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 | 10,733,755 |
| Ireland | 5,440,859 |
| Turkey | 4,730,020 |
| Germany | 3,255,207 |
| United States | 2,671,004 |
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 | 4,999,132 | -735,491 |
| Ireland | 2,784,338 | 2,656,521 | -127,817 |
| Turkey | 2,508,615 | 2,221,405 | -287,210 |
| Germany | 1,542,565 | 1,712,642 | +170,077 |
| United States | 268,310 | 2,402,694 | +2,134,384 |
| Netherlands | 1,377,718 | 770,931 | -606,787 |
| France | 465,704 | 1,579,159 | +1,113,455 |
| Lithuania | 1,055,304 | 802,433 | -252,871 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 355,304 | 381,727 | +26,423 |
| Poland | 303,914 | 244,389 | -59,525 |
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 | 12,530,569 |
| Turkey | 4,734,298 |
| Germany | 3,061,718 |
| United States | 2,753,205 |
| Lithuania | 2,156,411 |
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 | 6,050,945 | -428,679 |
| Turkey | 2,510,520 | 2,223,778 | -286,742 |
| Germany | 1,577,974 | 1,483,744 | -94,230 |
| United States | 268,335 | 2,484,870 | +2,216,535 |
| Lithuania | 1,141,729 | 1,014,682 | -127,047 |
| Ireland | 1,023,686 | 1,129,927 | +106,241 |
| Italy | 181,192 | 1,540,930 | +1,359,738 |
| Netherlands | 740,886 | 487,231 | -253,655 |
| Poland | 742,918 | 370,034 | -372,884 |
| France | 508,566 | 258,024 | -250,542 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 92 |
| Greater Manchester | 73 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 43 |
| Inner London - East | 41 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 36 |
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 | 52 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 53 | 34 | -19 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 27 | 26 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 36 | 20 | -16 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 22 | 24 | +2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 25 | 15 | -10 |
| West Yorkshire | 18 | 13 | -5 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 10 | 15 | +5 |
| Kent | 11 | 12 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 14 | 7 | -7 |
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) | 14,267,244 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 12,645,086 |
| Air transport | 6,409,267 |
| Other | 3,856,556 |
| Road transport | 601,627 |
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 | 7,659,576 | +1,051,908 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 6,241,226 | 6,403,860 | +162,634 |
| Air transport | 2,746,333 | 3,662,934 | +916,601 |
| Other | 2,462,520 | 1,394,036 | -1,068,484 |
| Road transport | 400,900 | 200,727 | -200,173 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 7,000,679 |
| Dover | 4,030,779 |
| 000 | 3,856,556 |
| Southampton | 3,421,156 |
| ZLC | 3,162,128 |
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 | 3,066,985 | -866,709 |
| Dover | 2,240,935 | 1,789,844 | -451,091 |
| 000 | 2,462,520 | 1,394,036 | -1,068,484 |
| Southampton | 1,158,413 | 2,262,743 | +1,104,330 |
| ZLC | 1,636,313 | 1,525,815 | -110,498 |
| Eurotunnel | 530,918 | 2,035,130 | +1,504,212 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 484,089 | 1,601,240 | +1,117,151 |
| Liverpool John Lennon Airport - Speke | 902,595 | 1,047,860 | +145,265 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 693,905 | 663,148 | -30,757 |
| Immingham Docks | 817,345 | 443,060 | -374,285 |
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 | 222 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 218 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 42 |
| Other manufacturing | 33 |
| Manufacture of paper and paper products | 24 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 64 |
| 2026-03 | 76 |
| 2026-02 | 62 |
| 2026-01 | 73 |
| 2025-12 | 75 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| MATALAN RETAIL LTD. | 106 |
| PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT LIMITED | 105 |
| ACCO UK LIMITED | 103 |
| TG JONES HIGH STREET LIMITED | 102 |
| ROCABA PACKAGING LIMITED | 84 |
| COCHLEAR EUROPE LIMITED | 81 |
| TJX UK | 75 |
| 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 | 248 |
| 54m+ | 173 |
| 0-1m | 135 |
| 15m-54m | 76 |
| Other | 49 |
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 | 2,277,172 |
| Ireland | 2,093,780 |
| Netherlands | 740,557 |
| Germany | 495,718 |
| Belgium | 380,076 |
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 | 1,253,837 | +230,502 |
| Ireland | 1,024,555 | 1,069,225 | +44,670 |
| Netherlands | 462,058 | 278,499 | -183,559 |
| Germany | 360,056 | 135,662 | -224,394 |
| Belgium | 267,631 | 112,445 | -155,186 |
| United States | 149,002 | 112,685 | -36,317 |
| Italy | 80,129 | 54,096 | -26,033 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 22,918 | 90,909 | +67,991 |
| Norway | 74,043 | 31,321 | -42,722 |
| Spain | 48,126 | 44,990 | -3,136 |
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 | 5,713 |
| China | 2,495 |
| Belgium | 282 |
| Sri Lanka | 92 |
| Italy | 52 |
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 | 3,030 | +347 |
| China | 1,442 | 1,053 | -389 |
| Belgium | 102 | 180 | +78 |
| Sri Lanka | 91 | 1 | -90 |
| Italy | 48 | 4 | -44 |
| 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) | 6,039,925 |
| Air transport | 955,129 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 599,783 |
| Other | 52,024 |
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 | 2,959,418 | -121,089 |
| Air transport | 544,277 | 410,852 | -133,425 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 466,336 | 133,447 | -332,889 |
| Other | 45,293 | 6,731 | -38,562 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,935,259 |
| Holyhead | 968,167 |
| Liverpool Docks | 863,344 |
| East Midlands Airport | 431,503 |
| Immingham Docks | 402,824 |
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 | 1,396,980 | -141,299 |
| Holyhead | 309,806 | 658,361 | +348,555 |
| Liverpool Docks | 551,237 | 312,107 | -239,130 |
| East Midlands Airport | 286,512 | 144,991 | -141,521 |
| Immingham Docks | 320,357 | 82,467 | -237,890 |
| Portsmouth | 104,483 | 219,702 | +115,219 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 143,624 | 175,580 | +31,956 |
| 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