Import/export HS code 42021250: Moulded plastic containers
Containers made from moulded plastic, such as cases for tools or sports equipment
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 206,450,474 |
| Belgium | 40,193,449 |
| Netherlands | 19,878,869 |
| France | 11,426,524 |
| Germany | 8,516,375 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 108,353,204 | 98,097,270 | -10,255,934 |
| Belgium | 22,355,585 | 17,837,864 | -4,517,721 |
| Netherlands | 9,296,476 | 10,582,393 | +1,285,917 |
| France | 5,532,717 | 5,893,807 | +361,090 |
| Germany | 4,395,797 | 4,120,578 | -275,219 |
| Italy | 3,486,015 | 3,031,687 | -454,328 |
| Czechia | 2,150,457 | 2,260,749 | +110,292 |
| United States | 1,438,012 | 1,834,207 | +396,195 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 1,536,373 | 457,242 | -1,079,131 |
| India | 1,381,765 | 519,986 | -861,779 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 237,197,938 |
| Germany | 14,421,798 |
| Czechia | 12,297,705 |
| India | 11,094,775 |
| United States | 8,948,251 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 125,509,423 | 111,688,515 | -13,820,908 |
| Germany | 6,695,034 | 7,726,764 | +1,031,730 |
| Czechia | 5,400,014 | 6,897,691 | +1,497,677 |
| India | 7,200,248 | 3,894,527 | -3,305,721 |
| United States | 4,578,816 | 4,369,435 | -209,381 |
| Italy | 3,284,058 | 2,956,307 | -327,751 |
| Belgium | 2,701,591 | 2,704,299 | +2,708 |
| Indonesia | 1,965,567 | 2,749,272 | +783,705 |
| Taiwan | 1,050,667 | 1,022,044 | -28,623 |
| Thailand | 1,332,003 | 606,899 | -725,104 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 55 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 37 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 36 |
| Greater Manchester | 34 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 29 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 42 | 40 | -2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 25 | 22 | -3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 19 | 26 | +7 |
| Greater Manchester | 24 | 25 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 21 | 20 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 15 | 13 | -2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 8 | 16 | +8 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 12 | 14 | +2 |
| Essex | 11 | 14 | +3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 8 | 13 | +5 |
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) | 204,489,425 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 94,832,994 |
| Other | 8,987,189 |
| Air transport | 6,216,775 |
| Road transport | 153,669 |
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) | 104,536,846 | 99,952,579 | -4,584,267 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 53,194,645 | 41,638,349 | -11,556,296 |
| Other | 4,447,311 | 4,539,878 | +92,567 |
| Air transport | 3,050,601 | 3,166,174 | +115,573 |
| Road transport | 13,676 | 139,993 | +126,317 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 84,537,400 |
| Southampton | 66,285,727 |
| London Gateway Port | 39,735,553 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 24,000,283 |
| Dover | 22,657,328 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 57,076,443 | 27,460,957 | -29,615,486 |
| Southampton | 39,536,051 | 26,749,676 | -12,786,375 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,929,050 | 33,806,503 | +27,877,453 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 13,466,424 | 10,533,859 | -2,932,565 |
| Dover | 10,396,798 | 12,260,530 | +1,863,732 |
| London | 7,094,069 | 3,038,154 | -4,055,915 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,562,025 | 6,789,531 | +4,227,506 |
| 000 | 4,447,311 | 4,539,878 | +92,567 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,860,251 | 3,549,574 | -310,677 |
| 499 | 12,802 | 7,349,540 | +7,336,738 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 179 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 162 |
| Other manufacturing | 35 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 28 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 27 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 92 |
| 2026-03 | 109 |
| 2026-02 | 100 |
| 2026-01 | 82 |
| 2025-12 | 83 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TJX UK | 118 |
| FRASERS GROUP TRADING LIMITED | 118 |
| ARGOS LIMITED | 115 |
| PRIMARK STORES LIMITED | 111 |
| MATALAN RETAIL LTD. | 100 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 92 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 92 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 90 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 83 |
| DUNELM (SOFT FURNISHINGS) LTD | 81 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 194 |
| 1m-15m | 193 |
| 0-1m | 69 |
| 15m-54m | 61 |
| Other | 45 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 3,672,306 |
| France | 3,180,543 |
| Ireland | 2,815,053 |
| United States | 2,339,407 |
| Spain | 1,664,895 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1,935,417 | 1,736,889 | -198,528 |
| France | 1,124,910 | 2,055,633 | +930,723 |
| Ireland | 1,743,622 | 1,071,431 | -672,191 |
| United States | 1,026,385 | 1,313,022 | +286,637 |
| Spain | 662,417 | 1,002,478 | +340,061 |
| Poland | 1,062,181 | 487,148 | -575,033 |
| Netherlands | 581,666 | 627,219 | +45,553 |
| Belgium | 636,490 | 543,627 | -92,863 |
| Iceland | 509,301 | 625,890 | +116,589 |
| Sweden | 353,809 | 538,442 | +184,633 |
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 | 46,311 |
| Ireland | 8,517 |
| XI | 5,651 |
| Israel | 4,560 |
| United States | 4,076 |
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 | 18,659 | 27,652 | +8,993 |
| Ireland | 1,245 | 7,272 | +6,027 |
| XI | 740 | 4,911 | +4,171 |
| Israel | 1,494 | 3,066 | +1,572 |
| United States | 326 | 3,750 | +3,424 |
| Germany | 1,233 | 0 | -1,233 |
| Spain | 145 | 154 | +9 |
| Japan | 0 | 202 | +202 |
| Switzerland | 24 | 53 | +29 |
| Romania | 0 | 28 | +28 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 17,192,083 |
| Air transport | 6,267,077 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,562,981 |
| Other | 131,338 |
| Road transport | 8,363 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 8,535,141 | 8,656,942 | +121,801 |
| Air transport | 2,974,107 | 3,292,970 | +318,863 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,217,303 | 1,345,678 | +128,375 |
| Other | 62,603 | 68,735 | +6,132 |
| Road transport | 0 | 8,363 | +8,363 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 11,210,296 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,655,857 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,078,124 |
| Holyhead | 1,879,588 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,789,279 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 5,290,208 | 5,920,088 | +629,880 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,101,446 | 1,554,411 | +452,965 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,232,814 | 845,310 | -387,504 |
| Holyhead | 1,283,325 | 596,263 | -687,062 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,036,023 | 753,256 | -282,767 |
| Liverpool Docks | 427,347 | 637,655 | +210,308 |
| Dover | 390,939 | 588,269 | +197,330 |
| ZLC | 328,016 | 526,413 | +198,397 |
| Middlesbrough | 322,887 | 445,887 | +123,000 |
| London Gateway Port | 329,239 | 161,802 | -167,437 |
Quick facts
HS code: 42021250
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Containers made from moulded plastic, such as cases for tools or sports equipment