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 | 10,803,224 |
| Netherlands | 8,031,726 |
| Turkey | 4,663,154 |
| China | 2,308,917 |
| Poland | 2,257,439 |
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 | 4,124,668 | 6,678,556 | +2,553,888 |
| Netherlands | 3,801,011 | 4,230,715 | +429,704 |
| Turkey | 2,417,953 | 2,245,201 | -172,752 |
| China | 1,183,135 | 1,125,782 | -57,353 |
| Poland | 1,255,901 | 1,001,538 | -254,363 |
| Romania | 963,128 | 870,764 | -92,364 |
| Germany | 562,255 | 685,861 | +123,606 |
| United States | 725,560 | 240,726 | -484,834 |
| Philippines | 540,288 | 214,870 | -325,418 |
| Czechia | 592,341 | 156,666 | -435,675 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 7,235,397 |
| Netherlands | 6,971,061 |
| Turkey | 4,567,475 |
| Poland | 2,728,929 |
| China | 2,690,445 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 2,348,114 | 4,887,283 | +2,539,169 |
| Netherlands | 3,526,937 | 3,444,124 | -82,813 |
| Turkey | 2,417,953 | 2,149,522 | -268,431 |
| Poland | 1,289,702 | 1,439,227 | +149,525 |
| China | 1,456,320 | 1,234,125 | -222,195 |
| Romania | 980,336 | 995,258 | +14,922 |
| United States | 945,869 | 297,461 | -648,408 |
| Philippines | 540,288 | 214,870 | -325,418 |
| Czechia | 589,265 | 159,261 | -430,004 |
| United Arab Emirates | 243,180 | 288,135 | +44,955 |
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 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 6 |
| West Yorkshire | 6 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 5 |
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 | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Kent | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Lancashire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 0 | 3 | +3 |
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) | 20,467,353 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,861,309 |
| Other | 4,292,049 |
| Air transport | 148,307 |
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) | 9,366,177 | 11,101,176 | +1,734,999 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,269,410 | 5,591,899 | -677,511 |
| Other | 1,972,440 | 2,319,609 | +347,169 |
| Air transport | 68,853 | 79,454 | +10,601 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 7,341,418 |
| Immingham Docks | 7,279,351 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,942,650 |
| 000 | 4,292,049 |
| Dover | 3,938,748 |
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 | 3,849,848 | 3,491,570 | -358,278 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,576,854 | 3,702,497 | +125,643 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,083,390 | 3,859,260 | +2,775,870 |
| 000 | 1,972,440 | 2,319,609 | +347,169 |
| Dover | 2,361,750 | 1,576,998 | -784,752 |
| Holyhead | 1,371,745 | 379,022 | -992,723 |
| Southampton | 1,015,560 | 572,720 | -442,840 |
| Harwich | 460,912 | 452,187 | -8,725 |
| Heysham | 89,482 | 697,296 | +607,814 |
| Killingholme | 250,888 | 501,964 | +251,076 |
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 | 14 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 6 |
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 3 |
| Other manufacturing | 3 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 8 |
| 2026-03 | 10 |
| 2026-02 | 15 |
| 2026-01 | 8 |
| 2025-12 | 8 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| PREEMA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 64 |
| NISBETS LIMITED | 59 |
| ASTROLUXE LIMITED | 45 |
| LUMEA LTD | 45 |
| B.C.B. INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 31 |
| ROTHENBERGER (U.K.) LIMITED | 29 |
| WEBER-STEPHEN PRODUCTS (U.K.) LIMITED | 27 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 23 |
| NEVILLE UK PLC | 23 |
| EUROPOL WHOLESALE LIMITED | 20 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 35 |
| 54m+ | 20 |
| 15m-54m | 14 |
| 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 | 10,179,701 |
| Spain | 6,897,772 |
| Netherlands | 6,024,940 |
| Australia | 4,836,409 |
| Germany | 4,721,495 |
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 | 5,132,840 | 5,046,861 | -85,979 |
| Spain | 3,600,932 | 3,296,840 | -304,092 |
| Netherlands | 3,311,939 | 2,713,001 | -598,938 |
| Australia | 2,625,133 | 2,211,276 | -413,857 |
| Germany | 2,473,086 | 2,248,409 | -224,677 |
| Portugal | 2,069,250 | 1,799,132 | -270,118 |
| United States | 2,097,699 | 1,358,934 | -738,765 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,417,981 | 1,411,322 | -6,659 |
| France | 1,155,536 | 1,382,225 | +226,689 |
| New Zealand | 789,636 | 1,214,173 | +424,537 |
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 | 224,602 |
| XI | 6,574 |
| 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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 8,498 | 229,983 | +221,485 |
| Ireland | 126,676 | 97,926 | -28,750 |
| XI | 5,493 | 1,081 | -4,412 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,508 | 861 | -647 |
| 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) | 36,464,506 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,045,354 |
| Other | 506,710 |
| Air transport | 447,441 |
| 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) | 18,803,027 | 17,661,479 | -1,141,548 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,341,744 | 8,703,610 | -1,638,134 |
| Other | 158,523 | 348,187 | +189,664 |
| Air transport | 251,838 | 195,603 | -56,235 |
| 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 | 19,455,137 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 15,552,468 |
| London Gateway Port | 6,833,359 |
| Southampton | 5,177,749 |
| Liverpool Docks | 2,085,115 |
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 | 9,676,592 | 9,778,545 | +101,953 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,185,009 | 7,367,459 | -817,550 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,015,110 | 3,818,249 | +803,139 |
| Southampton | 3,245,824 | 1,931,925 | -1,313,899 |
| Liverpool Docks | 881,912 | 1,203,203 | +321,291 |
| Felixstowe | 1,252,335 | 335,135 | -917,200 |
| Middlesbrough | 572,781 | 501,431 | -71,350 |
| Newhaven | 706,703 | 204,609 | -502,094 |
| Eurotunnel | 601,839 | 303,701 | -298,138 |
| 000 | 158,523 | 348,187 | +189,664 |
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