Import/export HS code 81129950: 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 5,559,355 |
| Netherlands | 1,876,222 |
| China | 684,142 |
| Germany | 321,357 |
| France | 275,143 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 5,330,131 | 229,224 | -5,100,907 |
| Netherlands | 1,824,953 | 51,269 | -1,773,684 |
| China | 408,877 | 275,265 | -133,612 |
| Germany | 283,040 | 38,317 | -244,723 |
| France | 270,726 | 4,417 | -266,309 |
| Canada | 57,063 | 0 | -57,063 |
| South Africa | 0 | 26,104 | +26,104 |
| Ireland | 662 | 14,960 | +14,298 |
| Brazil | 5,697 | 0 | -5,697 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2,087 | 0 | -2,087 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 5,524,689 |
| Brazil | 1,881,919 |
| China | 723,178 |
| Germany | 309,404 |
| France | 270,726 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 5,380,519 | 144,170 | -5,236,349 |
| Brazil | 1,830,650 | 51,269 | -1,779,381 |
| China | 408,877 | 314,301 | -94,576 |
| Germany | 284,019 | 25,385 | -258,634 |
| France | 270,726 | 0 | -270,726 |
| Japan | 0 | 86,953 | +86,953 |
| Ireland | 0 | 14,960 | +14,960 |
| United Kingdom | 2,264 | 1,371 | -893 |
| Canada | 3,432 | 0 | -3,432 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2,087 | 0 | -2,087 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 |
| Essex | 2 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 2 |
| Inner London - East | 2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Essex | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 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) | 5,478,210 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,175,049 |
| Air transport | 1,171,160 |
| Other | 662 |
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) | 5,349,538 | 128,672 | -5,220,866 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,110,899 | 64,150 | -2,046,749 |
| Air transport | 723,260 | 447,900 | -275,360 |
| Other | 662 | 0 | -662 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Gateway Port | 5,213,587 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,011,813 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 667,067 |
| East Midlands Airport | 237,362 |
| London Stansted Airport | 162,400 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Gateway Port | 5,213,587 | 0 | -5,213,587 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,947,663 | 64,150 | -1,883,513 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 350,767 | 316,300 | -34,467 |
| East Midlands Airport | 211,814 | 25,548 | -186,266 |
| London Stansted Airport | 83,791 | 78,609 | -5,182 |
| Tyne | 157,539 | 0 | -157,539 |
| Felixstowe | 135,951 | 0 | -135,951 |
| 499 | 0 | 86,953 | +86,953 |
| Belfast Port | 57,063 | 0 | -57,063 |
| Thamesport | 0 | 40,052 | +40,052 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
|
Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
|
4 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
4 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
3 |
|
Manufacture of basic metals
|
2 |
|
Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products
|
2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-03 | 6 |
| 2026-01 | 4 |
| 2025-12 | 2 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-08 | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 9 |
| 1m-15m | 7 |
| 15m-54m | 3 |
| Other | 2 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Brazil | 530,362 |
| United States | 333,023 |
| Switzerland | 301,965 |
| Germany | 155,041 |
| France | 102,439 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 297,549 | 232,813 | -64,736 |
| United States | 184,502 | 148,521 | -35,981 |
| Switzerland | 205,231 | 96,734 | -108,497 |
| Germany | 75,951 | 79,090 | +3,139 |
| France | 65,886 | 36,553 | -29,333 |
| Ireland | 62,490 | 21,576 | -40,914 |
| South Africa | 12,800 | 50,400 | +37,600 |
| Japan | 19,689 | 39,041 | +19,352 |
| Canada | 2,598 | 40,724 | +38,126 |
| China | 15,832 | 19,835 | +4,003 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 2,844 |
| Taiwan | 879 |
| United States | 223 |
Export origin countries 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 export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,549 | 1,295 | -254 |
| Taiwan | 598 | 281 | -317 |
| United States | 223 | 0 | -223 |
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 | 1,514,120 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 138,278 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 116,386 |
| Other | 4,066 |
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 | 954,805 | 559,315 | -395,490 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,598 | 135,680 | +133,082 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 19,738 | 96,648 | +76,910 |
| Other | 2,490 | 1,576 | -914 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 772,899 |
| East Midlands Airport | 484,373 |
| London Stansted Airport | 181,046 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 114,827 |
| Southampton | 96,576 |
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 | 482,940 | 289,959 | -192,981 |
| East Midlands Airport | 336,579 | 147,794 | -188,785 |
| London Stansted Airport | 112,398 | 68,648 | -43,750 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 19,738 | 95,089 | +75,351 |
| Southampton | 0 | 96,576 | +96,576 |
| ZLC | 17,500 | 52,914 | +35,414 |
| Liverpool Docks | 0 | 39,104 | +39,104 |
| Aberdeen Airport | 5,388 | 0 | -5,388 |
| 000 | 2,490 | 1,576 | -914 |
| Belfast Port | 2,598 | 0 | -2,598 |
Quick facts
HS code: 81129950
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A rare metal used in alloys and industrial applications