Import/export HS code 52010010: Bleached or absorbent cotton

Cotton that has been treated to make it white or more absorbent, often used in medical or cosmetic products

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 £
Portugal 461,684
Netherlands 124,572
Germany 90,792
United States 46,036
France 42,731

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 £
Portugal 307,113 154,571 -152,542
Netherlands 123,285 1,287 -121,998
Germany 67,988 22,804 -45,184
United States 22,194 23,842 +1,648
France 42,731 0 -42,731
Poland 36,327 0 -36,327
India 0 34,503 +34,503
China 10,808 2,869 -7,939
Italy 0 4,191 +4,191
Norway 3,417 0 -3,417

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 £
Portugal 465,875
China 82,952
France 42,731
United States 42,161
Poland 36,327

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 £
Portugal 307,113 158,762 -148,351
China 78,796 4,156 -74,640
France 42,731 0 -42,731
United States 26,534 15,627 -10,907
Poland 36,327 0 -36,327
India 0 34,503 +34,503
Netherlands 25,958 0 -25,958
Germany 3,073 22,804 +19,731
Denmark 0 8,215 +8,215
Norway 3,417 0 -3,417

Importers across UK regions

What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.

Top 5 values

UK region Companies
Outer London - West and North West 2
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 1
East Central Scotland 1
Greater Manchester 1

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
Outer London - West and North West 2 0 -2
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1 0 -1
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 1 0 -1
East Central Scotland 1 0 -1
Greater Manchester 1 0 -1
Inner London - West 1 0 -1
Lincolnshire 1 0 -1
Norfolk 0 1 +1
South East Wales 1 0 -1
Surrey, East and West Sussex 1 0 -1

Import volume by transport

What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.

Top 5 values

Transport £
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 339,157
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 321,360
Air transport 110,741
Other 92,987

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 £
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 234,341 104,816 -129,525
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 190,324 131,036 -59,288
Air transport 102,526 8,215 -94,311
Other 92,987 0 -92,987

Import volume by port

What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Liverpool Docks 372,888
000 92,987
Dover 88,573
London Heathrow Airport 69,215
London 56,591

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 £
Liverpool Docks 250,522 122,366 -128,156
000 92,987 0 -92,987
Dover 65,769 22,804 -42,965
London Heathrow Airport 69,215 0 -69,215
London 56,591 0 -56,591
East Midlands Airport 33,311 8,215 -25,096
Southampton 2,020 34,503 +32,483
Eurotunnel 30,298 4,191 -26,107
Thamesport 0 32,205 +32,205
Belfast Port 0 15,627 +15,627

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 6
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles 4
Other personal service activities 2
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products 1
Manufacture of paper and paper products 1

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2025-10 2
2025-03 1
2025-02 2
2024-12 3
2024-11 2

Top importers

What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.

Importer company size by revenue band

What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.

Top 5 values

Revenue Companies
1m-15m 5
54m+ 3
0-1m 2
15m-54m 2

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 £
United States 961,830
France 138,560
Italy 121,094
Austria 115,427
United Arab Emirates 100,780

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 £
United States 926,697 35,133 -891,564
France 46,383 92,177 +45,794
Italy 29,497 91,597 +62,100
Austria 115,427 0 -115,427
United Arab Emirates 73,267 27,513 -45,754
Ireland 82,222 4,058 -78,164
Germany 74,526 6,290 -68,236
China, Macao Special Administrative Region 59,260 0 -59,260
Norway 35,951 18,647 -17,304
Sweden 41,434 0 -41,434

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 34

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 16 18 +2

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 2,073,592
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 128,340
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 94,874
Other 34

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 1,879,273 194,319 -1,684,954
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 28,505 99,835 +71,330
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 71,087 23,787 -47,300
Other 16 18 +2

Export volume by port

What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
East Midlands Airport 1,657,519
London Heathrow Airport 276,042
Dover / Eurotunnel 107,672
London Stansted Airport 70,077
London Gateway Port 66,624

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 £
East Midlands Airport 1,506,251 151,268 -1,354,983
London Heathrow Airport 262,533 13,509 -249,024
Dover / Eurotunnel 13,576 94,096 +80,520
London Stansted Airport 45,102 24,975 -20,127
London Gateway Port 51,313 15,311 -36,002
ZLC 61,780 4,567 -57,213
Immingham Docks 15,560 2,773 -12,787
Southampton 6,006 7,402 +1,396
Dover 10,512 0 -10,512
Holyhead 0 4,040 +4,040

Quick facts

HS code: 52010010

Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months

Description: Cotton that has been treated to make it white or more absorbent, often used in medical or cosmetic products