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 | 5,568,845 |
| Netherlands | 1,876,222 |
| China | 752,907 |
| Germany | 444,605 |
| 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 | 2,797,238 | 2,771,607 | -25,631 |
| Netherlands | 1,509,255 | 366,967 | -1,142,288 |
| China | 351,144 | 401,763 | +50,619 |
| Germany | 410,724 | 33,881 | -376,843 |
| France | 270,726 | 4,417 | -266,309 |
| Canada | 65,746 | 0 | -65,746 |
| 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 | 5,542,862 |
| Brazil | 1,881,919 |
| China | 791,943 |
| Germany | 432,652 |
| 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 | 2,857,288 | 2,685,574 | -171,714 |
| Brazil | 1,514,952 | 366,967 | -1,147,985 |
| China | 351,144 | 440,799 | +89,655 |
| Germany | 410,724 | 21,928 | -388,796 |
| 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 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 2 |
| Essex | 2 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 2 |
| Inner London - East | 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 | 3 | +0 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Essex | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 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) | 5,490,151 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,302,733 |
| Air transport | 1,241,721 |
| 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) | 2,823,848 | 2,666,303 | -157,545 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,922,885 | 379,848 | -1,543,037 |
| Air transport | 667,007 | 574,714 | -92,293 |
| 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 | 667,496 |
| East Midlands Airport | 243,871 |
| London Stansted Airport | 201,223 |
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 | 2,675,956 | 2,537,631 | -138,325 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,631,965 | 379,848 | -1,252,117 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 225,361 | 442,135 | +216,774 |
| East Midlands Airport | 217,344 | 26,527 | -190,817 |
| London Stansted Airport | 122,614 | 78,609 | -44,005 |
| Tyne | 157,539 | 0 | -157,539 |
| Felixstowe | 147,892 | 0 | -147,892 |
| Hull | 127,684 | 0 | -127,684 |
| 499 | 0 | 86,953 | +86,953 |
| Belfast Port | 65,746 | 0 | -65,746 |
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 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 2 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 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 | 8 |
| 15m-54m | 4 |
| 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 |
| Switzerland | 365,904 |
| United States | 339,706 |
| Germany | 175,516 |
| France | 110,641 |
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 | 171,155 | 359,207 | +188,052 |
| Switzerland | 63,939 | 301,965 | +238,026 |
| United States | 190,231 | 149,475 | -40,756 |
| Germany | 88,934 | 86,582 | -2,352 |
| France | 64,221 | 46,420 | -17,801 |
| Ireland | 62,483 | 21,523 | -40,960 |
| Japan | 33,310 | 36,811 | +3,501 |
| South Africa | 0 | 63,200 | +63,200 |
| Canada | 2,598 | 40,724 | +38,126 |
| China | 15,832 | 10,947 | -4,885 |
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 | 819 |
| 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 | 591 | 228 | -363 |
| 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 | 1,616,376 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 138,278 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 116,386 |
| Other | 4,006 |
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 | 718,191 | 898,185 | +179,994 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,598 | 135,680 | +133,082 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,008 | 115,378 | +114,370 |
| Other | 2,483 | 1,523 | -960 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 831,690 |
| East Midlands Airport | 522,544 |
| London Stansted Airport | 184,317 |
| 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 | 392,505 | 439,185 | +46,680 |
| East Midlands Airport | 181,056 | 341,488 | +160,432 |
| London Stansted Airport | 120,068 | 64,249 | -55,819 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,008 | 113,819 | +112,811 |
| Southampton | 0 | 96,576 | +96,576 |
| ZLC | 19,174 | 53,263 | +34,089 |
| Liverpool Docks | 0 | 39,104 | +39,104 |
| Aberdeen Airport | 5,388 | 0 | -5,388 |
| 000 | 2,483 | 1,523 | -960 |
| 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