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 | 5,791,834 |
| Thailand | 4,240,575 |
| Netherlands | 735,271 |
| United States | 338,962 |
| 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 | 2,014,765 | 3,777,069 | +1,762,304 |
| Thailand | 1,459,748 | 2,780,827 | +1,321,079 |
| Netherlands | 80,475 | 654,796 | +574,321 |
| United States | 280,005 | 58,957 | -221,048 |
| Germany | 108,325 | 76,091 | -32,234 |
| France | 47,238 | 70,386 | +23,148 |
| Estonia | 0 | 47,912 | +47,912 |
| Spain | 20,077 | 0 | -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 | 6,376,556 |
| Thailand | 3,933,021 |
| Brazil | 569,848 |
| United States | 319,441 |
| 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 | 2,422,871 | 3,953,685 | +1,530,814 |
| Thailand | 1,152,194 | 2,780,827 | +1,628,633 |
| Brazil | 0 | 569,848 | +569,848 |
| United States | 278,590 | 40,851 | -237,739 |
| Germany | 155,563 | 2,529 | -153,034 |
| France | 0 | 70,386 | +70,386 |
| Estonia | 0 | 47,912 | +47,912 |
| United Kingdom | 1,415 | 0 | -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 | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| South East Wales | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 1 | 0 | -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) | 9,733,266 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,082,694 |
| Air transport | 660,711 |
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) | 3,175,370 | 6,557,896 | +3,382,526 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 236,038 | 846,656 | +610,618 |
| Air transport | 599,225 | 61,486 | -537,739 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 8,445,086 |
| Immingham Docks | 649,266 |
| Southampton | 447,385 |
| London | 402,684 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 301,704 |
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 | 2,315,921 | 6,129,165 | +3,813,244 |
| Immingham Docks | 32,498 | 616,768 | +584,270 |
| Southampton | 447,385 | 0 | -447,385 |
| London | 0 | 402,684 | +402,684 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 248,541 | 53,163 | -195,378 |
| Thamesport | 260,395 | 0 | -260,395 |
| London Stansted Airport | 204,120 | 3,032 | -201,088 |
| Fishguard | 199,646 | 0 | -199,646 |
| Dover | 73,878 | 96,864 | +22,986 |
| Manchester Airport | 145,149 | 0 | -145,149 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 3 |
| 2026-04 | 3 |
| 2026-03 | 2 |
| 2026-02 | 3 |
| 2026-01 | 1 |
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 | 872,297 |
| 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 | 102,002 | 770,295 | +668,293 |
| 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 | 52,450 | +49,032 |
| 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) | 1,281,935 |
| Air transport | 777,848 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 746,371 |
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 | 482,289 | -317,357 |
| Air transport | 221,761 | 556,087 | +334,326 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 120,330 | 626,041 | +505,711 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,172,328 |
| Southampton | 574,000 |
| East Midlands Airport | 384,781 |
| 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 | 574,000 | +574,000 |
| East Midlands Airport | 166,865 | 217,916 | +51,051 |
| 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 |
| Immingham Docks | 0 | 45,090 | +45,090 |
| London Stansted Airport | 29,739 | 1,101 | -28,638 |
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