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 | 944,178 |
| United States | 556,364 |
| Estonia | 297,236 |
| Japan | 273,682 |
| Belgium | 232,772 |
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 | 758,168 | 186,010 | -572,158 |
| United States | 263,134 | 293,230 | +30,096 |
| Estonia | 297,236 | 0 | -297,236 |
| Japan | 263,998 | 9,684 | -254,314 |
| Belgium | 84,056 | 148,716 | +64,660 |
| Netherlands | 145,451 | 33,097 | -112,354 |
| Italy | 103,105 | 67,071 | -36,034 |
| India | 82,936 | 37,068 | -45,868 |
| France | 54,855 | 40,382 | -14,473 |
| Ireland | 14,457 | 40,160 | +25,703 |
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 | 1,012,231 |
| United States | 487,905 |
| Estonia | 297,236 |
| Japan | 274,393 |
| United Kingdom | 231,135 |
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 | 808,523 | 203,708 | -604,815 |
| United States | 255,053 | 232,852 | -22,201 |
| Estonia | 297,236 | 0 | -297,236 |
| Japan | 263,998 | 10,395 | -253,603 |
| United Kingdom | 172,891 | 58,244 | -114,647 |
| Belgium | 56,903 | 151,807 | +94,904 |
| Italy | 103,893 | 84,064 | -19,829 |
| India | 82,936 | 37,068 | -45,868 |
| France | 42,975 | 22,793 | -20,182 |
| Turkey | 34,900 | 0 | -34,900 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 9 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 3 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 |
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 | 6 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 1 | -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 | 1 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Outer London - South | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 1 | 1 | +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) | 1,274,200 |
| Air transport | 1,142,523 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 672,121 |
| Other | 48,022 |
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) | 974,654 | 299,546 | -675,108 |
| Air transport | 644,404 | 498,119 | -146,285 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 556,087 | 116,034 | -440,053 |
| Other | 11,039 | 36,983 | +25,944 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 828,102 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 520,028 |
| Dover | 315,229 |
| East Midlands Airport | 261,200 |
| Eurotunnel | 232,614 |
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 | 805,407 | 22,695 | -782,712 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 324,241 | 195,787 | -128,454 |
| Dover | 303,142 | 12,087 | -291,055 |
| East Midlands Airport | 93,856 | 167,344 | +73,488 |
| Eurotunnel | 156,682 | 75,932 | -80,750 |
| London Stansted Airport | 121,755 | 96,706 | -25,049 |
| London Gateway Port | 13,730 | 135,797 | +122,067 |
| Felixstowe | 56,385 | 75,396 | +19,011 |
| Leeds Bradford Airport | 74,013 | 9,109 | -64,904 |
| Immingham Docks | 77,671 | 0 | -77,671 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 2 |
| 2026-03 | 6 |
| 2026-02 | 3 |
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-12 | 3 |
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 |
| KOMATSU UK LIMITED | 45 |
| IMPRINT DIGITAL LIMITED | 42 |
| MONEYSAVERS LONDON LTD | 30 |
| BRISTOL LABORATORIES LIMITED | 28 |
| PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED | 27 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 13 |
| 1m-15m | 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 | 28,211,215 |
| China | 17,078,524 |
| India | 9,488,766 |
| Singapore | 7,654,200 |
| United States | 5,841,504 |
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 | 4,396,588 | 23,814,627 | +19,418,039 |
| China | 5,541,089 | 11,537,435 | +5,996,346 |
| India | 3,681,749 | 5,807,017 | +2,125,268 |
| Singapore | 2,934,948 | 4,719,252 | +1,784,304 |
| United States | 3,126,204 | 2,715,300 | -410,904 |
| Pakistan | 1,014,619 | 2,725,231 | +1,710,612 |
| Indonesia | 662,494 | 2,938,398 | +2,275,904 |
| Qatar | 1,378,896 | 2,058,826 | +679,930 |
| Israel | 1,394,883 | 1,975,341 | +580,458 |
| Jordan | 906,264 | 1,784,903 | +878,639 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 57,720,100 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 51,853,992 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,515,474 |
| 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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 13,536,385 | 44,183,715 | +30,647,330 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 20,285,156 | 31,568,836 | +11,283,680 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,402,456 | 1,113,018 | -289,438 |
| 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 | 55,589,533 |
| London Gateway Port | 28,460,115 |
| Southampton | 17,008,823 |
| Felixstowe | 3,868,608 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,628,543 |
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 | 13,016,152 | 42,573,381 | +29,557,229 |
| London Gateway Port | 10,811,882 | 17,648,233 | +6,836,351 |
| Southampton | 6,844,534 | 10,164,289 | +3,319,755 |
| Felixstowe | 1,834,346 | 2,034,262 | +199,916 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 818,850 | 809,693 | -9,157 |
| London | 423,498 | 829,911 | +406,413 |
| Liverpool Docks | 246,830 | 835,308 | +588,478 |
| London Gatwick Airport | 61,430 | 916,008 | +854,578 |
| East Midlands Airport | 291,729 | 357,895 | +66,166 |
| Holyhead | 374,704 | 233,143 | -141,561 |
Quick facts
HS code: 490191
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and their serial instalments