Import/export HS code 3901: Ethylene polymers in raw form
Basic forms of ethylene-based plastics, used to make various plastic 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 547,851,878 |
| Netherlands | 362,176,150 |
| United States | 339,817,810 |
| Germany | 261,250,714 |
| France | 100,574,713 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 294,803,641 | 253,048,237 | -41,755,404 |
| Netherlands | 177,668,952 | 184,507,198 | +6,838,246 |
| United States | 165,172,701 | 174,645,109 | +9,472,408 |
| Germany | 138,905,932 | 122,344,782 | -16,561,150 |
| France | 53,716,430 | 46,858,283 | -6,858,147 |
| Saudi Arabia | 41,090,461 | 42,404,736 | +1,314,275 |
| Sweden | 25,370,222 | 29,182,819 | +3,812,597 |
| Ireland | 22,972,190 | 17,748,874 | -5,223,316 |
| Italy | 19,927,469 | 18,020,239 | -1,907,230 |
| Spain | 18,115,468 | 18,533,315 | +417,847 |
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 | 453,039,359 |
| Belgium | 351,896,129 |
| Germany | 270,600,050 |
| Netherlands | 221,245,567 |
| Saudi Arabia | 156,994,498 |
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 | 223,750,664 | 229,288,695 | +5,538,031 |
| Belgium | 178,650,835 | 173,245,294 | -5,405,541 |
| Germany | 136,369,173 | 134,230,877 | -2,138,296 |
| Netherlands | 119,508,132 | 101,737,435 | -17,770,697 |
| Saudi Arabia | 86,867,647 | 70,126,851 | -16,740,796 |
| France | 51,941,746 | 57,649,076 | +5,707,330 |
| Sweden | 25,346,666 | 29,441,371 | +4,094,705 |
| Spain | 29,403,361 | 23,772,005 | -5,631,356 |
| Italy | 25,465,886 | 24,264,795 | -1,201,091 |
| Israel | 18,886,697 | 14,912,648 | -3,974,049 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 39 |
| Merseyside | 30 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 28 |
| Inner London - West | 23 |
| West Yorkshire | 21 |
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 | 26 | 34 | +8 |
| Merseyside | 21 | 25 | +4 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 19 | 23 | +4 |
| Inner London - West | 16 | 18 | +2 |
| West Yorkshire | 16 | 18 | +2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 15 | 16 | +1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 16 | 17 | +1 |
| Lancashire | 11 | 10 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 12 | 10 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 10 | 9 | -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) | 1,093,527,021 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 755,137,018 |
| Other | 215,234,497 |
| Road transport | 57,517,833 |
| Air transport | 6,811,380 |
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) | 534,987,037 | 558,539,984 | +23,552,947 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 403,068,249 | 352,068,769 | -50,999,480 |
| Other | 146,613,166 | 68,621,331 | -77,991,835 |
| Road transport | 1,127,539 | 56,390,294 | +55,262,755 |
| Air transport | 3,226,576 | 3,584,804 | +358,228 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 435,972,094 |
| London | 257,002,427 |
| 000 | 215,234,497 |
| Hull | 196,853,443 |
| Middlesbrough | 190,897,554 |
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 | 192,307,195 | 243,664,899 | +51,357,704 |
| London | 126,521,072 | 130,481,355 | +3,960,283 |
| 000 | 146,613,166 | 68,621,331 | -77,991,835 |
| Hull | 127,125,966 | 69,727,477 | -57,398,489 |
| Middlesbrough | 111,279,883 | 79,617,671 | -31,662,212 |
| Dover | 78,149,653 | 67,673,534 | -10,476,119 |
| Felixstowe | 68,800,377 | 60,978,743 | -7,821,634 |
| Liverpool Docks | 46,193,140 | 62,521,455 | +16,328,315 |
| London Gateway Port | 44,359,848 | 33,854,388 | -10,505,460 |
| Southampton | 17,241,301 | 52,274,046 | +35,032,745 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 124 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 95 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 69 |
| Other manufacturing | 35 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 28 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 132 |
| 2026-03 | 139 |
| 2026-02 | 129 |
| 2026-01 | 138 |
| 2025-12 | 116 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| RAI POLYMERS UK LTD | 118 |
| PLASTRIBUTION LIMITED | 109 |
| LONGFIELD CHEMICALS LIMITED | 106 |
| BECTON, DICKINSON U.K. LIMITED | 99 |
| SAFIC-ALCAN UK LIMITED | 97 |
| BIESTERFELD PETROPLAS LIMITED | 97 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 86 |
| DISTRUPOL LIMITED | 83 |
| CHANNELPLAST LIMITED | 83 |
| ENTEK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 80 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 220 |
| 1m-15m | 131 |
| 15m-54m | 66 |
| Other | 40 |
| 0-1m | 18 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 252,270,627 |
| Belgium | 237,596,431 |
| Ireland | 54,662,268 |
| Germany | 47,172,463 |
| United States | 43,253,961 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 121,917,376 | 130,353,251 | +8,435,875 |
| Belgium | 123,650,692 | 113,945,739 | -9,704,953 |
| Ireland | 26,315,236 | 28,347,032 | +2,031,796 |
| Germany | 27,601,344 | 19,571,119 | -8,030,225 |
| United States | 19,980,846 | 23,273,115 | +3,292,269 |
| France | 18,567,704 | 8,046,585 | -10,521,119 |
| Poland | 14,297,500 | 10,858,004 | -3,439,496 |
| Italy | 13,772,613 | 8,194,502 | -5,578,111 |
| Czechia | 10,332,802 | 11,160,334 | +827,532 |
| Spain | 9,673,007 | 9,882,401 | +209,394 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 28,711,660 |
| South Korea | 1,847,994 |
| XI | 1,127,750 |
| China | 61,790 |
| Ireland | 46,300 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 13,619,185 | 15,092,475 | +1,473,290 |
| South Korea | 863,308 | 984,686 | +121,378 |
| XI | 466,836 | 660,914 | +194,078 |
| China | 26,278 | 35,512 | +9,234 |
| Ireland | 23,972 | 22,328 | -1,644 |
| Germany | 19,349 | 19,876 | +527 |
| Portugal | 14,637 | 0 | -14,637 |
| Netherlands | 5,729 | 2,122 | -3,607 |
| Italy | 0 | 1,915 | +1,915 |
| XL | 664 | 515 | -149 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 625,573,440 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 225,248,077 |
| Other | 32,131,607 |
| Air transport | 16,901,580 |
| Road transport | 18,762 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 325,631,068 | 299,942,372 | -25,688,696 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 118,187,446 | 107,060,631 | -11,126,815 |
| Other | 15,127,550 | 17,004,057 | +1,876,507 |
| Air transport | 10,345,836 | 6,555,744 | -3,790,092 |
| Road transport | 18,762 | 0 | -18,762 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 299,631,756 |
| Immingham Docks | 164,796,745 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 117,231,237 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 72,410,511 |
| Felixstowe | 34,013,956 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 150,485,008 | 149,146,748 | -1,338,260 |
| Immingham Docks | 88,605,096 | 76,191,649 | -12,413,447 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 57,874,284 | 59,356,953 | +1,482,669 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 42,062,761 | 30,347,750 | -11,715,011 |
| Felixstowe | 20,258,967 | 13,754,989 | -6,503,978 |
| Southampton | 12,119,188 | 20,994,776 | +8,875,588 |
| London Gateway Port | 15,788,875 | 16,641,695 | +852,820 |
| 000 | 15,127,550 | 17,004,057 | +1,876,507 |
| London | 13,369,710 | 9,197,583 | -4,172,127 |
| Liverpool Docks | 9,300,710 | 4,875,032 | -4,425,678 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3901
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Basic forms of ethylene-based plastics, used to make various plastic products