🇬🇧 United Kingdom imports of soap: 2024 trade data
The United Kingdom imported $603.8 million of soap in 2024 (222.7 thousand tonnes). It ranks 6th of 225 countries for imports of this product. That is 5% more than in 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable. The peak in this period was 2020, at $762.0 million.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of soap by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $603.8M | 222.7K t |
| 2023 | $577.0M | 221.3K t |
| 2022 | $584.1M | 242.6K t |
| 2021 | $595.1M | 247.7K t |
| 2020 | $762.0M | 325.4K t |
| 2019 | $510.2M | 233.5K t |
| 2018 | $530.4M | 231.4K t |
| 2017 | $515.8M | 231.7K t |
Where the United Kingdom imports soap from
The largest suppliers were Germany (19%), Poland (12%), China (11%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 42%. Among the main suppliers, Spain grew fastest (+130% on the year before).
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $115.0M | 19% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $71.7M | 12% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $66.7M | 11% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $62.6M | 10% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $61.7M | 10% |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | $40.0M | 6.6% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $37.4M | 6.2% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $28.7M | 4.8% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $22.6M | 3.8% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $12.9M | 2.1% |
Types of soap under HS 3401
| 3401.30 | Organic surface-active products and preparations for washing the skin, in the form of liquid or cream and put up for retail sale, whether or not… | 59% |
| 3401.11 | Soap and organic surface-active products: in the form of bars, cakes, moulded shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or… | 22% |
| 3401.19 | Soap and organic surface-active products: in the form of bars, cakes, moulded shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or… | 12% |
| 3401.20 | Soap: in forms n.e.c. in item no. 3401.11 | 6.3% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 3401.
Average import price of soap
The average declared value was about $2.71 per kg, close to the world average of $2.31.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also exports soap
The United Kingdom exported $460.7 million of soap in 2024 (141.4 thousand tonnes). Its share of world exports was 3%. Most of it went to Ireland (18%), Germany (15%), France (11%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 43%. Among the main buyer markets, Belgium grew fastest (+101% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $82.8M | 18% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $67.7M | 15% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $49.0M | 11% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $39.0M | 8.5% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $25.9M | 5.6% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $20.8M | 4.5% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $13.2M | 2.9% |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $10.8M | 2.4% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $10.4M | 2.3% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $9.4M | 2% |
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 3401: Soap; organic surface-active preparations used as soap, skin washing, in bars, cakes, moulded pieces, shapes, liquid or cream, containing soap or not; for retail, paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent.
Soap trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of soap imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported soap worth $603.8 million in 2024 (222.7 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import soap from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Germany (19%), Poland (12%), China (11%).
What is the average import price of soap in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $2.71 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $2.31 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export soap?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported soap worth $460.7 million in 2024, mainly to Ireland, Germany, France.
What is the HS code for soap?
Soap falls under HS heading 3401 (Soap; organic surface-active preparations used as soap, skin washing, in bars, cakes, moulded pieces, shapes, liquid or). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading soap 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.
Soap trade in other countries
More trade data for the United Kingdom
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