Import/export HS code 3605: Matches
Regular matches used for lighting fires, not including pyrotechnic items like fireworks
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 4,415,620 |
| China | 1,648,560 |
| India | 1,085,179 |
| Belgium | 357,657 |
| Poland | 159,619 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2,226,271 | 2,189,349 | -36,922 |
| China | 824,825 | 823,735 | -1,090 |
| India | 553,844 | 531,335 | -22,509 |
| Belgium | 233,522 | 124,135 | -109,387 |
| Poland | 58,477 | 101,142 | +42,665 |
| Turkey | 50,636 | 71,369 | +20,733 |
| Hungary | 74,990 | 41,885 | -33,105 |
| Germany | 52,449 | 44,906 | -7,543 |
| France | 21,739 | 60,837 | +39,098 |
| United States | 33,232 | 32,990 | -242 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 4,415,583 |
| China | 1,777,949 |
| India | 1,043,445 |
| Poland | 337,120 |
| United Kingdom | 218,678 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2,226,234 | 2,189,349 | -36,885 |
| China | 870,192 | 907,757 | +37,565 |
| India | 553,844 | 489,601 | -64,243 |
| Poland | 157,799 | 179,321 | +21,522 |
| United Kingdom | 140,263 | 78,415 | -61,848 |
| Turkey | 58,528 | 118,525 | +59,997 |
| Hungary | 87,130 | 47,274 | -39,856 |
| Germany | 44,394 | 11,661 | -32,733 |
| United States | 31,670 | 0 | -31,670 |
| Italy | 19,051 | 0 | -19,051 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 11 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 4 |
| Inner London - East | 3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 |
| Merseyside | 2 |
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 | 6 | 10 | +4 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 0 | -1 |
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) | 6,442,243 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,505,884 |
| Air transport | 265,343 |
| Other | 46,326 |
| 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) | 3,475,853 | 2,966,390 | -509,463 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 541,707 | 964,177 | +422,470 |
| Air transport | 168,139 | 97,204 | -70,935 |
| Other | 36,827 | 9,499 | -27,328 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 4,418,531 |
| Felixstowe | 1,340,032 |
| London Gateway Port | 923,164 |
| Southampton | 306,146 |
| Dover | 303,192 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 2,230,199 | 2,188,332 | -41,867 |
| Felixstowe | 911,501 | 428,531 | -482,970 |
| London Gateway Port | 312,256 | 610,908 | +298,652 |
| Southampton | 95,611 | 210,535 | +114,924 |
| Dover | 154,065 | 149,127 | -4,938 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 152,752 | 82,047 | -70,705 |
| Eurotunnel | 65,693 | 70,622 | +4,929 |
| Thamesport | 25,357 | 100,902 | +75,545 |
| London | 5,905 | 68,547 | +62,642 |
| East Midlands Airport | 65,620 | 8,812 | -56,808 |
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 | 15 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 11 |
| Other manufacturing | 3 |
| Accommodation | 2 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 5 |
| 2026-03 | 8 |
| 2026-02 | 6 |
| 2026-01 | 5 |
| 2025-12 | 4 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED | 35 |
| VESTEY FOODS UK LIMITED | 31 |
| SAINT GERMAIN LIMITED | 25 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 24 |
| DHIMAN ENTERPRISES LIMITED | 20 |
| SURVITEC GROUP LIMITED | 18 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 17 |
| ARCHIVIST LIMITED | 16 |
| KOMBAT UK LIMITED | 14 |
| LIFEMARQUE LIMITED | 9 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 14 |
| 54m+ | 10 |
| 15m-54m | 6 |
| 0-1m | 3 |
| Other | 3 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 2,683,383 |
| United States | 1,378,637 |
| Germany | 393,659 |
| Australia | 277,343 |
| Spain | 206,881 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 254,045 | 2,429,338 | +2,175,293 |
| United States | 620,185 | 758,452 | +138,267 |
| Germany | 156,986 | 236,673 | +79,687 |
| Australia | 243,718 | 33,625 | -210,093 |
| Spain | 112,251 | 94,630 | -17,621 |
| Netherlands | 96,598 | 94,956 | -1,642 |
| Switzerland | 81,083 | 100,735 | +19,652 |
| Sweden | 69,342 | 101,007 | +31,665 |
| Ireland | 77,468 | 77,294 | -174 |
| United Arab Emirates | 19,113 | 92,755 | +73,642 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 28,034 |
| XI | 10,276 |
| Ireland | 3,679 |
| Belgium | 1,536 |
| Germany | 1,056 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 15,253 | 12,781 | -2,472 |
| XI | 5,633 | 4,643 | -990 |
| Ireland | 2,512 | 1,167 | -1,345 |
| Belgium | 1,132 | 404 | -728 |
| Germany | 858 | 198 | -660 |
| China | 613 | 344 | -269 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 4,716,935 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,525,832 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 282,242 |
| Other | 48,918 |
| Road transport | 1,020 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 1,222,956 | 3,493,979 | +2,271,023 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 497,114 | 1,028,718 | +531,604 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 254,258 | 27,984 | -226,274 |
| Other | 27,741 | 21,177 | -6,564 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 4,097,299 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,443,103 |
| Felixstowe | 230,678 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 197,342 |
| ZLC | 163,910 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 910,157 | 3,187,142 | +2,276,985 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 451,196 | 991,907 | +540,711 |
| Felixstowe | 227,280 | 3,398 | -223,882 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 45,990 | 151,352 | +105,362 |
| ZLC | 52,754 | 111,156 | +58,402 |
| London Stansted Airport | 117,588 | 13,857 | -103,731 |
| Manchester Airport | 96,467 | 31,492 | -64,975 |
| 000 | 27,741 | 21,177 | -6,564 |
| Holyhead | 17,162 | 21,585 | +4,423 |
| London Gateway Port | 17,877 | 8,584 | -9,293 |
Quick facts
HS code: 3605
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Regular matches used for lighting fires, not including pyrotechnic items like fireworks