🇬🇧 United Kingdom imports of precious metal ore: 2024 trade data
Imports of precious metal ore by the United Kingdom reached $536.4 million in 2024 (98 tonnes). That makes it the 6th largest importer of this product worldwide, out of 98 countries. That is 17% less than in 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable. The peak in this period was 2022, at $819.3 million.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of precious metal ore by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $536.4M | 98 t |
| 2023 | $646.2M | 2.1K t |
| 2022 | $819.3M | 390 t |
| 2021 | $544.1M | 223 t |
| 2020 | $401.7M | 260 t |
| 2019 | $277.1M | 518 t |
| 2018 | $234.4M | 863 t |
| 2017 | $399.4M | 305 t |
Where the United Kingdom imports precious metal ore from
One supplier dominates: South Africa accounted for 67% of the value.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | $360.5M | 67% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $81.2M | 15% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $32.0M | 6% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | $26.3M | 4.9% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $19.9M | 3.7% |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | $13.4M | 2.5% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $1.8M | 0.3% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $1.2M | 0.2% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $49K | 0% |
| 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | $15K | 0% |
Types of precious metal ore under HS 2616
| 2616.90 | Precious metal ores and concentrates: (excluding silver) | 100% |
| 2616.10 | Silver ores and concentrates | 0% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 2616.
Average import price of precious metal ore
The average declared value was about $5,467.91 per kg, 137631% above the world average of $3.97. This usually points to higher-grade or processed goods.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also exports precious metal ore
Exports of precious metal ore by the United Kingdom reached $1.9 million in 2024 (124 tonnes). One buyer market dominates: India accounted for 63% of the value.
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇳 India | $1.2M | 63% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $435K | 23% |
| 🇲🇳 Mongolia | $70K | 3.7% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $50K | 2.7% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $30K | 1.6% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $19K | 1% |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | $19K | 1% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $15K | 0.8% |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | $14K | 0.7% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | $13K | 0.7% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Kingdom?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 2616: Precious metal ores and concentrates.
Precious metal ore trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of precious metal ore imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported precious metal ore worth $536.4 million in 2024 (98 tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import precious metal ore from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were South Africa (67%), Germany (15%), Poland (6%).
What is the average import price of precious metal ore in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $5,467.91 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $3.97 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export precious metal ore?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported precious metal ore worth $1.9 million in 2024, mainly to India, China, Mongolia.
What is the HS code for precious metal ore?
Precious metal ore falls under HS heading 2616 (Precious metal ores and concentrates). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading precious metal ore with the United Kingdom?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United Kingdom with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Precious metal ore trade in other countries
More trade data for the United Kingdom
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