Import/export HS code 81129240: Niobium (columbium)
A rare metal used in alloys and industrial applications
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 | 5,360,574 |
| Thailand | 4,240,575 |
| Netherlands | 564,735 |
| United States | 465,296 |
| Germany | 184,416 |
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 | 1,643,827 | 3,716,747 | +2,072,920 |
| Thailand | 994,246 | 3,246,329 | +2,252,083 |
| Netherlands | 199,216 | 365,519 | +166,303 |
| United States | 145,458 | 319,838 | +174,380 |
| Germany | 108,325 | 76,091 | -32,234 |
| France | 47,238 | 70,386 | +23,148 |
| Estonia | 0 | 47,912 | +47,912 |
| Spain | 0 | 20,077 | +20,077 |
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 | 6,211,734 |
| Thailand | 3,933,021 |
| United States | 319,441 |
| Brazil | 259,208 |
| Germany | 158,092 |
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 | 2,289,709 | 3,922,025 | +1,632,316 |
| Thailand | 686,692 | 3,246,329 | +2,559,637 |
| United States | 6,346 | 313,095 | +306,749 |
| Brazil | 0 | 259,208 | +259,208 |
| Germany | 155,563 | 2,529 | -153,034 |
| France | 0 | 70,386 | +70,386 |
| Estonia | 0 | 47,912 | +47,912 |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 1,415 | +1,415 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 2 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 |
| Essex | 1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 |
| Kent | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Kent | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| South East Wales | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| West Midlands | 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) | 9,441,118 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 912,158 |
| Air transport | 647,933 |
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) | 2,457,965 | 6,983,153 | +4,525,188 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 354,779 | 557,379 | +202,600 |
| Air transport | 325,566 | 322,367 | -3,199 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 8,162,030 |
| Immingham Docks | 469,638 |
| Southampton | 447,385 |
| London | 402,684 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 288,926 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 1,619,100 | 6,542,930 | +4,923,830 |
| Immingham Docks | 150,732 | 318,906 | +168,174 |
| Southampton | 447,385 | 0 | -447,385 |
| London | 0 | 402,684 | +402,684 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 218,669 | 70,257 | -148,412 |
| Thamesport | 240,318 | 20,077 | -220,241 |
| London Stansted Airport | 0 | 207,152 | +207,152 |
| Fishguard | 199,646 | 0 | -199,646 |
| Dover | 73,878 | 96,864 | +22,986 |
| Manchester Airport | 106,897 | 38,252 | -68,645 |
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 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 2 |
| Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery | 2 |
| Manufacture of electrical equipment | 1 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 3 |
| 2026-03 | 2 |
| 2026-02 | 3 |
| 2026-01 | 1 |
| 2025-11 | 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 |
|---|---|
| 15m-54m | 3 |
| 1m-15m | 3 |
| 54m+ | 3 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 986,569 |
| United States | 734,986 |
| France | 349,836 |
| India | 154,585 |
| Germany | 135,427 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 717,908 | 268,661 | -449,247 |
| United States | 122,263 | 612,723 | +490,460 |
| France | 135,732 | 214,104 | +78,372 |
| India | 73,924 | 80,661 | +6,737 |
| Germany | 26,382 | 109,045 | +82,663 |
| Spain | 82,371 | 25,418 | -56,953 |
| Japan | 0 | 104,490 | +104,490 |
| Sweden | 3,418 | 45,186 | +41,768 |
| Australia | 0 | 39,293 | +39,293 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,274,671 |
| Air transport | 805,195 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 581,713 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 799,646 | 475,025 | -324,621 |
| Air transport | 242,022 | 563,173 | +321,151 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 120,330 | 461,383 | +341,053 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,172,328 |
| Southampton | 409,342 |
| East Midlands Airport | 389,215 |
| Manchester Airport | 278,503 |
| Felixstowe | 98,447 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 749,891 | 422,437 | -327,454 |
| Southampton | 0 | 409,342 | +409,342 |
| East Midlands Airport | 164,213 | 225,002 | +60,789 |
| Manchester Airport | 0 | 278,503 | +278,503 |
| Felixstowe | 46,406 | 52,041 | +5,635 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 22,080 | 58,567 | +36,487 |
| London Gateway Port | 73,924 | 0 | -73,924 |
| Dover | 49,755 | 14,762 | -34,993 |
| London Stansted Airport | 52,652 | 1,101 | -51,551 |
| Immingham Docks | 0 | 37,826 | +37,826 |
Quick facts
HS code: 81129240
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A rare metal used in alloys and industrial applications