Import/export HS code 36: Explosives and Fireworks
Includes items like explosives, fireworks, matches, and other flammable materials
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 56,958,177 |
| Ireland | 10,929,124 |
| Netherlands | 8,104,801 |
| Turkey | 4,641,942 |
| Sweden | 4,471,952 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 28,295,599 | 28,662,578 | +366,979 |
| Ireland | 4,054,856 | 6,874,268 | +2,819,412 |
| Netherlands | 3,787,961 | 4,316,840 | +528,879 |
| Turkey | 2,307,281 | 2,334,661 | +27,380 |
| Sweden | 2,283,612 | 2,188,340 | -95,272 |
| Poland | 1,536,195 | 1,142,833 | -393,362 |
| Romania | 1,040,119 | 824,572 | -215,547 |
| Germany | 742,273 | 842,081 | +99,808 |
| India | 634,873 | 728,291 | +93,418 |
| Czechia | 763,024 | 360,205 | -402,819 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 57,635,826 |
| Ireland | 7,316,814 |
| Netherlands | 7,016,307 |
| Turkey | 4,601,311 |
| Sweden | 4,385,241 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 28,662,188 | 28,973,638 | +311,450 |
| Ireland | 2,290,964 | 5,025,850 | +2,734,886 |
| Netherlands | 3,508,060 | 3,508,247 | +187 |
| Turkey | 2,316,989 | 2,284,322 | -32,667 |
| Sweden | 2,196,901 | 2,188,340 | -8,561 |
| Poland | 1,618,582 | 1,559,919 | -58,663 |
| Romania | 1,057,327 | 949,066 | -108,261 |
| India | 668,659 | 686,557 | +17,898 |
| United States | 1,079,380 | 227,588 | -851,792 |
| Czechia | 813,131 | 362,800 | -450,331 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 13 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 11 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 10 |
| Greater Manchester | 7 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 8 | 10 | +2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 9 | 6 | -3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Kent | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Merseyside | 2 | 4 | +2 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 71,299,271 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 23,453,935 |
| Other | 4,435,567 |
| Air transport | 1,146,668 |
| Road transport | 8,332 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 36,165,829 | 35,133,442 | -1,032,387 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 10,466,384 | 12,987,551 | +2,521,167 |
| Other | 1,998,901 | 2,436,666 | +437,765 |
| Air transport | 468,268 | 678,400 | +210,132 |
| Road transport | 8,332 | 0 | -8,332 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 51,501,949 |
| Immingham Docks | 12,614,607 |
| Felixstowe | 10,641,697 |
| Liverpool Docks | 5,041,126 |
| Dover | 4,520,163 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 25,992,570 | 25,509,379 | -483,191 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,116,041 | 6,498,566 | +382,525 |
| Felixstowe | 4,857,956 | 5,783,741 | +925,785 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,026,240 | 4,014,886 | +2,988,646 |
| Dover | 2,784,321 | 1,735,842 | -1,048,479 |
| 000 | 1,994,862 | 2,373,642 | +378,780 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,928,835 | 1,091,839 | -836,996 |
| Holyhead | 1,371,745 | 384,211 | -987,534 |
| Harwich | 445,334 | 461,220 | +15,886 |
| Thamesport | 387,299 | 484,764 | +97,465 |
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 | 59 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 27 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 7 |
| Other manufacturing | 6 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 18 |
| 2026-04 | 13 |
| 2026-03 | 20 |
| 2026-02 | 22 |
| 2026-01 | 15 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| UNIQUE UK, INC. | 89 |
| PREEMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 65 |
| NISBETS LIMITED | 60 |
| TALKING TABLES LIMITED | 55 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 49 |
| LUMEA LTD | 46 |
| ASTROLUXE LIMITED | 45 |
| HENBRANDT LIMITED | 40 |
| ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED | 36 |
| VESTEY FOODS UK LIMITED | 33 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 52 |
| 54m+ | 33 |
| 15m-54m | 21 |
| 0-1m | 8 |
| Other | 8 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 10,306,295 |
| Spain | 7,062,133 |
| Netherlands | 6,321,592 |
| France | 5,391,563 |
| Germany | 5,000,040 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 5,305,514 | 5,000,781 | -304,733 |
| Spain | 3,712,229 | 3,349,904 | -362,325 |
| Netherlands | 3,404,990 | 2,916,602 | -488,388 |
| France | 1,525,456 | 3,866,107 | +2,340,651 |
| Germany | 2,608,172 | 2,391,868 | -216,304 |
| Australia | 2,667,026 | 2,327,786 | -339,240 |
| United States | 2,550,554 | 2,042,353 | -508,201 |
| Portugal | 2,155,505 | 1,783,923 | -371,582 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,605,528 | 1,370,578 | -234,950 |
| New Zealand | 905,419 | 1,167,311 | +261,892 |
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 | 246,013 |
| Ireland | 221,786 |
| Sweden | 28,005 |
| XI | 16,456 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2,369 |
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 | 7,963 | 238,050 | +230,087 |
| Ireland | 121,361 | 100,425 | -20,936 |
| Sweden | 15,111 | 12,894 | -2,217 |
| XI | 10,916 | 5,540 | -5,376 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2,102 | 267 | -1,835 |
| Belgium | 1,010 | 404 | -606 |
| China | 810 | 316 | -494 |
| Germany | 858 | 198 | -660 |
| Turkey | 7 | 0 | -7 |
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) | 38,344,241 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,026,277 |
| Air transport | 5,317,160 |
| Other | 575,478 |
| Rail transport | 9,415 |
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) | 19,778,294 | 18,565,947 | -1,212,347 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,250,404 | 8,775,873 | -1,474,531 |
| Air transport | 1,494,195 | 3,822,965 | +2,328,770 |
| Other | 190,835 | 384,643 | +193,808 |
| Rail transport | 9,415 | 0 | -9,415 |
| Road transport | 0 | 1,020 | +1,020 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 19,660,948 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 17,000,759 |
| London Gateway Port | 7,133,461 |
| Southampton | 4,944,543 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,279,314 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 9,735,607 | 9,925,341 | +189,734 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,837,092 | 8,163,667 | -673,425 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,326,658 | 3,806,803 | +480,145 |
| Southampton | 3,113,661 | 1,830,882 | -1,282,779 |
| East Midlands Airport | 984,119 | 3,295,195 | +2,311,076 |
| Liverpool Docks | 888,922 | 1,284,372 | +395,450 |
| Felixstowe | 1,247,062 | 338,533 | -908,529 |
| Middlesbrough | 494,800 | 647,269 | +152,469 |
| Newhaven | 732,619 | 178,693 | -553,926 |
| Eurotunnel | 549,133 | 303,701 | -245,432 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 36
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes items like explosives, fireworks, matches, and other flammable materials