Import/export HS code 5204: Cotton sewing thread
All types of cotton sewing thread, sold in bulk or packaged for retail
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 | 1,543,590 |
| Germany | 558,039 |
| India | 253,841 |
| Italy | 172,807 |
| Ireland | 112,457 |
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 | 911,088 | 632,502 | -278,586 |
| Germany | 183,502 | 374,537 | +191,035 |
| India | 157,984 | 95,857 | -62,127 |
| Italy | 77,625 | 95,182 | +17,557 |
| Ireland | 49,710 | 62,747 | +13,037 |
| United States | 47,104 | 52,810 | +5,706 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,065 | 71,057 | +69,992 |
| Pakistan | 16,987 | 54,668 | +37,681 |
| Netherlands | 39,069 | 28,302 | -10,767 |
| France | 17,785 | 30,059 | +12,274 |
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 | 1,609,120 |
| Turkey | 290,287 |
| India | 265,874 |
| Italy | 189,798 |
| Greece | 125,834 |
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 | 928,517 | 680,603 | -247,914 |
| Turkey | 32,688 | 257,599 | +224,911 |
| India | 167,247 | 98,627 | -68,620 |
| Italy | 100,364 | 89,434 | -10,930 |
| Greece | 111,966 | 13,868 | -98,098 |
| United States | 42,713 | 46,919 | +4,206 |
| Pakistan | 21,194 | 54,668 | +33,474 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,065 | 71,057 | +69,992 |
| Netherlands | 24,085 | 19,736 | -4,349 |
| South Africa | 29,880 | 10,714 | -19,166 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
| Inner London - West | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 |
| West Midlands | 8 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 6 | 2 | -4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 | 4 | -4 |
| West Midlands | 2 | 8 | +6 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 6 | 4 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
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) | 1,464,859 |
| Air transport | 1,010,475 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 494,133 |
| Other | 302,221 |
| Road transport | 3,938 |
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) | 842,312 | 622,547 | -219,765 |
| Air transport | 451,149 | 559,326 | +108,177 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 217,143 | 276,990 | +59,847 |
| Other | 129,476 | 172,745 | +43,269 |
| Road transport | 3,938 | 0 | -3,938 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Birmingham Airport | 466,070 |
| Felixstowe | 411,066 |
| Dover | 360,969 |
| Southampton | 359,569 |
| Liverpool Docks | 335,548 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Airport | 184,329 | 281,741 | +97,412 |
| Felixstowe | 174,314 | 236,752 | +62,438 |
| Dover | 143,431 | 217,538 | +74,107 |
| Southampton | 248,165 | 111,404 | -136,761 |
| Liverpool Docks | 240,221 | 95,327 | -144,894 |
| 000 | 129,476 | 172,745 | +43,269 |
| London Gateway Port | 112,865 | 80,579 | -32,286 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 94,116 | 91,688 | -2,428 |
| 499 | 34,209 | 61,977 | +27,768 |
| Thamesport | 60,015 | 26,421 | -33,594 |
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 | 41 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 38 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 8 |
| Other manufacturing | 6 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 5 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 7 |
| 2026-03 | 10 |
| 2026-02 | 14 |
| 2026-01 | 12 |
| 2025-12 | 11 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 77 |
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 60 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 49 |
| WOOL AND THE GANG LTD | 41 |
| TINYYO LIMITED | 36 |
| HACHETTE PARTWORKS LIMITED | 35 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 34 |
| EUROPEAN QUILTING SUPPLIES LIMITED | 30 |
| HAIR ORNAMENTS UK LIMITED | 28 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 27 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 44 |
| 0-1m | 22 |
| 15m-54m | 17 |
| 54m+ | 13 |
| Other | 9 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Morocco | 268,133 |
| United Arab Emirates | 264,942 |
| Ireland | 70,627 |
| Italy | 62,927 |
| France | 60,282 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 262,564 | 5,569 | -256,995 |
| United Arab Emirates | 18,648 | 246,294 | +227,646 |
| Ireland | 32,999 | 37,628 | +4,629 |
| Italy | 16,800 | 46,127 | +29,327 |
| France | 34,464 | 25,818 | -8,646 |
| United States | 31,988 | 23,417 | -8,571 |
| North Macedonia | 0 | 42,092 | +42,092 |
| Poland | 13,051 | 23,213 | +10,162 |
| Germany | 15,207 | 11,273 | -3,934 |
| Lithuania | 0 | 25,777 | +25,777 |
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 | 12,606 |
| XI | 3,938 |
| Nicaragua | 327 |
| India | 94 |
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 | 3,939 | 8,667 | +4,728 |
| XI | 3,665 | 273 | -3,392 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 327 | +327 |
| India | 94 | 0 | -94 |
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) | 591,720 |
| Air transport | 359,490 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 172,270 |
| Other | 17,321 |
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) | 382,103 | 209,617 | -172,486 |
| Air transport | 143,577 | 215,913 | +72,336 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,751 | 161,519 | +150,768 |
| Other | 7,858 | 9,463 | +1,605 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 374,714 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 167,651 |
| London Gateway Port | 147,220 |
| Dover | 110,819 |
| East Midlands Airport | 97,695 |
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 | 273,535 | 101,179 | -172,356 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 34,815 | 132,836 | +98,021 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 147,220 | +147,220 |
| Dover | 30,366 | 80,453 | +50,087 |
| East Midlands Airport | 58,131 | 39,564 | -18,567 |
| Portsmouth | 64,295 | 0 | -64,295 |
| London Stansted Airport | 23,061 | 20,612 | -2,449 |
| ZLC | 25,130 | 11,147 | -13,983 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,094 | 24,631 | +23,537 |
| 000 | 7,858 | 9,463 | +1,605 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 5204
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: All types of cotton sewing thread, sold in bulk or packaged for retail