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 | 56,967,337 |
| Ireland | 10,832,945 |
| Netherlands | 8,049,461 |
| Turkey | 4,785,159 |
| Sweden | 4,598,414 |
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 | 26,410,306 | 30,557,031 | +4,146,725 |
| Ireland | 4,135,960 | 6,696,985 | +2,561,025 |
| Netherlands | 3,814,854 | 4,234,607 | +419,753 |
| Turkey | 2,468,589 | 2,316,570 | -152,019 |
| Sweden | 2,312,947 | 2,285,467 | -27,480 |
| Poland | 1,463,654 | 1,253,868 | -209,786 |
| Romania | 963,128 | 870,764 | -92,364 |
| Germany | 692,393 | 744,633 | +52,240 |
| India | 587,221 | 606,788 | +19,567 |
| Czechia | 754,523 | 378,107 | -376,416 |
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 | 57,650,309 |
| Ireland | 7,235,397 |
| Netherlands | 6,975,548 |
| Turkey | 4,744,528 |
| Sweden | 4,511,701 |
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 | 26,816,398 | 30,833,911 | +4,017,513 |
| Ireland | 2,348,114 | 4,887,283 | +2,539,169 |
| Netherlands | 3,529,813 | 3,445,735 | -84,078 |
| Turkey | 2,476,481 | 2,268,047 | -208,434 |
| Sweden | 2,226,234 | 2,285,467 | +59,233 |
| Poland | 1,510,271 | 1,686,246 | +175,975 |
| Romania | 980,336 | 995,258 | +14,922 |
| United States | 1,002,405 | 310,244 | -692,161 |
| India | 621,007 | 565,054 | -55,953 |
| Czechia | 804,630 | 380,702 | -423,928 |
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 | 8 |
| 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 | 5 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 7 | 3 | -4 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Kent | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| 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) | 71,621,135 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 23,164,462 |
| Other | 4,415,852 |
| Air transport | 1,097,027 |
| 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) | 34,457,088 | 37,164,047 | +2,706,959 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 10,483,746 | 12,680,716 | +2,196,970 |
| Other | 2,021,407 | 2,394,445 | +373,038 |
| Air transport | 522,365 | 574,662 | +52,297 |
| 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 | 50,883,815 |
| Immingham Docks | 12,553,505 |
| Felixstowe | 11,539,357 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,942,650 |
| Dover | 4,557,647 |
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 | 23,412,616 | 27,471,199 | +4,058,583 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,175,282 | 6,378,223 | +202,941 |
| Felixstowe | 5,726,438 | 5,812,919 | +86,481 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,083,390 | 3,859,260 | +2,775,870 |
| Dover | 2,716,771 | 1,840,876 | -875,895 |
| 000 | 2,017,577 | 2,345,712 | +328,135 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,975,971 | 938,626 | -1,037,345 |
| Holyhead | 1,371,745 | 379,022 | -992,723 |
| Harwich | 466,779 | 452,187 | -14,592 |
| Thamesport | 391,771 | 481,616 | +89,845 |
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 | 5 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 13 |
| 2026-03 | 20 |
| 2026-02 | 22 |
| 2026-01 | 15 |
| 2025-12 | 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 | 64 |
| NISBETS LIMITED | 60 |
| TALKING TABLES LIMITED | 55 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 49 |
| ASTROLUXE LIMITED | 45 |
| LUMEA LTD | 45 |
| HENBRANDT LIMITED | 40 |
| ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED | 35 |
| 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+ | 32 |
| 15m-54m | 20 |
| 0-1m | 9 |
| 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 | 10,282,166 |
| Spain | 7,106,551 |
| Netherlands | 6,216,494 |
| Germany | 5,246,180 |
| France | 5,245,269 |
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 | 5,178,757 | 5,103,409 | -75,348 |
| Spain | 3,713,183 | 3,393,368 | -319,815 |
| Netherlands | 3,408,537 | 2,807,957 | -600,580 |
| Germany | 2,733,593 | 2,512,587 | -221,006 |
| France | 1,433,706 | 3,811,563 | +2,377,857 |
| Australia | 2,868,851 | 2,244,901 | -623,950 |
| United States | 2,717,884 | 2,117,386 | -600,498 |
| Portugal | 2,074,498 | 1,802,162 | -272,336 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,420,632 | 1,411,322 | -9,310 |
| New Zealand | 797,912 | 1,215,452 | +417,540 |
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 | 238,481 |
| Ireland | 228,281 |
| Sweden | 28,034 |
| XI | 16,850 |
| 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 | 8,498 | 229,983 | +221,485 |
| Ireland | 129,188 | 99,093 | -30,095 |
| Sweden | 15,253 | 12,781 | -2,472 |
| XI | 11,126 | 5,724 | -5,402 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,508 | 861 | -647 |
| Belgium | 1,132 | 404 | -728 |
| China | 805 | 344 | -461 |
| 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) | 38,270,539 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,347,934 |
| Air transport | 5,216,817 |
| Other | 575,725 |
| 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) | 19,449,045 | 18,821,494 | -627,551 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,616,340 | 8,731,594 | -1,884,746 |
| Air transport | 1,488,732 | 3,728,085 | +2,239,353 |
| Other | 196,962 | 378,763 | +181,801 |
| 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 | 19,624,896 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 17,105,548 |
| London Gateway Port | 6,859,820 |
| Southampton | 5,185,577 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,175,976 |
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 | 9,740,153 | 9,884,743 | +144,590 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,730,102 | 8,375,446 | -354,656 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,032,987 | 3,826,833 | +793,846 |
| Southampton | 3,245,824 | 1,939,753 | -1,306,071 |
| East Midlands Airport | 959,271 | 3,216,705 | +2,257,434 |
| Liverpool Docks | 892,575 | 1,203,203 | +310,628 |
| Felixstowe | 1,493,290 | 338,533 | -1,154,757 |
| Middlesbrough | 574,271 | 524,105 | -50,166 |
| Newhaven | 706,703 | 204,609 | -502,094 |
| Eurotunnel | 601,839 | 303,701 | -298,138 |
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