immingham Docks | 4,073,170 | 3,586,879 | -486,291 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,043,227 | 3,463,960 | +420,733 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 2,472,585 | 2,331,227 | -141,358 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,649,230 | 2,095,088 | +445,858 |
| Holyhead | 1,496,346 | 1,471,046 | -25,300 |
| Southampton | 1,339,296 | 1,622,087 | +282,791 |
| ZLC | 1,240,479 | 1,530,043 | +289,564 |
| Felixstowe | 910,895 | 1,195,803 | +284,908 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3212
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Pigments, metallic powders, and dyes in liquid or paste form for making paints. Includes stamping foils and retail-packaged coloring products