Import/export HS code 490191: Dictionaries and encyclopaedias
Includes dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and their serial instalments
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 908,493 |
| United States | 439,447 |
| Belgium | 405,133 |
| Estonia | 297,236 |
| Japan | 273,280 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 859,094 | 49,399 | -809,695 |
| United States | 290,077 | 149,370 | -140,707 |
| Belgium | 303,692 | 101,441 | -202,251 |
| Estonia | 297,236 | 0 | -297,236 |
| Japan | 248,590 | 24,690 | -223,900 |
| Netherlands | 130,204 | 42,022 | -88,182 |
| India | 111,491 | 40,346 | -71,145 |
| Italy | 97,518 | 25,995 | -71,523 |
| France | 71,537 | 25,880 | -45,657 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 35,100 | 9,310 | -25,790 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 960,254 |
| United States | 435,751 |
| United Kingdom | 413,427 |
| Estonia | 297,236 |
| Japan | 273,991 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 909,449 | 50,805 | -858,644 |
| United States | 293,386 | 142,365 | -151,021 |
| United Kingdom | 361,238 | 52,189 | -309,049 |
| Estonia | 297,236 | 0 | -297,236 |
| Japan | 248,590 | 25,401 | -223,189 |
| Belgium | 60,067 | 101,441 | +41,374 |
| India | 111,491 | 40,346 | -71,145 |
| Italy | 103,438 | 39,190 | -64,248 |
| France | 62,066 | 10,680 | -51,386 |
| Turkey | 39,252 | 0 | -39,252 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 8 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Essex | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Outer London - South | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 0 | 1 | +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) | 1,279,567 |
| Air transport | 944,229 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 837,437 |
| Other | 38,317 |
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) | 1,137,674 | 141,893 | -995,781 |
| Air transport | 635,530 | 308,699 | -326,831 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 769,233 | 68,204 | -701,029 |
| Other | 11,271 | 27,046 | +15,775 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 925,122 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 406,604 |
| Eurotunnel | 397,072 |
| Dover | 312,481 |
| East Midlands Airport | 205,042 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 902,427 | 22,695 | -879,732 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 319,051 | 87,553 | -231,498 |
| Eurotunnel | 361,157 | 35,915 | -325,242 |
| Dover | 302,234 | 10,247 | -291,987 |
| East Midlands Airport | 98,768 | 106,274 | +7,506 |
| London Stansted Airport | 117,003 | 80,825 | -36,178 |
| Felixstowe | 123,534 | 60,644 | -62,890 |
| Immingham Docks | 78,671 | 0 | -78,671 |
| Leeds Bradford Airport | 74,013 | 0 | -74,013 |
| London | 49,258 | 16,132 | -33,126 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 10 |
| Publishing activities | 9 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 8 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 3 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 3 |
| 2025-10 | 3 |
| 2025-09 | 3 |
| 2025-08 | 6 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| THE BOOK DEPOSITORY LIMITED | 48 |
| IMPRINT DIGITAL LIMITED | 42 |
| KOMATSU UK LIMITED | 41 |
| MONEYSAVERS LONDON LTD | 30 |
| BRISTOL LABORATORIES LIMITED | 28 |
| PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED | 25 |
| AMAZON EU S.A R.L. | 13 |
| GARDNERS BOOKS LIMITED | 13 |
| BLACKWELL UK LIMITED | 13 |
| W. & G. FOYLE LIMITED | 11 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 13 |
| 54m+ | 12 |
| 15m-54m | 5 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 22,767,026 |
| China | 15,406,367 |
| India | 7,489,654 |
| Singapore | 6,454,414 |
| United States | 5,323,397 |
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 Arab Emirates | 2,920,652 | 19,846,374 | +16,925,722 |
| China | 5,616,540 | 9,789,827 | +4,173,287 |
| India | 3,604,032 | 3,885,622 | +281,590 |
| Singapore | 2,151,194 | 4,303,220 | +2,152,026 |
| United States | 2,814,112 | 2,509,285 | -304,827 |
| Qatar | 1,344,048 | 2,135,160 | +791,112 |
| Pakistan | 801,718 | 2,394,640 | +1,592,922 |
| Israel | 1,495,762 | 1,335,519 | -160,243 |
| Jordan | 1,434,471 | 1,360,165 | -74,306 |
| Indonesia | 170,214 | 2,460,185 | +2,289,971 |
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) | 48,839,259 |
| Air transport | 46,612,621 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,348,349 |
| Road transport | 10,738 |
| Other | 279 |
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) | 22,221,430 | 26,617,829 | +4,396,399 |
| Air transport | 9,289,035 | 37,323,586 | +28,034,551 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,437,077 | 911,272 | -525,805 |
| Road transport | 10,738 | 0 | -10,738 |
| Other | 123 | 156 | +33 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 45,074,261 |
| London Gateway Port | 26,490,590 |
| Southampton | 16,147,367 |
| Felixstowe | 3,942,609 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,392,641 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 8,715,674 | 36,358,587 | +27,642,913 |
| London Gateway Port | 12,925,806 | 13,564,784 | +638,978 |
| Southampton | 6,711,477 | 9,435,890 | +2,724,413 |
| Felixstowe | 1,902,905 | 2,039,704 | +136,799 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 765,896 | 626,745 | -139,151 |
| London | 341,746 | 740,420 | +398,674 |
| Liverpool Docks | 184,420 | 785,849 | +601,429 |
| Holyhead | 438,612 | 221,323 | -217,289 |
| East Midlands Airport | 318,231 | 219,532 | -98,699 |
| London Gatwick Airport | 61,430 | 447,196 | +385,766 |
Quick facts
HS code: 490191
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and their serial instalments