Import/export HS code 481960: Office storage items
Paper-based office supplies like box files, letter trays, and storage boxes
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 | 11,149,265 |
| Ireland | 5,672,985 |
| Turkey | 4,885,232 |
| Germany | 3,307,809 |
| United States | 2,742,142 |
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 | 5,734,623 | 5,414,642 | -319,981 |
| Ireland | 2,784,338 | 2,888,647 | +104,309 |
| Turkey | 2,508,615 | 2,376,617 | -131,998 |
| Germany | 1,542,565 | 1,765,244 | +222,679 |
| United States | 268,310 | 2,473,832 | +2,205,522 |
| Netherlands | 1,377,718 | 816,699 | -561,019 |
| France | 465,704 | 1,605,193 | +1,139,489 |
| Lithuania | 1,055,304 | 857,785 | -197,519 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 355,304 | 389,030 | +33,726 |
| Poland | 303,914 | 276,198 | -27,716 |
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 | 12,992,613 |
| Turkey | 4,891,266 |
| Germany | 3,157,567 |
| United States | 2,818,037 |
| Ireland | 2,257,953 |
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 | 6,479,624 | 6,512,989 | +33,365 |
| Turkey | 2,510,520 | 2,380,746 | -129,774 |
| Germany | 1,577,974 | 1,579,593 | +1,619 |
| United States | 268,335 | 2,549,702 | +2,281,367 |
| Ireland | 1,023,686 | 1,234,267 | +210,581 |
| Lithuania | 1,141,729 | 1,070,034 | -71,695 |
| Italy | 181,192 | 1,553,552 | +1,372,360 |
| Netherlands | 740,886 | 528,407 | -212,479 |
| Poland | 742,918 | 401,843 | -341,075 |
| France | 508,566 | 273,985 | -234,581 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 97 |
| Greater Manchester | 74 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 44 |
| Inner London - East | 41 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 37 |
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 | 54 | 57 | +3 |
| Greater Manchester | 53 | 35 | -18 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 27 | 27 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 36 | 21 | -15 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 22 | 25 | +3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 25 | 16 | -9 |
| West Yorkshire | 18 | 15 | -3 |
| Kent | 11 | 13 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 14 | 8 | -6 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 10 | 15 | +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) | 14,901,780 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 12,885,624 |
| Air transport | 6,681,696 |
| Other | 3,981,832 |
| Road transport | 615,509 |
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) | 6,607,668 | 8,294,112 | +1,686,444 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 6,241,226 | 6,644,398 | +403,172 |
| Air transport | 2,746,333 | 3,935,363 | +1,189,030 |
| Other | 2,462,520 | 1,519,312 | -943,208 |
| Road transport | 400,900 | 214,609 | -186,291 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 7,195,557 |
| Dover | 4,103,099 |
| 000 | 3,981,832 |
| Southampton | 3,507,539 |
| ZLC | 3,258,981 |
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 | 3,933,694 | 3,261,863 | -671,831 |
| Dover | 2,240,935 | 1,862,164 | -378,771 |
| 000 | 2,462,520 | 1,519,312 | -943,208 |
| Southampton | 1,158,413 | 2,349,126 | +1,190,713 |
| ZLC | 1,636,313 | 1,622,668 | -13,645 |
| Eurotunnel | 530,918 | 2,065,279 | +1,534,361 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 484,089 | 1,615,726 | +1,131,637 |
| Liverpool John Lennon Airport - Speke | 902,595 | 1,144,393 | +241,798 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 693,905 | 819,968 | +126,063 |
| Middlesbrough | 663,615 | 622,766 | -40,849 |
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 | 231 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 225 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 43 |
| Other manufacturing | 35 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 24 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 71 |
| 2026-04 | 64 |
| 2026-03 | 76 |
| 2026-02 | 62 |
| 2026-01 | 73 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| MATALAN RETAIL LTD. | 107 |
| PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT LIMITED | 105 |
| ACCO UK LIMITED | 104 |
| TG JONES HIGH STREET LIMITED | 103 |
| ROCABA PACKAGING LIMITED | 85 |
| COCHLEAR EUROPE LIMITED | 82 |
| TJX UK | 76 |
| DUNELM (SOFT FURNISHINGS) LTD | 71 |
| PRECIOUS PACKAGING LTD | 66 |
| SIFCON INTERNATIONAL PLC | 64 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 254 |
| 54m+ | 175 |
| 0-1m | 145 |
| 15m-54m | 77 |
| Other | 50 |
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 | 2,417,050 |
| Ireland | 2,150,169 |
| Netherlands | 758,078 |
| Germany | 497,757 |
| Belgium | 381,173 |
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 | 1,023,335 | 1,393,715 | +370,380 |
| Ireland | 1,024,555 | 1,125,614 | +101,059 |
| Netherlands | 462,058 | 296,020 | -166,038 |
| Germany | 360,056 | 137,701 | -222,355 |
| Belgium | 267,631 | 113,542 | -154,089 |
| United States | 149,002 | 123,427 | -25,575 |
| Italy | 80,129 | 57,692 | -22,437 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 22,918 | 99,389 | +76,471 |
| Norway | 74,043 | 31,321 | -42,722 |
| Spain | 48,126 | 52,389 | +4,263 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 6,391 |
| China | 2,563 |
| Belgium | 316 |
| Sri Lanka | 92 |
| Italy | 53 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 2,683 | 3,708 | +1,025 |
| China | 1,442 | 1,121 | -321 |
| Belgium | 102 | 214 | +112 |
| Sri Lanka | 91 | 1 | -90 |
| Italy | 48 | 5 | -43 |
| Netherlands | 26 | 2 | -24 |
| India | 0 | 18 | +18 |
| XI | 3 | 0 | -3 |
| United States | 0 | 1 | +1 |
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) | 6,271,633 |
| Air transport | 990,699 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 603,712 |
| Other | 52,995 |
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) | 3,080,507 | 3,191,126 | +110,619 |
| Air transport | 544,277 | 446,422 | -97,855 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 466,336 | 137,376 | -328,960 |
| Other | 45,293 | 7,702 | -37,591 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,096,367 |
| Holyhead | 1,012,221 |
| Liverpool Docks | 874,708 |
| East Midlands Airport | 439,978 |
| Immingham Docks | 418,006 |
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 | 1,538,279 | 1,558,088 | +19,809 |
| Holyhead | 309,806 | 702,415 | +392,609 |
| Liverpool Docks | 551,237 | 323,471 | -227,766 |
| East Midlands Airport | 286,512 | 153,466 | -133,046 |
| Immingham Docks | 320,357 | 97,649 | -222,708 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 143,624 | 197,358 | +53,734 |
| Portsmouth | 104,483 | 219,702 | +115,219 |
| Felixstowe | 268,448 | 25,069 | -243,379 |
| Dover | 132,910 | 27,030 | -105,880 |
| Heysham | 63,959 | 93,739 | +29,780 |
Quick facts
HS code: 481960
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Paper-based office supplies like box files, letter trays, and storage boxes