Import/export HS code 38: Miscellaneous chemical products
Various chemical products not classified elsewhere, including artificial graphite, carbon pastes, and other related items
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2,473,676,213 |
| Germany | 1,699,047,956 |
| France | 1,201,171,853 |
| United States | 1,031,297,326 |
| Belgium | 750,691,388 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1,066,647,585 | 1,407,028,628 | +340,381,043 |
| Germany | 838,329,951 | 860,718,005 | +22,388,054 |
| France | 600,314,756 | 600,857,097 | +542,341 |
| United States | 539,813,738 | 491,483,588 | -48,330,150 |
| Belgium | 366,333,951 | 384,357,437 | +18,023,486 |
| Ireland | 323,989,722 | 327,784,113 | +3,794,391 |
| Italy | 198,435,933 | 212,432,698 | +13,996,765 |
| Switzerland | 183,830,337 | 165,634,426 | -18,195,911 |
| China | 153,305,518 | 174,948,202 | +21,642,684 |
| Sweden | 122,584,462 | 121,308,655 | -1,275,807 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,862,027,056 |
| Germany | 1,600,212,896 |
| France | 1,156,951,497 |
| Netherlands | 1,076,748,178 |
| Ireland | 565,823,784 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 947,927,876 | 914,099,180 | -33,828,696 |
| Germany | 754,303,938 | 845,908,958 | +91,605,020 |
| France | 566,408,486 | 590,543,011 | +24,134,525 |
| Netherlands | 436,507,122 | 640,241,056 | +203,733,934 |
| Ireland | 282,453,194 | 283,370,590 | +917,396 |
| China | 338,249,451 | 218,637,927 | -119,611,524 |
| Belgium | 252,683,824 | 227,966,864 | -24,716,960 |
| Italy | 203,116,460 | 215,169,073 | +12,052,613 |
| Spain | 130,285,846 | 137,521,244 | +7,235,398 |
| Sweden | 118,539,118 | 106,085,252 | -12,453,866 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 382 |
| Inner London - West | 365 |
| Greater Manchester | 292 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 236 |
| West Midlands | 231 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 304 | 317 | +13 |
| Inner London - West | 273 | 277 | +4 |
| Greater Manchester | 237 | 228 | -9 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 197 | 181 | -16 |
| West Midlands | 187 | 167 | -20 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 161 | 160 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 157 | 163 | +6 |
| West Yorkshire | 151 | 153 | +2 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 140 | 149 | +9 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 133 | 133 | +0 |
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) | 4,513,768,978 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,392,191,674 |
| Air transport | 2,216,470,037 |
| Other | 315,160,649 |
| Road transport | 45,656,451 |
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) | 2,196,713,315 | 2,317,055,663 | +120,342,348 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,575,147,042 | 1,817,044,632 | +241,897,590 |
| Air transport | 1,068,505,428 | 1,147,964,609 | +79,459,181 |
| Other | 204,402,930 | 110,757,719 | -93,645,211 |
| Road transport | 15,821,321 | 29,835,130 | +14,013,809 |
| Rail transport | 7,486,956 | 2,554,653 | -4,932,303 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 1,393,039,383 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,197,972,080 |
| London | 798,296,099 |
| East Midlands Airport | 703,431,086 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 614,219,776 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 685,066,796 | 707,972,587 | +22,905,791 |
| Immingham Docks | 589,228,886 | 608,743,194 | +19,514,308 |
| London | 330,042,455 | 468,253,644 | +138,211,189 |
| East Midlands Airport | 345,336,995 | 358,094,091 | +12,757,096 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 312,998,965 | 301,220,811 | -11,778,154 |
| Southampton | 259,505,130 | 345,717,863 | +86,212,733 |
| London Stansted Airport | 234,796,494 | 298,035,281 | +63,238,787 |
| Eurotunnel | 248,437,296 | 272,570,290 | +24,132,994 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 234,752,298 | 231,103,979 | -3,648,319 |
| Felixstowe | 203,133,634 | 216,468,110 | +13,334,476 |
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 | 1373 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 605 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 507 |
| Scientific research and development | 430 |
| Other manufacturing | 355 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 1743 |
| 2026-03 | 1773 |
| 2026-02 | 1682 |
| 2026-01 | 1612 |
| 2025-12 | 1470 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC | 124 |
| CRODA EUROPE LIMITED | 124 |
| DOW SILICONES UK LIMITED | 124 |
| ALPHA LABORATORIES LIMITED | 124 |
| TREK DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS LIMITED | 124 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 124 |
| ASTON CHEMICALS LIMITED | 124 |
| ORTHO-CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS | 124 |
| SYNGENTA LIMITED | 124 |
| NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS (U.K.) LIMITED | 124 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 2135 |
| 54m+ | 1624 |
| 0-1m | 700 |
| 15m-54m | 580 |
| Other | 376 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,675,170,445 |
| Netherlands | 1,176,615,624 |
| Germany | 988,366,900 |
| France | 846,087,562 |
| Ireland | 548,252,053 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 950,850,990 | 724,319,455 | -226,531,535 |
| Netherlands | 581,639,265 | 594,976,359 | +13,337,094 |
| Germany | 502,408,474 | 485,958,426 | -16,450,048 |
| France | 407,002,680 | 439,084,882 | +32,082,202 |
| Ireland | 254,339,328 | 293,912,725 | +39,573,397 |
| Belgium | 254,167,780 | 291,921,841 | +37,754,061 |
| China | 276,870,062 | 248,502,766 | -28,367,296 |
| Japan | 131,966,201 | 131,314,017 | -652,184 |
| Spain | 123,621,191 | 115,028,907 | -8,592,284 |
| Italy | 112,047,449 | 118,162,577 | +6,115,128 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 131,254,443 |
| Germany | 14,639,184 |
| France | 1,807,531 |
| Malaysia | 1,700,633 |
| Netherlands | 1,512,987 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 66,744,731 | 64,509,712 | -2,235,019 |
| Germany | 1,120,677 | 13,518,507 | +12,397,830 |
| France | 906,725 | 900,806 | -5,919 |
| Malaysia | 734,639 | 965,994 | +231,355 |
| Netherlands | 516,141 | 996,846 | +480,705 |
| Taiwan | 820,425 | 298,701 | -521,724 |
| China | 390,916 | 559,145 | +168,229 |
| Italy | 16,953 | 714,137 | +697,184 |
| Ireland | 260,408 | 397,248 | +136,840 |
| United States | 477,760 | 148,592 | -329,168 |
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) | 4,528,953,879 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,270,357,578 |
| Air transport | 2,813,734,046 |
| Other | 176,890,335 |
| Rail transport | 1,668,542 |
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) | 2,166,957,194 | 2,361,996,685 | +195,039,491 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,744,342,540 | 1,526,015,038 | -218,327,502 |
| Air transport | 1,484,097,315 | 1,329,636,731 | -154,460,584 |
| Other | 82,289,969 | 94,600,366 | +12,310,397 |
| Rail transport | 1,295,079 | 373,463 | -921,616 |
| Road transport | 348,941 | 117,811 | -231,130 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,349,196,920 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,302,876,226 |
| London Gateway Port | 963,575,316 |
| Immingham Docks | 934,067,309 |
| Southampton | 661,669,744 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,137,683,701 | 1,211,513,219 | +73,829,518 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 676,738,436 | 626,137,790 | -50,600,646 |
| London Gateway Port | 600,545,162 | 363,030,154 | -237,515,008 |
| Immingham Docks | 471,390,991 | 462,676,318 | -8,714,673 |
| Southampton | 268,645,223 | 393,024,521 | +124,379,298 |
| Middlesbrough | 212,091,862 | 208,355,500 | -3,736,362 |
| London Stansted Airport | 201,504,662 | 179,935,554 | -21,569,108 |
| Felixstowe | 197,021,197 | 172,512,580 | -24,508,617 |
| East Midlands Airport | 163,406,296 | 151,340,328 | -12,065,968 |
| Hull | 148,771,739 | 142,445,049 | -6,326,690 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 3801 – Graphite and carbon-based products
- 3802 – Activated carbon and similar products
- 3803 – Tall oil, refined or not
- 3804 – Waste liquids from making wood pulp
- 3805 – Oils from pine trees and similar plants
- 3806 – Rosin and resin-based products
- 3807 – Wood tar and related products
- 3808 – Insecticides and similar products for retail sale
- 3809 – Finishing agents for textiles and leather
- 3810 – Metal surface cleaning and welding aids
- 3811 – Oil additives for engines and fuels
- 3812 – Prepared rubber accelerators and plasticisers
- 3813 – Fire extinguisher preparations
- 3814 – Organic solvents and thinners for paints and varnishes
- 3815 – Chemical starters and accelerators
- 3816 – Heat-resistant cements and mixes
- 3817 – Mixed alkylbenzenes and alkylnaphthalenes
- 3818 – Doped materials for electronics
- 3819 – Hydraulic brake fluids and transmission liquids
- 3820 – Anti-freeze and de-icing liquids
- 3821 – Prepared culture media for growing cells or microbes
- 3822 – Diagnostic or lab test kits
- 3823 – Industrial fatty acids and alcohols
- 3824 – Prepared binders for foundry moulds or cores
- 3825 – Waste from chemical industries and others
- 3826 – Biodiesel and blends
- 3827 – Mixtures with halogenated methane, ethane, or propane
Quick facts
HS code: 38
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Various chemical products not classified elsewhere, including artificial graphite, carbon pastes, and other related items