UK and Belgium
What moves each way, the scams to watch for, and what to check before you trade.
Trade safely with Belgium
The scams, documents and rules that matter on this corridor. Written and reviewed by our team, and dated.
Corridor-specific scam patterns and rules are still being reviewed by our team and will appear here once published.
- Confirm the company exists in an official register and that its name matches the one on the invoice.
- Before paying into a new or changed bank account, phone the company on a number you already hold, not one from the invoice or email.
- Test the container number, ship number, ports and dates on the bill of lading with the Document checker.
- Be wary of paying in advance for goods you have not seen, or of fees demanded to release a shipment.
- Ask the carrier directly to confirm the shipment exists and where it is.
In 2025, the UK sold Belgium about $19.6 billion of goods. The biggest products were petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons, medicaments and motor cars and other motor vehicles, which together make up 32% of the total. The total has fallen by about 17% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, colloidal precious metals is growing fastest, at about 90% a year.
In 2025, the UK bought about $17.2 billion of goods from Belgium. The biggest products were petroleum oils and oils from bituminous…, vegetables preparations n.e.c. and motor cars and other motor vehicles, which together make up 21% of the total. The total has fallen by about 5.7% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, chocolate and other food preparations is growing fastest, at about 22% a year.
Trade by year
Total trade each year, as reported in the tables below. A missing bar means no report for that year, not zero trade.
View as a table
| Year | UK sells to Belgium | UK buys from Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $34.8bn | $20.5bn |
| 2023 | $20.7bn | $18.3bn |
| 2024 | $21.1bn | $18.2bn |
| 2025 | $19.6bn | $17.2bn |
What UK sells to Belgium
Ranked by value in 2025, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons Product code 2711 · Fuels and oils | $2.4bn | 12.0% | -45.9% a year |
| Medicaments ((not goods of heading no. 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therape… Product code 3004 · Pharmaceuticals | $2.1bn | 10.7% | -13.3% a year |
| Motor cars and other motor vehicles (principally designed for the transport of persons (other than those of he… Product code 8703 · Vehicles | $1.7bn | 8.9% | +6.6% a year |
Biggest product groups: Fuels and oils (20%), Pharmaceuticals (12%), Vehicles (12%), Machinery (10%), Optical and medical instruments (4%) .
What UK buys from Belgium
Ranked by value in 2025, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crude (preparations not listed elsewhere, containing by… Product code 2710 · Fuels and oils | $1.7bn | 10.1% | -16.1% a year |
| Vegetables preparations not listed elsewhere (prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar or acetic acid,… Product code 2004 · Fruit and vegetable preparations | $961.0m | 5.6% | +21.3% a year |
| Motor cars and other motor vehicles (principally designed for the transport of persons (other than those of he… Product code 8703 · Vehicles | $958.3m HMRC (shipped from) $6.3bn | 5.6% | +2.3% a year |
Biggest product groups: Fuels and oils (14%), Vehicles (10%), Plastics (7%), Fruit and vegetable preparations (6%), Pharmaceuticals (5%) .
Where the opportunities are
Products that are moving on this corridor. Only products of a meaningful size are listed. Treat these as leads to check, not promises: a fast rise can reverse.
Room to grow
Products that a market buys a lot of, where this corridor supplies only a small part. Shares are for the latest year both sides reported. A small share can also mean a hard market, so check the rules and the buyer first.
A free account shows the complete product lists, every fast-growing and new product, and the markets where this corridor supplies little. Accounts are checked by hand, so use your business email.
Create a free account Sign inHow to read these figures
Value is what was traded in the year, in US dollars. A big number means a big market, not necessarily an easy one to enter.
Share is that product's part of the total in the table above. A product with a large share is what this corridor already trades most of.
Growth is the average yearly change since the first year shown. A green figure means trade in that product is rising.
Product code is the international customs code (HS) for the product group. Your customs agent and the guide below will ask for it, and it decides the duty you pay.
These are totals reported by customs authorities, not prices or orders. Use them to see where demand exists, then check the rules and the company you plan to deal with.
Next steps
Some figures come from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) overseas trade statistics, with pounds converted to US dollars at the Bank of England's monthly average rate. The rest are what each country reported to the UN (Comtrade), in US dollars. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Imports are usually reported including freight and insurance, exports without, so the two sides of a corridor will not match exactly. Company counts are companies listed on ExporterIQ.