Import/export HS code 3606: Fire-starting alloys and combustible materials
Includes ferro-cerium and other fire-starting alloys, as well as items made from combustible materials like lighter flints and similar 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 9,785,044 |
| Netherlands | 7,143,180 |
| Turkey | 3,924,477 |
| China | 2,301,957 |
| Poland | 2,173,131 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 5,153,254 | 4,631,790 | -521,464 |
| Netherlands | 3,744,970 | 3,398,210 | -346,760 |
| Turkey | 2,160,833 | 1,763,644 | -397,189 |
| China | 1,162,637 | 1,139,320 | -23,317 |
| Poland | 1,297,735 | 875,396 | -422,339 |
| Romania | 836,707 | 786,436 | -50,271 |
| Germany | 600,255 | 547,247 | -53,008 |
| United States | 663,077 | 309,123 | -353,954 |
| Czechia | 446,927 | 322,636 | -124,291 |
| Philippines | 540,288 | 107,415 | -432,873 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 6,439,265 |
| Ireland | 6,308,959 |
| Turkey | 4,052,755 |
| China | 2,682,307 |
| Poland | 2,512,916 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 3,483,474 | 2,955,791 | -527,683 |
| Ireland | 3,133,108 | 3,175,851 | +42,743 |
| Turkey | 2,384,790 | 1,667,965 | -716,825 |
| China | 1,489,344 | 1,192,963 | -296,381 |
| Poland | 1,347,730 | 1,165,186 | -182,544 |
| Romania | 853,915 | 809,904 | -44,011 |
| United States | 823,375 | 395,248 | -428,127 |
| Czechia | 443,851 | 325,231 | -118,620 |
| Philippines | 540,288 | 107,415 | -432,873 |
| Germany | 397,591 | 180,300 | -217,291 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 7 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 6 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 6 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 6 |
| West Yorkshire | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 3 | 5 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Kent | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Lancashire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
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) | 18,545,767 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,761,097 |
| Other | 4,008,886 |
| Air transport | 168,651 |
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) | 9,994,127 | 8,551,640 | -1,442,487 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,073,030 | 4,688,067 | -1,384,963 |
| Other | 2,195,503 | 1,813,383 | -382,120 |
| Air transport | 102,050 | 66,601 | -35,449 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 6,660,196 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,351,583 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,218,822 |
| 000 | 4,008,886 |
| Dover | 3,868,656 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 3,862,285 | 2,797,911 | -1,064,374 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,589,086 | 2,762,497 | -826,589 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,835,643 | 2,383,179 | +547,536 |
| 000 | 2,195,503 | 1,813,383 | -382,120 |
| Dover | 2,401,089 | 1,467,567 | -933,522 |
| Holyhead | 1,404,486 | 379,022 | -1,025,464 |
| Southampton | 1,103,493 | 503,647 | -599,846 |
| Harwich | 491,723 | 425,901 | -65,822 |
| Thamesport | 374,176 | 368,939 | -5,237 |
| Killingholme | 152,374 | 466,013 | +313,639 |
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 | 45 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 13 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 4 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 3 |
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 3 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 8 |
| 2025-11 | 13 |
| 2025-10 | 7 |
| 2025-09 | 10 |
| 2025-08 | 6 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| PREEMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 62 |
| NISBETS LIMITED | 58 |
| LUMEA LTD | 43 |
| ASTROLUXE LIMITED | 42 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 31 |
| ROTHENBERGER (U.K.) LIMITED | 27 |
| WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS (U.K.) LIMITED | 23 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 23 |
| NEVILLE UK PLC | 23 |
| CLIPPER U.K. LTD | 18 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 34 |
| 54m+ | 18 |
| 15m-54m | 16 |
| Other | 5 |
| 0-1m | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 8,937,545 |
| Spain | 5,919,556 |
| Netherlands | 5,509,673 |
| Germany | 4,186,298 |
| Australia | 3,917,690 |
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 | 4,755,158 | 4,182,387 | -572,771 |
| Spain | 3,359,055 | 2,560,501 | -798,554 |
| Netherlands | 3,356,845 | 2,152,828 | -1,204,017 |
| Germany | 2,585,801 | 1,600,497 | -985,304 |
| Australia | 2,853,926 | 1,063,764 | -1,790,162 |
| United States | 2,179,123 | 1,379,956 | -799,167 |
| Portugal | 2,000,872 | 1,371,829 | -629,043 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,076,428 | 1,376,169 | +299,741 |
| France | 1,177,556 | 949,999 | -227,557 |
| New Zealand | 605,939 | 976,730 | +370,791 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 191,369 |
| Netherlands | 132,288 |
| XI | 6,987 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2,369 |
| China | 11 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 118,119 | 73,250 | -44,869 |
| Netherlands | 15,628 | 116,660 | +101,032 |
| XI | 5,993 | 994 | -4,999 |
| United Arab Emirates | 915 | 1,454 | +539 |
| China | 11 | 0 | -11 |
| 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) | 31,602,077 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 17,297,489 |
| Air transport | 444,368 |
| Other | 364,583 |
| 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) | 17,741,852 | 13,860,225 | -3,881,627 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,398,363 | 6,899,126 | -3,499,237 |
| Air transport | 250,469 | 193,899 | -56,570 |
| Other | 156,276 | 208,307 | +52,031 |
| Rail transport | 9,415 | 0 | -9,415 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 17,045,859 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 13,852,901 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,073,078 |
| Southampton | 4,699,308 |
| Felixstowe | 2,203,008 |
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 | 9,334,928 | 7,710,931 | -1,623,997 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,948,662 | 5,904,239 | -2,044,423 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,247,578 | 2,825,500 | +577,922 |
| Southampton | 3,222,179 | 1,477,129 | -1,745,050 |
| Felixstowe | 1,657,129 | 545,879 | -1,111,250 |
| Liverpool Docks | 753,835 | 853,290 | +99,455 |
| Eurotunnel | 708,538 | 248,799 | -459,739 |
| Newhaven | 737,339 | 182,115 | -555,224 |
| Middlesbrough | 602,501 | 249,964 | -352,537 |
| Holyhead | 213,175 | 186,993 | -26,182 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3606
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes ferro-cerium and other fire-starting alloys, as well as items made from combustible materials like lighter flints and similar products