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 | 54,213,889 |
| Ireland | 10,648,082 |
| Netherlands | 7,878,677 |
| Sweden | 4,135,108 |
| Turkey | 3,969,599 |
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 | 33,751,427 | 20,462,462 | -13,288,965 |
| Ireland | 4,120,772 | 6,527,310 | +2,406,538 |
| Netherlands | 3,856,189 | 4,022,488 | +166,299 |
| Sweden | 2,105,440 | 2,029,668 | -75,772 |
| Turkey | 1,778,296 | 2,191,303 | +413,007 |
| Poland | 1,439,824 | 1,032,010 | -407,814 |
| Romania | 1,188,335 | 617,962 | -570,373 |
| Germany | 767,891 | 802,512 | +34,621 |
| India | 704,679 | 623,736 | -80,943 |
| Czechia | 791,729 | 310,964 | -480,765 |
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 | 54,889,591 |
| Ireland | 7,110,266 |
| Netherlands | 6,811,665 |
| Sweden | 4,048,399 |
| Turkey | 3,928,968 |
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 | 34,167,397 | 20,722,194 | -13,445,203 |
| Ireland | 2,414,962 | 4,695,304 | +2,280,342 |
| Netherlands | 3,570,546 | 3,241,119 | -329,427 |
| Sweden | 2,018,731 | 2,029,668 | +10,937 |
| Turkey | 1,793,696 | 2,135,272 | +341,576 |
| Poland | 1,478,549 | 1,474,706 | -3,843 |
| Romania | 1,205,543 | 742,456 | -463,087 |
| India | 715,482 | 579,655 | -135,827 |
| United States | 1,142,793 | 85,648 | -1,057,145 |
| Czechia | 844,912 | 313,559 | -531,353 |
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 | 9 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 9 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 6 |
| Greater Manchester | 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 | 8 | 5 | -3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 6 | 6 | +0 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Greater Manchester | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Kent | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Merseyside | 3 | 3 | +0 |
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) | 67,210,455 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 22,541,729 |
| Other | 4,341,731 |
| Air transport | 1,010,814 |
| 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) | 41,033,390 | 26,177,065 | -14,856,325 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 10,643,143 | 11,898,586 | +1,255,443 |
| Other | 1,943,414 | 2,398,317 | +454,903 |
| Air transport | 560,744 | 450,070 | -110,674 |
| 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 | 50,062,633 |
| Immingham Docks | 11,873,694 |
| Felixstowe | 9,517,858 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,907,404 |
| 000 | 4,274,767 |
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 | 32,580,038 | 17,482,595 | -15,097,443 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,869,435 | 6,004,259 | +134,824 |
| Felixstowe | 4,274,101 | 5,243,757 | +969,656 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,136,452 | 3,770,952 | +2,634,500 |
| 000 | 1,935,709 | 2,339,058 | +403,349 |
| Dover | 2,685,849 | 1,588,483 | -1,097,366 |
| London Gateway Port | 920,973 | 943,862 | +22,889 |
| Holyhead | 1,407,469 | 323,347 | -1,084,122 |
| Harwich | 471,393 | 416,638 | -54,755 |
| Thamesport | 435,243 | 421,021 | -14,222 |
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
|
56 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
26 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
6 |
|
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
|
5 |
|
Manufacture of rubber and plastic products
|
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 | 51 |
| 54m+ | 30 |
| 15m-54m | 20 |
| 0-1m | 8 |
| Other | 6 |
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 | 10,278,948 |
| Spain | 6,867,853 |
| Netherlands | 6,060,991 |
| France | 5,268,764 |
| Germany | 4,854,257 |
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 | 5,327,170 | 4,951,778 | -375,392 |
| Spain | 3,836,459 | 3,031,394 | -805,065 |
| Netherlands | 3,307,298 | 2,753,693 | -553,605 |
| France | 1,566,675 | 3,702,089 | +2,135,414 |
| Germany | 2,536,773 | 2,317,484 | -219,289 |
| Australia | 2,642,156 | 2,049,363 | -592,793 |
| United States | 2,700,406 | 1,457,421 | -1,242,985 |
| Portugal | 1,987,132 | 1,745,530 | -241,602 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,769,094 | 1,143,044 | -626,050 |
| New Zealand | 965,533 | 1,046,860 | +81,327 |
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 | 245,402 |
| Ireland | 218,937 |
| Sweden | 25,782 |
| XI | 15,314 |
| 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 | 8,554 | 236,848 | +228,294 |
| Ireland | 123,356 | 95,581 | -27,775 |
| Sweden | 14,216 | 11,566 | -2,650 |
| XI | 10,427 | 4,887 | -5,540 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2,369 | 0 | -2,369 |
| Belgium | 1,144 | 270 | -874 |
| China | 732 | 316 | -416 |
| Germany | 6 | 198 | +192 |
| 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) | 37,231,149 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 17,937,730 |
| Air transport | 5,144,884 |
| Other | 563,606 |
| 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) | 19,615,844 | 17,615,305 | -2,000,539 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,374,313 | 7,563,417 | -2,810,896 |
| Air transport | 1,514,562 | 3,630,322 | +2,115,760 |
| Other | 190,807 | 372,799 | +181,992 |
| 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 | 19,238,705 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 16,408,928 |
| London Gateway Port | 6,823,308 |
| Southampton | 4,603,514 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,164,044 |
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 | 9,567,417 | 9,671,288 | +103,871 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,851,106 | 7,557,822 | -1,293,284 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,618,675 | 3,204,633 | -414,042 |
| Southampton | 3,078,015 | 1,525,499 | -1,552,516 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,016,945 | 3,147,099 | +2,130,154 |
| Liverpool Docks | 773,281 | 1,207,543 | +434,262 |
| Felixstowe | 1,146,021 | 223,639 | -922,382 |
| Middlesbrough | 495,803 | 645,046 | +149,243 |
| Eurotunnel | 576,023 | 276,811 | -299,212 |
| Newhaven | 623,117 | 178,693 | -444,424 |
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