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 | 207,288,342 |
| Belgium | 38,929,451 |
| Netherlands | 20,121,649 |
| France | 11,753,546 |
| Germany | 8,555,479 |
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 | 108,964,221 | 98,324,121 | -10,640,100 |
| Belgium | 21,376,295 | 17,553,156 | -3,823,139 |
| Netherlands | 9,456,914 | 10,664,735 | +1,207,821 |
| France | 5,393,041 | 6,360,505 | +967,464 |
| Germany | 4,500,379 | 4,055,100 | -445,279 |
| Italy | 3,432,983 | 3,052,765 | -380,218 |
| Czechia | 2,025,304 | 2,406,223 | +380,919 |
| United States | 1,694,825 | 1,708,858 | +14,033 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 1,480,490 | 443,822 | -1,036,668 |
| India | 1,385,609 | 432,313 | -953,296 |
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 | 237,854,948 |
| Germany | 14,419,723 |
| Czechia | 12,612,303 |
| India | 10,392,182 |
| United States | 8,934,739 |
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 | 125,566,037 | 112,288,911 | -13,277,126 |
| Germany | 6,930,849 | 7,488,874 | +558,025 |
| Czechia | 5,145,804 | 7,466,499 | +2,320,695 |
| India | 6,655,615 | 3,736,567 | -2,919,048 |
| United States | 4,795,392 | 4,139,347 | -656,045 |
| Italy | 3,179,277 | 3,059,422 | -119,855 |
| Belgium | 2,723,439 | 2,671,188 | -52,251 |
| Indonesia | 2,045,015 | 2,708,096 | +663,081 |
| Taiwan | 1,047,939 | 973,457 | -74,482 |
| Thailand | 1,365,857 | 549,248 | -816,609 |
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 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 36 |
| Greater Manchester | 35 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 34 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 28 |
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 | 41 | 39 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 18 | 26 | +8 |
| Greater Manchester | 24 | 26 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 22 | 22 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 20 | 20 | +0 |
| West Midlands | 16 | 13 | -3 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 8 | 16 | +8 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 11 | 15 | +4 |
| Essex | 13 | 11 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 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) | 206,093,968 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 93,628,310 |
| Other | 8,695,590 |
| Air transport | 6,272,661 |
| Road transport | 150,851 |
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) | 104,108,045 | 101,985,923 | -2,122,122 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 52,312,332 | 41,315,978 | -10,996,354 |
| Other | 5,621,376 | 3,074,214 | -2,547,162 |
| Air transport | 3,062,214 | 3,210,447 | +148,233 |
| Road transport | 12,211 | 138,640 | +126,429 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 82,053,195 |
| Southampton | 66,158,172 |
| London Gateway Port | 42,342,314 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 23,738,852 |
| Dover | 22,690,759 |
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 | 54,723,769 | 27,329,426 | -27,394,343 |
| Southampton | 38,284,476 | 27,873,696 | -10,410,780 |
| London Gateway Port | 9,004,780 | 33,337,534 | +24,332,754 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 13,582,634 | 10,156,218 | -3,426,416 |
| Dover | 10,006,754 | 12,684,005 | +2,677,251 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,621,946 | 7,280,914 | +4,658,968 |
| London | 5,904,153 | 3,248,564 | -2,655,589 |
| 000 | 5,621,376 | 3,074,214 | -2,547,162 |
| 499 | 13,859 | 8,675,001 | +8,661,142 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,850,290 | 3,539,451 | -310,839 |
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
|
176 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
165 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
34 |
|
Office administrative, office support and other business support activities
|
28 |
|
Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products
|
27 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 103 |
| 2026-04 | 92 |
| 2026-03 | 109 |
| 2026-02 | 100 |
| 2026-01 | 82 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TJX UK | 119 |
| FRASERS GROUP TRADING LIMITED | 118 |
| ARGOS LIMITED | 116 |
| PRIMARK STORES LIMITED | 112 |
| MATALAN RETAIL LTD. | 101 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 93 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 93 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 91 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 84 |
| DUNELM (SOFT FURNISHINGS) LTD | 82 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 200 |
| 1m-15m | 189 |
| 0-1m | 67 |
| 15m-54m | 63 |
| Other | 43 |
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 | 3,919,478 |
| France | 3,183,138 |
| Ireland | 2,651,253 |
| United States | 2,280,383 |
| Spain | 1,669,137 |
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 | 1,892,946 | 2,026,532 | +133,586 |
| France | 1,094,526 | 2,088,612 | +994,086 |
| Ireland | 1,645,857 | 1,005,396 | -640,461 |
| United States | 956,694 | 1,323,689 | +366,995 |
| Spain | 670,992 | 998,145 | +327,153 |
| Poland | 1,174,607 | 319,610 | -854,997 |
| Iceland | 550,807 | 704,156 | +153,349 |
| Netherlands | 595,835 | 609,898 | +14,063 |
| Belgium | 616,631 | 518,151 | -98,480 |
| Sweden | 374,932 | 564,449 | +189,517 |
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 | 50,209 |
| Ireland | 8,517 |
| XI | 5,957 |
| Israel | 4,918 |
| United States | 4,312 |
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 | 21,321 | 28,888 | +7,567 |
| Ireland | 1,245 | 7,272 | +6,027 |
| XI | 1,115 | 4,842 | +3,727 |
| Israel | 1,942 | 2,976 | +1,034 |
| United States | 326 | 3,986 | +3,660 |
| Germany | 1,233 | 0 | -1,233 |
| Spain | 104 | 218 | +114 |
| 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) | 17,391,590 |
| Air transport | 6,325,227 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,528,509 |
| Other | 131,026 |
| 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) | 8,600,193 | 8,791,397 | +191,204 |
| Air transport | 2,975,210 | 3,350,017 | +374,807 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,291,945 | 1,236,564 | -55,381 |
| Other | 64,806 | 66,220 | +1,414 |
| Road transport | 2,997 | 5,366 | +2,369 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 11,472,032 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,733,905 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,039,875 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,843,672 |
| Holyhead | 1,698,330 |
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 | 5,381,108 | 6,090,924 | +709,816 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,069,107 | 1,664,798 | +595,691 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,200,444 | 839,431 | -361,013 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,042,083 | 801,589 | -240,494 |
| Holyhead | 1,186,518 | 511,812 | -674,706 |
| Liverpool Docks | 455,288 | 607,419 | +152,131 |
| Dover | 445,030 | 568,065 | +123,035 |
| ZLC | 375,271 | 494,443 | +119,172 |
| Middlesbrough | 330,425 | 459,427 | +129,002 |
| London Gateway Port | 277,846 | 159,650 | -118,196 |
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