Import/export HS code 42021990: Containers made from other materials
Containers made from materials not covered in other codes, such as paperboard or vulcanised fibre
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 | 26,069,106 |
| Denmark | 1,058,353 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 792,818 |
| United States | 725,842 |
| France | 651,592 |
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 | 14,815,839 | 11,253,267 | -3,562,572 |
| Denmark | 1,043,077 | 15,276 | -1,027,801 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 446,342 | 346,476 | -99,866 |
| United States | 442,608 | 283,234 | -159,374 |
| France | 527,421 | 124,171 | -403,250 |
| Italy | 354,725 | 280,110 | -74,615 |
| Germany | 300,678 | 317,116 | +16,438 |
| Netherlands | 252,359 | 340,872 | +88,513 |
| India | 255,920 | 284,619 | +28,699 |
| Poland | 146,174 | 185,892 | +39,718 |
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 | 29,371,603 |
| Italy | 655,191 |
| India | 568,409 |
| France | 510,330 |
| United States | 391,604 |
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 | 17,098,315 | 12,273,288 | -4,825,027 |
| Italy | 416,133 | 239,058 | -177,075 |
| India | 271,206 | 297,203 | +25,997 |
| France | 448,837 | 61,493 | -387,344 |
| United States | 208,925 | 182,679 | -26,246 |
| Poland | 196,412 | 187,879 | -8,533 |
| Germany | 183,918 | 175,008 | -8,910 |
| Viet Nam | 102,691 | 188,108 | +85,417 |
| Pakistan | 157,217 | 103,224 | -53,993 |
| Belgium | 123,759 | 55,205 | -68,554 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 60 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 29 |
| Greater Manchester | 26 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 23 |
| Inner London - East | 23 |
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 | 43 | 32 | -11 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 24 | 14 | -10 |
| Greater Manchester | 18 | 16 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 18 | 9 | -9 |
| Inner London - East | 18 | 11 | -7 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 14 | 14 | +0 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 11 | 11 | +0 |
| West Midlands | 13 | 6 | -7 |
| West Yorkshire | 11 | 9 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 11 | 8 | -3 |
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) | 22,246,588 |
| Air transport | 7,480,494 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,892,661 |
| Other | 1,708,277 |
| Road transport | 132,513 |
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) | 12,452,731 | 9,793,857 | -2,658,874 |
| Air transport | 4,034,912 | 3,445,582 | -589,330 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,061,515 | 831,146 | -1,230,369 |
| Other | 1,453,690 | 254,587 | -1,199,103 |
| Road transport | 118,369 | 14,144 | -104,225 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 10,237,219 |
| Southampton | 6,984,143 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,328,920 |
| Birmingham Airport | 2,694,424 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,050,354 |
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 | 6,720,873 | 3,516,346 | -3,204,527 |
| Southampton | 4,006,167 | 2,977,976 | -1,028,191 |
| London Gateway Port | 691,125 | 2,637,795 | +1,946,670 |
| Birmingham Airport | 1,294,574 | 1,399,850 | +105,276 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,333,169 | 717,185 | -615,984 |
| 000 | 1,453,690 | 254,587 | -1,199,103 |
| London Stansted Airport | 399,394 | 626,000 | +226,606 |
| East Midlands Airport | 553,438 | 227,253 | -326,185 |
| Eurotunnel | 424,913 | 244,637 | -180,276 |
| Dover | 390,463 | 241,971 | -148,492 |
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 | 144 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 136 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 27 |
| Other manufacturing | 22 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 14 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 41 |
| 2026-03 | 34 |
| 2026-02 | 41 |
| 2026-01 | 33 |
| 2025-12 | 30 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TRIPP LIMITED | 111 |
| USB INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 96 |
| SYSTEMSLINK TWO LTD. | 82 |
| DOMU BRANDS LIMITED | 76 |
| ARGOS LIMITED | 63 |
| BLUEPRINT COLLECTIONS LIMITED | 56 |
| WHITMAN LABORATORIES LIMITED | 56 |
| TJX UK | 53 |
| AL REALISATIONS LIMITED | 52 |
| TECHGEAR SOLUTIONS DIRECT LIMITED | 51 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 141 |
| 54m+ | 127 |
| 0-1m | 51 |
| 15m-54m | 43 |
| Other | 40 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 940,571 |
| United States | 875,271 |
| Germany | 504,746 |
| United Arab Emirates | 468,884 |
| France | 374,128 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 565,414 | 375,157 | -190,257 |
| United States | 595,636 | 279,635 | -316,001 |
| Germany | 218,918 | 285,828 | +66,910 |
| United Arab Emirates | 220,978 | 247,906 | +26,928 |
| France | 194,226 | 179,902 | -14,324 |
| Belgium | 153,485 | 203,643 | +50,158 |
| Norway | 302,726 | 49,779 | -252,947 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 153,945 | 196,222 | +42,277 |
| Poland | 38,239 | 307,923 | +269,684 |
| Ireland | 257,337 | 87,880 | -169,457 |
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 | 26,606 |
| Pakistan | 1,983 |
| Germany | 496 |
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 | 25,975 | 631 | -25,344 |
| Pakistan | 1,855 | 128 | -1,727 |
| Germany | 0 | 496 | +496 |
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 | 3,274,350 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 3,045,678 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,640,293 |
| Other | 39,173 |
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 | 1,969,487 | 1,304,863 | -664,624 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,605,019 | 1,440,659 | -164,360 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 856,272 | 784,021 | -72,251 |
| Other | 37,061 | 2,112 | -34,949 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,400,850 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,600,038 |
| East Midlands Airport | 760,783 |
| Immingham Docks | 483,304 |
| Southampton | 482,764 |
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 | 1,121,807 | 1,279,043 | +157,236 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 834,159 | 765,879 | -68,280 |
| East Midlands Airport | 533,487 | 227,296 | -306,191 |
| Immingham Docks | 402,631 | 80,673 | -321,958 |
| Southampton | 324,971 | 157,793 | -167,178 |
| London Gateway Port | 120,618 | 327,422 | +206,804 |
| ZLC | 351,371 | 91,704 | -259,667 |
| London Stansted Airport | 196,394 | 187,892 | -8,502 |
| Felixstowe | 116,885 | 104,078 | -12,807 |
| Holyhead | 129,731 | 72,270 | -57,461 |
Quick facts
HS code: 42021990
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Containers made from materials not covered in other codes, such as paperboard or vulcanised fibre