Import/export HS code 42021291: Plastic or fabric briefcases and school bags
Executive cases, briefcases, and school bags made with outer surfaces of plastic or fabric
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 | 25,624,096 |
| Netherlands | 3,678,914 |
| Italy | 1,706,505 |
| Czechia | 1,396,842 |
| France | 1,218,905 |
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 | 15,700,525 | 9,923,571 | -5,776,954 |
| Netherlands | 1,870,544 | 1,808,370 | -62,174 |
| Italy | 1,173,143 | 533,362 | -639,781 |
| Czechia | 941,497 | 455,345 | -486,152 |
| France | 740,450 | 478,455 | -261,995 |
| Belgium | 371,272 | 644,933 | +273,661 |
| Cambodia | 487,194 | 470,228 | -16,966 |
| Germany | 543,840 | 390,284 | -153,556 |
| United States | 344,625 | 337,303 | -7,322 |
| India | 314,282 | 335,233 | +20,951 |
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 | 32,479,634 |
| Italy | 1,844,841 |
| Indonesia | 1,730,258 |
| Viet Nam | 1,183,384 |
| Cambodia | 1,158,504 |
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 | 19,598,427 | 12,881,207 | -6,717,220 |
| Italy | 1,235,982 | 608,859 | -627,123 |
| Indonesia | 886,915 | 843,343 | -43,572 |
| Viet Nam | 432,362 | 751,022 | +318,660 |
| Cambodia | 557,686 | 600,818 | +43,132 |
| India | 421,521 | 411,229 | -10,292 |
| United States | 207,272 | 119,189 | -88,083 |
| Romania | 97,300 | 91,680 | -5,620 |
| Pakistan | 25,639 | 136,179 | +110,540 |
| Greece | 157,612 | 979 | -156,633 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 54 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 25 |
| Inner London - East | 20 |
| Greater Manchester | 19 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 15 |
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 | 35 | 35 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 19 | 19 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 13 | 10 | -3 |
| Greater Manchester | 13 | 12 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 9 | 12 | +3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 10 | 7 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 10 | 9 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 7 | 3 | -4 |
| West Yorkshire | 8 | 3 | -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) | 19,268,780 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 12,028,321 |
| Air transport | 7,830,799 |
| Other | 2,375,954 |
| Road transport | 63,341 |
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) | 10,740,579 | 8,528,201 | -2,212,378 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 7,942,983 | 4,085,338 | -3,857,645 |
| Air transport | 4,287,650 | 3,543,149 | -744,501 |
| Other | 1,450,688 | 925,266 | -525,422 |
| Road transport | 30,567 | 32,774 | +2,207 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 15,717,451 |
| Southampton | 4,210,810 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,585,440 |
| 000 | 2,375,954 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,996,278 |
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 | 10,194,750 | 5,522,701 | -4,672,049 |
| Southampton | 2,396,098 | 1,814,712 | -581,386 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,556,837 | 1,028,603 | -528,234 |
| 000 | 1,450,688 | 925,266 | -525,422 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,417,776 | 578,502 | -839,274 |
| London Gateway Port | 510,256 | 1,263,178 | +752,922 |
| Harwich | 983,932 | 784,095 | -199,837 |
| Birmingham Airport | 1,088,647 | 570,239 | -518,408 |
| Dover | 858,658 | 782,954 | -75,704 |
| Eurotunnel | 738,511 | 896,941 | +158,430 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 117 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 115 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 14 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 13 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 10 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 34 |
| 2025-11 | 56 |
| 2025-10 | 47 |
| 2025-09 | 40 |
| 2025-08 | 49 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ARGOS LIMITED | 101 |
| GUCCI LIMITED | 73 |
| BEECHFIELD BRANDS LIMITED | 73 |
| BOOHOO.COM UK LIMITED | 71 |
| TJX UK | 70 |
| SIG REALISATIONS LIMITED | 68 |
| BURBERRY LIMITED | 67 |
| LUXURY GOODS OUTLET S.R.L. | 57 |
| PAPERCHASE PRODUCTS LIMITED | 56 |
| DEPARTMENT STORES REALISATIONS LIMITED | 52 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 109 |
| 1m-15m | 107 |
| 0-1m | 36 |
| Other | 35 |
| 15m-54m | 27 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 873,937 |
| Netherlands | 710,696 |
| China | 695,219 |
| Germany | 546,029 |
| Ireland | 461,462 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 549,693 | 324,244 | -225,449 |
| Netherlands | 364,955 | 345,741 | -19,214 |
| China | 406,603 | 288,616 | -117,987 |
| Germany | 310,343 | 235,686 | -74,657 |
| Ireland | 284,338 | 177,124 | -107,214 |
| United States | 279,317 | 167,197 | -112,120 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 289,377 | 68,815 | -220,562 |
| United Arab Emirates | 38,073 | 272,458 | +234,385 |
| Canada | 229,857 | 70,730 | -159,127 |
| Belgium | 57,628 | 204,604 | +146,976 |
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 | 33,579 |
| Spain | 843 |
| Taiwan | 663 |
| India | 217 |
| Indonesia | 83 |
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 | 18,726 | 14,853 | -3,873 |
| Spain | 138 | 705 | +567 |
| Taiwan | 0 | 663 | +663 |
| India | 95 | 122 | +27 |
| Indonesia | 83 | 0 | -83 |
| Ireland | 63 | 0 | -63 |
| Cambodia | 63 | 0 | -63 |
| Denmark | 0 | 30 | +30 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 3,746,770 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,769,760 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 816,812 |
| Other | 49,691 |
| Road transport | 8,460 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 2,135,704 | 1,611,066 | -524,638 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,449,641 | 1,320,119 | -129,522 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 476,931 | 339,881 | -137,050 |
| Other | 32,521 | 17,170 | -15,351 |
| Road transport | 8,460 | 0 | -8,460 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,594,212 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,551,820 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,287,292 |
| Dover | 805,527 |
| ZLC | 435,460 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,001,029 | 593,183 | -407,846 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 818,700 | 733,120 | -85,580 |
| East Midlands Airport | 724,249 | 563,043 | -161,206 |
| Dover | 374,819 | 430,708 | +55,889 |
| ZLC | 270,758 | 164,702 | -106,056 |
| London Gateway Port | 254,910 | 96,386 | -158,524 |
| Southampton | 86,715 | 116,905 | +30,190 |
| Holyhead | 96,644 | 90,571 | -6,073 |
| Birmingham Airport | 1,288 | 169,540 | +168,252 |
| London Stansted Airport | 61,518 | 78,438 | +16,920 |
Quick facts
HS code: 42021291
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Executive cases, briefcases, and school bags made with outer surfaces of plastic or fabric