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 | 515,008,039 |
| Netherlands | 330,015,214 |
| United States | 305,398,402 |
| Germany | 246,406,524 |
| France | 97,629,789 |
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 | 303,526,356 | 211,481,683 | -92,044,673 |
| Netherlands | 182,355,299 | 147,659,915 | -34,695,384 |
| United States | 164,235,265 | 141,163,137 | -23,072,128 |
| Germany | 143,954,947 | 102,451,577 | -41,503,370 |
| France | 57,724,592 | 39,905,197 | -17,819,395 |
| Saudi Arabia | 39,937,255 | 37,508,708 | -2,428,547 |
| Sweden | 24,364,347 | 22,039,610 | -2,324,737 |
| Italy | 20,735,227 | 15,254,801 | -5,480,426 |
| Ireland | 21,960,928 | 13,570,885 | -8,390,043 |
| Spain | 16,181,015 | 16,215,160 | +34,145 |
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 | 404,463,748 |
| Belgium | 328,863,694 |
| Germany | 253,186,868 |
| Netherlands | 208,927,507 |
| Saudi Arabia | 151,185,664 |
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 | 223,536,279 | 180,927,469 | -42,608,810 |
| Belgium | 183,134,109 | 145,729,585 | -37,404,524 |
| Germany | 141,865,800 | 111,321,068 | -30,544,732 |
| Netherlands | 125,649,543 | 83,277,964 | -42,371,579 |
| Saudi Arabia | 88,006,379 | 63,179,285 | -24,827,094 |
| France | 55,149,832 | 44,633,077 | -10,516,755 |
| Spain | 30,009,259 | 20,913,794 | -9,095,465 |
| Italy | 26,159,429 | 20,507,356 | -5,652,073 |
| Sweden | 24,060,892 | 22,537,677 | -1,523,215 |
| Egypt | 19,835,271 | 10,876,731 | -8,958,540 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 36 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 27 |
| Merseyside | 25 |
| Inner London - West | 21 |
| West Yorkshire | 20 |
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 | 27 | 30 | +3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 18 | 22 | +4 |
| Merseyside | 21 | 20 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 17 | 15 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 16 | 14 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 15 | 17 | +2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 14 | 16 | +2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 11 | 9 | -2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 12 | 14 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 13 | 8 | -5 |
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) | 990,696,597 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 717,884,583 |
| Other | 217,753,281 |
| Road transport | 33,619,295 |
| Air transport | 6,299,089 |
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) | 536,936,268 | 453,760,329 | -83,175,939 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 427,280,691 | 290,603,892 | -136,676,799 |
| Other | 143,038,339 | 74,714,942 | -68,323,397 |
| Road transport | 1,079,285 | 32,540,010 | +31,460,725 |
| Air transport | 3,132,881 | 3,166,208 | +33,327 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 386,259,348 |
| London | 229,966,012 |
| 000 | 217,753,281 |
| Hull | 194,563,742 |
| Middlesbrough | 183,474,669 |
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 | 195,164,235 | 191,095,113 | -4,069,122 |
| London | 127,857,542 | 102,108,470 | -25,749,072 |
| 000 | 143,038,339 | 74,714,942 | -68,323,397 |
| Hull | 129,117,366 | 65,446,376 | -63,670,990 |
| Middlesbrough | 119,625,727 | 63,848,942 | -55,776,785 |
| Dover | 80,744,115 | 60,740,946 | -20,003,169 |
| Felixstowe | 70,689,808 | 52,203,684 | -18,486,124 |
| Liverpool Docks | 48,106,458 | 46,386,192 | -1,720,266 |
| London Gateway Port | 45,624,406 | 28,331,351 | -17,293,055 |
| Southampton | 15,022,724 | 38,194,386 | +23,171,662 |
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 | 112 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 90 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 67 |
| Other manufacturing | 30 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 23 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 138 |
| 2025-11 | 126 |
| 2025-10 | 138 |
| 2025-09 | 136 |
| 2025-08 | 114 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| RAI POLYMERS UK LTD | 114 |
| PLASTRIBUTION LIMITED | 105 |
| LONGFIELD CHEMICALS LIMITED | 102 |
| BECTON, DICKINSON U.K. LIMITED | 96 |
| SAFIC-ALCAN UK LIMITED | 94 |
| BIESTERFELD PETROPLAS LIMITED | 93 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 83 |
| CHANNELPLAST LIMITED | 80 |
| DISTRUPOL LIMITED | 79 |
| ENTEK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 76 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 203 |
| 1m-15m | 118 |
| 15m-54m | 58 |
| Other | 35 |
| 0-1m | 19 |
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 | 232,759,623 |
| Belgium | 224,799,283 |
| Ireland | 50,425,178 |
| Germany | 42,870,869 |
| United States | 38,782,651 |
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 | 113,979,846 | 118,779,777 | +4,799,931 |
| Belgium | 112,759,770 | 112,039,513 | -720,257 |
| Ireland | 26,397,651 | 24,027,527 | -2,370,124 |
| Germany | 24,569,280 | 18,301,589 | -6,267,691 |
| United States | 17,683,709 | 21,098,942 | +3,415,233 |
| France | 17,878,478 | 8,849,394 | -9,029,084 |
| Poland | 13,202,416 | 9,769,903 | -3,432,513 |
| Italy | 10,952,201 | 10,019,702 | -932,499 |
| Czechia | 10,719,023 | 8,494,165 | -2,224,858 |
| Spain | 9,746,103 | 8,363,904 | -1,382,199 |
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 | 26,176,228 |
| South Korea | 1,634,846 |
| XI | 1,074,201 |
| China | 49,968 |
| Ireland | 45,643 |
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 | 13,665,841 | 12,510,387 | -1,155,454 |
| South Korea | 843,749 | 791,097 | -52,652 |
| XI | 488,287 | 585,914 | +97,627 |
| China | 22,930 | 27,038 | +4,108 |
| Ireland | 24,440 | 21,203 | -3,237 |
| Germany | 22,000 | 13,640 | -8,360 |
| Portugal | 14,637 | 0 | -14,637 |
| Netherlands | 5,729 | 948 | -4,781 |
| 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) | 584,814,180 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 204,905,364 |
| Other | 29,294,934 |
| Air transport | 16,273,521 |
| Road transport | 20,996 |
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) | 294,733,194 | 290,080,986 | -4,652,208 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 112,297,045 | 92,608,319 | -19,688,726 |
| Other | 15,235,689 | 14,059,245 | -1,176,444 |
| Air transport | 10,112,698 | 6,160,823 | -3,951,875 |
| Road transport | 5,160 | 15,836 | +10,676 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 283,101,419 |
| Immingham Docks | 150,929,166 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 108,359,947 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 65,280,872 |
| Felixstowe | 33,239,936 |
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 | 131,920,966 | 151,180,453 | +19,259,487 |
| Immingham Docks | 80,036,803 | 70,892,363 | -9,144,440 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 56,141,108 | 52,218,839 | -3,922,269 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 36,930,395 | 28,350,477 | -8,579,918 |
| Felixstowe | 21,037,874 | 12,202,062 | -8,835,812 |
| London Gateway Port | 14,872,836 | 15,364,644 | +491,808 |
| 000 | 15,235,689 | 14,059,245 | -1,176,444 |
| Southampton | 10,392,051 | 14,913,899 | +4,521,848 |
| London | 13,336,730 | 8,116,568 | -5,220,162 |
| Liverpool Docks | 9,063,522 | 5,120,512 | -3,943,010 |
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