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 | 23,555,440 |
| Netherlands | 13,337,769 |
| United States | 10,889,233 |
| China | 10,781,554 |
| Italy | 8,173,519 |
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 | 11,814,330 | 11,741,110 | -73,220 |
| Netherlands | 6,501,794 | 6,835,975 | +334,181 |
| United States | 6,100,573 | 4,788,660 | -1,311,913 |
| China | 4,255,268 | 6,526,286 | +2,271,018 |
| Italy | 4,041,295 | 4,132,224 | +90,929 |
| France | 3,443,353 | 3,415,165 | -28,188 |
| Austria | 2,829,806 | 1,659,068 | -1,170,738 |
| Malaysia | 2,240,165 | 1,982,069 | -258,096 |
| Sweden | 2,039,286 | 2,046,842 | +7,556 |
| Poland | 1,900,536 | 1,295,887 | -604,649 |
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 | 22,240,556 |
| China | 13,243,253 |
| Netherlands | 13,216,528 |
| United States | 12,904,115 |
| Italy | 8,475,745 |
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 | 11,318,231 | 10,922,325 | -395,906 |
| China | 5,598,767 | 7,644,486 | +2,045,719 |
| Netherlands | 6,710,045 | 6,506,483 | -203,562 |
| United States | 6,882,951 | 6,021,164 | -861,787 |
| Italy | 4,263,095 | 4,212,650 | -50,445 |
| Austria | 3,151,304 | 1,825,392 | -1,325,912 |
| Malaysia | 2,333,407 | 2,252,530 | -80,877 |
| Sweden | 1,977,429 | 2,030,601 | +53,172 |
| South Korea | 1,492,266 | 2,021,899 | +529,633 |
| France | 1,527,941 | 1,681,700 | +153,759 |
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 | 28 |
| Greater Manchester | 23 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 14 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 12 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 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 | 23 | 19 | -4 |
| Greater Manchester | 21 | 15 | -6 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 13 | 8 | -5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 | 12 | +5 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 11 | 10 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 11 | 10 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 7 | 9 | +2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 11 | 8 | -3 |
| Inner London - West | 8 | 7 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 10 | 4 | -6 |
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) | 57,455,103 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 26,798,088 |
| Air transport | 18,216,110 |
| Other | 838,356 |
| Road transport | 385,947 |
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) | 29,220,146 | 28,234,957 | -985,189 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,437,857 | 13,360,231 | -77,626 |
| Air transport | 8,355,388 | 9,860,722 | +1,505,334 |
| Other | 457,687 | 380,669 | -77,018 |
| Road transport | 264,880 | 121,067 | -143,813 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 30,030,117 |
| Immingham Docks | 12,665,221 |
| Southampton | 11,080,325 |
| Eurotunnel | 7,407,858 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,047,688 |
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 | 15,624,193 | 14,405,924 | -1,218,269 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,660,021 | 7,005,200 | +1,345,179 |
| Southampton | 5,996,340 | 5,083,985 | -912,355 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,675,187 | 3,732,671 | +57,484 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,546,405 | 2,501,283 | -1,045,122 |
| Felixstowe | 2,406,005 | 2,711,073 | +305,068 |
| Thamesport | 2,436,509 | 2,478,649 | +42,140 |
| London Stansted Airport | 837,747 | 2,955,646 | +2,117,899 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,283,397 | 1,580,329 | +296,932 |
| London | 1,285,190 | 1,475,832 | +190,642 |
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
|
94 |
|
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
|
73 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
37 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
14 |
|
Manufacture of rubber and plastic products
|
12 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 90 |
| 2026-04 | 85 |
| 2026-03 | 94 |
| 2026-02 | 83 |
| 2026-01 | 79 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 122 |
| LIFE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 117 |
| INTERNATIONAL PAINT LIMITED | 111 |
| SILBERLINE LIMITED | 96 |
| SUN CHEMICAL LIMITED | 95 |
| FUJICHEM SONNEBORN LIMITED | 77 |
| PPG INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED | 71 |
| KYOCERA AVX COMPONENTS LIMITED | 70 |
| ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED | 65 |
| BAXTER HEALTHCARE LIMITED | 62 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 116 |
| 54m+ | 97 |
| 15m-54m | 37 |
| 0-1m | 35 |
| 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 | 12,625,120 |
| Italy | 10,441,454 |
| Poland | 7,932,719 |
| France | 7,043,206 |
| China | 6,931,193 |
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 | 6,777,471 | 5,847,649 | -929,822 |
| Italy | 5,857,660 | 4,583,794 | -1,273,866 |
| Poland | 4,334,016 | 3,598,703 | -735,313 |
| France | 4,088,486 | 2,954,720 | -1,133,766 |
| China | 3,821,747 | 3,109,446 | -712,301 |
| Netherlands | 2,659,374 | 2,577,010 | -82,364 |
| Ireland | 2,343,604 | 2,264,205 | -79,399 |
| United States | 2,294,592 | 2,187,635 | -106,957 |
| Spain | 1,690,922 | 2,061,981 | +371,059 |
| Saudi Arabia | 430,387 | 1,725,085 | +1,294,698 |
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 | 61,764 |
| XI | 58,433 |
| Ireland | 22,190 |
| New Zealand | 18,372 |
| Germany | 5,378 |
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 | 35,216 | 26,548 | -8,668 |
| XI | 11,058 | 47,375 | +36,317 |
| Ireland | 11,830 | 10,360 | -1,470 |
| New Zealand | 7,272 | 11,100 | +3,828 |
| Germany | 1,813 | 3,565 | +1,752 |
| 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) | 56,269,070 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,757,587 |
| Air transport | 18,969,480 |
| Other | 175,956 |
| 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) | 31,080,688 | 25,188,382 | -5,892,306 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,961,609 | 9,795,978 | -165,631 |
| Air transport | 9,487,039 | 9,482,441 | -4,598 |
| Other | 72,104 | 103,852 | +31,748 |
| 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 | 43,410,987 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 8,963,936 |
| Immingham Docks | 7,820,672 |
| London Gateway Port | 6,528,117 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 4,705,591 |
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 | 24,038,200 | 19,372,787 | -4,665,413 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,020,220 | 3,943,716 | -1,076,504 |
| Immingham Docks | 4,368,732 | 3,451,940 | -916,792 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,117,237 | 3,410,880 | +293,643 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 2,627,821 | 2,077,770 | -550,051 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,662,847 | 2,424,761 | +761,914 |
| Holyhead | 1,451,985 | 1,508,662 | +56,677 |
| Southampton | 1,381,532 | 1,506,854 | +125,322 |
| ZLC | 1,288,655 | 1,504,403 | +215,748 |
| Felixstowe | 954,464 | 1,139,936 | +185,472 |
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