Import/export HS code 811231: Raw metals, powders, and scrap
Unprocessed metals, powders, or recyclable materials
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 | 26,040,224 |
| Germany | 17,187,627 |
| Estonia | 10,265,121 |
| France | 6,941,743 |
| Netherlands | 5,748,380 |
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 | 17,840,870 | 8,199,354 | -9,641,516 |
| Germany | 6,051,118 | 11,136,509 | +5,085,391 |
| Estonia | 0 | 10,265,121 | +10,265,121 |
| France | 4,421,718 | 2,520,025 | -1,901,693 |
| Netherlands | 2,859,234 | 2,889,146 | +29,912 |
| United States | 770,016 | 4,224,665 | +3,454,649 |
| Thailand | 969,523 | 979,142 | +9,619 |
| Switzerland | 647,625 | 411,040 | -236,585 |
| Japan | 0 | 14,848 | +14,848 |
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 | 30,815,488 |
| Germany | 12,826,106 |
| Estonia | 10,564,738 |
| France | 6,161,269 |
| United States | 6,055,578 |
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 | 19,443,467 | 11,372,021 | -8,071,446 |
| Germany | 3,507,272 | 9,318,834 | +5,811,562 |
| Estonia | 820,484 | 9,744,254 | +8,923,770 |
| France | 2,769,185 | 3,392,084 | +622,899 |
| United States | 1,830,913 | 4,224,665 | +2,393,752 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2,463,134 | 0 | -2,463,134 |
| Thailand | 969,523 | 979,142 | +9,619 |
| Kazakhstan | 1,647,380 | 0 | -1,647,380 |
| Ethiopia | 0 | 1,182,962 | +1,182,962 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 384,784 | +384,784 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 |
| Essex | 1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| West Yorkshire | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 36,041,893 |
| Air transport | 33,129,648 |
| Other | 3,594,938 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,433,475 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 11,541,225 | 24,500,668 | +12,959,443 |
| Air transport | 19,808,932 | 13,320,716 | -6,488,216 |
| Other | 1,453,415 | 2,141,523 | +688,108 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 756,532 | 676,943 | -79,589 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 18,061,032 |
| Immingham Docks | 16,856,898 |
| Dover | 15,600,657 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 14,198,542 |
| 000 | 3,594,938 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 13,073,695 | 4,987,337 | -8,086,358 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,904,382 | 13,952,516 | +11,048,134 |
| Dover | 5,267,933 | 10,332,724 | +5,064,791 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,931,139 | 8,267,403 | +2,336,264 |
| 000 | 1,453,415 | 2,141,523 | +688,108 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,820,616 | 0 | -1,820,616 |
| London | 1,121,564 | 0 | -1,121,564 |
| Felixstowe | 316,699 | 507,587 | +190,888 |
| East Midlands Airport | 802,413 | 2,795 | -799,618 |
| Southampton | 756,532 | 0 | -756,532 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 5 |
| Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery | 2 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 1 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 1 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 4 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 2 |
| 2025-09 | 5 |
| 2025-08 | 2 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 3 |
| 54m+ | 3 |
| 15m-54m | 2 |
| Other | 1 |
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 States | 13,490,066 |
| Germany | 12,551,751 |
| Australia | 12,382,681 |
| France | 2,434,479 |
| Netherlands | 1,107,081 |
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 States | 7,935,509 | 5,554,557 | -2,380,952 |
| Germany | 6,123,756 | 6,427,995 | +304,239 |
| Australia | 11,232,939 | 1,149,742 | -10,083,197 |
| France | 2,434,479 | 0 | -2,434,479 |
| Netherlands | 669,088 | 437,993 | -231,095 |
| Japan | 1,023,039 | 18,603 | -1,004,436 |
| Taiwan | 693,518 | 0 | -693,518 |
| Ireland | 295,404 | 0 | -295,404 |
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 | 28,182,431 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 13,057,748 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,756,443 |
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 | 21,149,245 | 7,033,186 | -14,116,059 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 7,650,034 | 5,407,714 | -2,242,320 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,608,453 | 1,147,990 | -460,463 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 14,610,705 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 13,419,539 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,292,661 |
| Dover | 2,873,781 |
| Southampton | 2,756,443 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Airport | 13,771,339 | 839,366 | -12,931,973 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 7,262,786 | 6,156,753 | -1,106,033 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,810,896 | 2,481,765 | -2,329,131 |
| Dover | 1,673,177 | 1,200,604 | -472,573 |
| Southampton | 1,608,453 | 1,147,990 | -460,463 |
| Felixstowe | 964,492 | 437,993 | -526,499 |
| Immingham Docks | 201,469 | 1,186,155 | +984,686 |
| East Midlands Airport | 99,999 | 37,067 | -62,932 |
| Harwich | 0 | 101,197 | +101,197 |
| London Stansted Airport | 15,121 | 0 | -15,121 |
Quick facts
HS code: 811231
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Unprocessed metals, powders, or recyclable materials