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 | 523,476,652 |
| Netherlands | 351,735,742 |
| United States | 335,074,357 |
| Germany | 248,019,959 |
| France | 94,390,744 |
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 | 283,108,759 | 240,367,893 | -42,740,866 |
| Netherlands | 174,917,891 | 176,817,851 | +1,899,960 |
| United States | 164,899,836 | 170,174,521 | +5,274,685 |
| Germany | 132,427,471 | 115,592,488 | -16,834,983 |
| France | 51,953,590 | 42,437,154 | -9,516,436 |
| Saudi Arabia | 40,302,280 | 37,166,379 | -3,135,901 |
| Sweden | 26,407,753 | 27,723,316 | +1,315,563 |
| Ireland | 23,065,500 | 17,468,742 | -5,596,758 |
| Italy | 19,702,296 | 16,745,283 | -2,957,013 |
| Spain | 19,422,005 | 16,860,697 | -2,561,308 |
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 | 446,464,480 |
| Belgium | 340,320,170 |
| Germany | 258,201,221 |
| Netherlands | 209,098,053 |
| Saudi Arabia | 143,799,373 |
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 | 221,310,075 | 225,154,405 | +3,844,330 |
| Belgium | 176,169,732 | 164,150,438 | -12,019,294 |
| Germany | 132,557,347 | 125,643,874 | -6,913,473 |
| Netherlands | 114,131,961 | 94,966,092 | -19,165,869 |
| Saudi Arabia | 81,948,123 | 61,851,250 | -20,096,873 |
| France | 50,805,560 | 56,305,592 | +5,500,032 |
| Sweden | 26,656,548 | 27,878,880 | +1,222,332 |
| Spain | 28,008,944 | 21,764,504 | -6,244,440 |
| Italy | 25,861,575 | 22,703,894 | -3,157,681 |
| Israel | 18,579,542 | 14,413,670 | -4,165,872 |
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 | 26 |
| Inner London - West | 24 |
| 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 | 25 | 33 | +8 |
| Merseyside | 23 | 24 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 18 | 21 | +3 |
| Inner London - West | 15 | 19 | +4 |
| West Yorkshire | 16 | 16 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 17 | 15 | -2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 16 | 15 | -1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 11 | 9 | -2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 13 | 13 | +0 |
| Lancashire | 9 | 9 | +0 |
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) | 1,080,252,547 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 708,157,742 |
| Other | 196,424,747 |
| Road transport | 63,049,194 |
| Air transport | 6,652,647 |
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) | 538,983,367 | 541,269,180 | +2,285,813 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 381,520,898 | 326,636,844 | -54,884,054 |
| Other | 144,429,496 | 51,995,251 | -92,434,245 |
| Road transport | 995,734 | 62,053,460 | +61,057,726 |
| Air transport | 3,514,885 | 3,137,762 | -377,123 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 433,695,893 |
| London | 249,844,762 |
| 000 | 196,424,747 |
| Hull | 182,380,156 |
| Middlesbrough | 181,172,134 |
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 | 197,854,339 | 235,841,554 | +37,987,215 |
| London | 127,556,539 | 122,288,223 | -5,268,316 |
| 000 | 144,429,496 | 51,995,251 | -92,434,245 |
| Hull | 117,396,780 | 64,983,376 | -52,413,404 |
| Middlesbrough | 103,071,833 | 78,100,301 | -24,971,532 |
| Dover | 74,112,712 | 61,062,132 | -13,050,580 |
| Felixstowe | 67,264,241 | 56,412,950 | -10,851,291 |
| Liverpool Docks | 48,222,874 | 60,591,623 | +12,368,749 |
| Southampton | 20,649,445 | 55,604,104 | +34,954,659 |
| London Gateway Port | 44,572,583 | 31,386,129 | -13,186,454 |
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
|
123 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
91 |
|
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
|
71 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
34 |
|
Office administrative, office support and other business support activities
|
27 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 116 |
| 2026-04 | 132 |
| 2026-03 | 139 |
| 2026-02 | 128 |
| 2026-01 | 138 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| RAI POLYMERS UK LTD | 119 |
| PLASTRIBUTION LIMITED | 110 |
| LONGFIELD CHEMICALS LIMITED | 107 |
| BECTON, DICKINSON U.K. LIMITED | 100 |
| SAFIC-ALCAN UK LIMITED | 98 |
| BIESTERFELD PETROPLAS LIMITED | 98 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 86 |
| DISTRUPOL LIMITED | 84 |
| CHANNELPLAST LIMITED | 84 |
| ENTEK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 81 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 216 |
| 1m-15m | 130 |
| 15m-54m | 65 |
| Other | 36 |
| 0-1m | 16 |
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 | 245,119,263 |
| Belgium | 223,767,212 |
| Ireland | 52,644,772 |
| Germany | 45,610,371 |
| United States | 43,321,045 |
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 | 124,758,259 | 120,361,004 | -4,397,255 |
| Belgium | 126,413,543 | 97,353,669 | -29,059,874 |
| Ireland | 26,552,433 | 26,092,339 | -460,094 |
| Germany | 27,947,800 | 17,662,571 | -10,285,229 |
| United States | 22,846,850 | 20,474,195 | -2,372,655 |
| France | 18,298,169 | 7,179,897 | -11,118,272 |
| Poland | 14,130,263 | 10,116,789 | -4,013,474 |
| Czechia | 10,443,540 | 11,028,735 | +585,195 |
| Italy | 15,668,795 | 5,637,662 | -10,031,133 |
| Spain | 9,811,884 | 9,108,432 | -703,452 |
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 | 27,445,856 |
| South Korea | 1,828,472 |
| XI | 1,159,130 |
| China | 60,692 |
| Ireland | 49,600 |
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 | 13,373,637 | 14,072,219 | +698,582 |
| South Korea | 927,862 | 900,610 | -27,252 |
| XI | 549,317 | 609,813 | +60,496 |
| China | 23,032 | 37,660 | +14,628 |
| Ireland | 23,366 | 26,234 | +2,868 |
| Germany | 16,802 | 20,287 | +3,485 |
| Portugal | 14,637 | 0 | -14,637 |
| Netherlands | 6,063 | 1,788 | -4,275 |
| Italy | 1,365 | 550 | -815 |
| XL | 515 | 322 | -193 |
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) | 598,361,063 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 219,431,210 |
| Other | 30,872,011 |
| Air transport | 16,388,852 |
| Road transport | 15,836 |
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) | 336,634,331 | 261,726,732 | -74,907,599 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 119,349,089 | 100,082,121 | -19,266,968 |
| Other | 15,060,039 | 15,811,972 | +751,933 |
| Air transport | 9,815,433 | 6,573,419 | -3,242,014 |
| Road transport | 15,836 | 0 | -15,836 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 283,720,799 |
| Immingham Docks | 160,228,261 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 115,114,822 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 69,967,945 |
| Southampton | 32,621,995 |
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 | 162,070,753 | 121,650,046 | -40,420,707 |
| Immingham Docks | 91,642,259 | 68,586,002 | -23,056,257 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 60,599,540 | 54,515,282 | -6,084,258 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 37,079,239 | 32,888,706 | -4,190,533 |
| Southampton | 13,847,788 | 18,774,207 | +4,926,419 |
| London Gateway Port | 17,033,524 | 14,867,002 | -2,166,522 |
| Felixstowe | 19,242,318 | 11,739,100 | -7,503,218 |
| 000 | 15,060,039 | 15,811,972 | +751,933 |
| London | 12,273,771 | 8,296,451 | -3,977,320 |
| Liverpool Docks | 9,225,475 | 4,699,157 | -4,526,318 |
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