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 | 1,452,670 |
| Germany | 571,420 |
| India | 300,086 |
| Italy | 167,491 |
| Ireland | 107,487 |
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 | 872,372 | 580,298 | -292,074 |
| Germany | 209,848 | 361,572 | +151,724 |
| India | 151,375 | 148,711 | -2,664 |
| Italy | 70,486 | 97,005 | +26,519 |
| Ireland | 57,128 | 50,359 | -6,769 |
| United States | 45,450 | 46,767 | +1,317 |
| United Arab Emirates | 62,684 | 9,438 | -53,246 |
| Pakistan | 59,070 | 10,899 | -48,171 |
| Netherlands | 36,354 | 27,068 | -9,286 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 5,951 | 39,500 | +33,549 |
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 | 1,514,975 |
| Turkey | 328,120 |
| India | 312,119 |
| Italy | 183,431 |
| Greece | 110,994 |
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 | 888,885 | 626,090 | -262,795 |
| Turkey | 73,843 | 254,277 | +180,434 |
| India | 158,866 | 153,253 | -5,613 |
| Italy | 88,512 | 94,919 | +6,407 |
| Greece | 105,829 | 5,165 | -100,664 |
| United States | 42,207 | 40,876 | -1,331 |
| Pakistan | 63,277 | 10,899 | -52,378 |
| United Arab Emirates | 62,684 | 9,438 | -53,246 |
| South Africa | 29,880 | 10,714 | -19,166 |
| Netherlands | 21,370 | 14,840 | -6,530 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 8 |
| Inner London - West | 7 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 7 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 3 | 8 | +5 |
| Inner London - West | 6 | 1 | -5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 | 4 | -3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 3 | +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) | 1,413,398 |
| Air transport | 987,485 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 504,241 |
| Other | 297,284 |
| 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) | 829,265 | 584,133 | -245,132 |
| Air transport | 515,812 | 471,673 | -44,139 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 227,434 | 276,807 | +49,373 |
| Other | 138,580 | 158,704 | +20,124 |
| 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 | 482,186 |
| Felixstowe | 457,306 |
| Dover | 374,558 |
| Southampton | 313,821 |
| Liverpool Docks | 306,897 |
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 | 228,292 | 253,894 | +25,602 |
| Felixstowe | 173,556 | 283,750 | +110,194 |
| Dover | 163,942 | 210,616 | +46,674 |
| Southampton | 225,363 | 88,458 | -136,905 |
| Liverpool Docks | 226,868 | 80,029 | -146,839 |
| 000 | 138,580 | 158,704 | +20,124 |
| London Gateway Port | 120,547 | 71,278 | -49,269 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 85,412 | 76,003 | -9,409 |
| 499 | 33,041 | 63,095 | +30,054 |
| East Midlands Airport | 58,429 | 23,275 | -35,154 |
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
|
42 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
36 |
|
Manufacture of textiles
|
7 |
|
Manufacture of wearing apparel
|
5 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
5 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 10 |
| 2026-04 | 7 |
| 2026-03 | 10 |
| 2026-02 | 14 |
| 2026-01 | 12 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 78 |
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 61 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 50 |
| WOOL AND THE GANG LTD | 41 |
| TINYYO LIMITED | 36 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 35 |
| HACHETTE PARTWORKS LIMITED | 35 |
| 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 | 41 |
| 0-1m | 21 |
| 15m-54m | 20 |
| 54m+ | 10 |
| Other | 8 |
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 Arab Emirates | 268,663 |
| Morocco | 268,133 |
| Ireland | 66,729 |
| Italy | 62,927 |
| France | 51,939 |
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 Arab Emirates | 166,051 | 102,612 | -63,439 |
| Morocco | 262,564 | 5,569 | -256,995 |
| Ireland | 26,787 | 39,942 | +13,155 |
| Italy | 16,800 | 46,127 | +29,327 |
| France | 26,169 | 25,770 | -399 |
| United States | 31,493 | 18,969 | -12,524 |
| North Macedonia | 14,624 | 27,468 | +12,844 |
| Poland | 11,967 | 23,213 | +11,246 |
| Lithuania | 0 | 25,777 | +25,777 |
| Germany | 17,561 | 7,680 | -9,881 |
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 | 13,189 |
| XI | 2,634 |
| 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 | 5,098 | 8,091 | +2,993 |
| XI | 2,361 | 273 | -2,088 |
| 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) | 575,360 |
| Air transport | 354,778 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 172,270 |
| Other | 16,608 |
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) | 376,022 | 199,338 | -176,684 |
| Air transport | 141,737 | 213,041 | +71,304 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 168,112 | 4,158 | -163,954 |
| Other | 7,796 | 8,812 | +1,016 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 366,110 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 171,372 |
| London Gateway Port | 147,220 |
| Dover | 106,563 |
| East Midlands Airport | 88,173 |
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 | 279,555 | 86,555 | -193,000 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 38,496 | 132,876 | +94,380 |
| London Gateway Port | 145,486 | 1,734 | -143,752 |
| Dover | 21,765 | 84,798 | +63,033 |
| East Midlands Airport | 46,821 | 41,352 | -5,469 |
| Portsmouth | 64,295 | 0 | -64,295 |
| London Stansted Airport | 23,080 | 19,178 | -3,902 |
| ZLC | 30,900 | 7,881 | -23,019 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,094 | 24,631 | +23,537 |
| 000 | 7,796 | 8,812 | +1,016 |
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