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 | 189,405,051 |
| Belgium | 39,037,038 |
| Netherlands | 17,929,464 |
| France | 10,082,090 |
| Germany | 7,718,173 |
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 | 104,775,555 | 84,629,496 | -20,146,059 |
| Belgium | 22,819,303 | 16,217,735 | -6,601,568 |
| Netherlands | 9,231,411 | 8,698,053 | -533,358 |
| France | 5,434,527 | 4,647,563 | -786,964 |
| Germany | 3,975,840 | 3,742,333 | -233,507 |
| Italy | 3,643,035 | 2,528,639 | -1,114,396 |
| Czechia | 2,079,388 | 1,660,813 | -418,575 |
| United States | 1,309,123 | 1,733,530 | +424,407 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 1,960,607 | 422,820 | -1,537,787 |
| India | 1,043,652 | 942,465 | -101,187 |
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 | 219,006,977 |
| Germany | 12,754,232 |
| India | 11,541,885 |
| Czechia | 10,140,247 |
| United States | 8,541,092 |
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 | 122,168,457 | 96,838,520 | -25,329,937 |
| Germany | 6,358,109 | 6,396,123 | +38,014 |
| India | 7,237,644 | 4,304,241 | -2,933,403 |
| Czechia | 5,081,262 | 5,058,985 | -22,277 |
| United States | 4,667,019 | 3,874,073 | -792,946 |
| Italy | 3,457,767 | 2,338,396 | -1,119,371 |
| Belgium | 2,736,087 | 2,381,003 | -355,084 |
| Indonesia | 1,903,203 | 2,185,836 | +282,633 |
| Thailand | 1,398,770 | 679,471 | -719,299 |
| Taiwan | 1,081,998 | 834,622 | -247,376 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 50 |
| Greater Manchester | 34 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 34 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 31 |
| 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 | 37 | 36 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 22 | 23 | +1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 23 | 21 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 19 | 20 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 20 | 23 | +3 |
| West Midlands | 13 | 12 | -1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 11 | 15 | +4 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 11 | 15 | +4 |
| Essex | 11 | 13 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 12 | 11 | -1 |
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) | 186,481,655 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 89,768,573 |
| Other | 9,257,093 |
| Air transport | 5,188,649 |
| Road transport | 117,599 |
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) | 103,570,021 | 82,911,634 | -20,658,387 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 52,024,268 | 37,744,305 | -14,279,963 |
| Other | 3,092,036 | 6,165,057 | +3,073,021 |
| Air transport | 3,003,600 | 2,185,049 | -818,551 |
| Road transport | 9,092 | 108,507 | +99,415 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 85,706,596 |
| Southampton | 61,971,601 |
| London Gateway Port | 29,325,982 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 23,102,658 |
| Dover | 19,504,700 |
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 | 57,205,470 | 28,501,126 | -28,704,344 |
| Southampton | 39,994,551 | 21,977,050 | -18,017,501 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,727,479 | 25,598,503 | +21,871,024 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 12,808,274 | 10,294,384 | -2,513,890 |
| Dover | 10,292,036 | 9,212,664 | -1,079,372 |
| London | 8,098,959 | 2,802,710 | -5,296,249 |
| 000 | 3,092,036 | 6,165,057 | +3,073,021 |
| Middlesbrough | 5,831,707 | 2,497,383 | -3,334,324 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,578,336 | 5,135,231 | +2,556,895 |
| Killingholme | 4,765,996 | 2,221,360 | -2,544,636 |
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 | 168 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 151 |
| Other manufacturing | 35 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 28 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 25 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 82 |
| 2025-11 | 122 |
| 2025-10 | 92 |
| 2025-09 | 82 |
| 2025-08 | 91 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| FRASERS GROUP TRADING LIMITED | 115 |
| TJX UK | 114 |
| ARGOS LIMITED | 111 |
| PRIMARK STORES LIMITED | 107 |
| MATALAN RETAIL LTD. | 96 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 89 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 89 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 87 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 79 |
| DUNELM (SOFT FURNISHINGS) LTD | 77 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 185 |
| 1m-15m | 183 |
| 0-1m | 63 |
| 15m-54m | 55 |
| 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 | 3,211,388 |
| Ireland | 2,759,128 |
| France | 2,295,091 |
| United States | 2,198,471 |
| Poland | 1,755,758 |
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 | 1,964,714 | 1,246,674 | -718,040 |
| Ireland | 1,688,592 | 1,070,536 | -618,056 |
| France | 1,269,709 | 1,025,382 | -244,327 |
| United States | 1,050,661 | 1,147,810 | +97,149 |
| Poland | 851,183 | 904,575 | +53,392 |
| Netherlands | 626,916 | 537,167 | -89,749 |
| Belgium | 634,474 | 523,129 | -111,345 |
| Spain | 612,506 | 452,120 | -160,386 |
| Iceland | 407,117 | 593,499 | +186,382 |
| Czechia | 357,465 | 385,487 | +28,022 |
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 | 35,796 |
| Ireland | 7,926 |
| XI | 5,128 |
| Israel | 3,506 |
| United States | 1,499 |
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 | 17,325 | 18,471 | +1,146 |
| Ireland | 1,245 | 6,681 | +5,436 |
| XI | 606 | 4,522 | +3,916 |
| Israel | 1,380 | 2,126 | +746 |
| United States | 326 | 1,173 | +847 |
| Germany | 1,233 | 0 | -1,233 |
| Spain | 184 | 121 | -63 |
| Switzerland | 24 | 0 | -24 |
| Taiwan | 21 | 0 | -21 |
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) | 15,025,943 |
| Air transport | 5,678,883 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,658,569 |
| Other | 120,213 |
| Road transport | 7,554 |
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) | 8,303,047 | 6,722,896 | -1,580,151 |
| Air transport | 3,081,562 | 2,597,321 | -484,241 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,279,991 | 1,378,578 | +98,587 |
| Other | 63,671 | 56,542 | -7,129 |
| Road transport | 4,557 | 2,997 | -1,560 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 9,407,538 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,252,231 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,056,218 |
| Holyhead | 1,946,766 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,764,601 |
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 | 5,269,109 | 4,138,429 | -1,130,680 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,167,469 | 1,084,762 | -82,707 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,272,281 | 783,937 | -488,344 |
| Holyhead | 1,245,916 | 700,850 | -545,066 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,008,437 | 756,164 | -252,273 |
| Liverpool Docks | 378,171 | 623,735 | +245,564 |
| Dover | 353,867 | 502,582 | +148,715 |
| ZLC | 320,597 | 426,360 | +105,763 |
| Middlesbrough | 285,297 | 396,165 | +110,868 |
| London Gateway Port | 351,754 | 156,123 | -195,631 |
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