Import/export HS code 520411: Cotton sewing thread (85%+ cotton)
Sewing thread made mostly from cotton (85% or more by weight)
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 | 482,152 |
| Italy | 165,354 |
| Germany | 112,982 |
| India | 94,566 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
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 | 327,266 | 154,886 | -172,380 |
| Italy | 68,353 | 97,001 | +28,648 |
| Germany | 4,145 | 108,837 | +104,692 |
| India | 68,372 | 26,194 | -42,178 |
| United Arab Emirates | 61,619 | 9,438 | -52,181 |
| United States | 13,423 | 16,930 | +3,507 |
| France | 5,066 | 16,249 | +11,183 |
| Peru | 14,869 | 0 | -14,869 |
| Turkey | 0 | 11,918 | +11,918 |
| Australia | 890 | 9,676 | +8,786 |
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 | 492,235 |
| Italy | 164,426 |
| India | 94,590 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
| United States | 28,557 |
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 | 336,267 | 155,968 | -180,299 |
| Italy | 69,507 | 94,919 | +25,412 |
| India | 68,396 | 26,194 | -42,202 |
| United Arab Emirates | 61,619 | 9,438 | -52,181 |
| United States | 11,627 | 16,930 | +5,303 |
| Peru | 14,869 | 0 | -14,869 |
| Turkey | 0 | 11,918 | +11,918 |
| Australia | 890 | 9,676 | +8,786 |
| Japan | 9,360 | 955 | -8,405 |
| Egypt | 2,832 | 7,272 | +4,440 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 4 |
| Inner London - West | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 |
| Inner London - East | 2 |
| North Yorkshire | 2 |
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 | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| North Yorkshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
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) | 527,939 |
| Air transport | 376,350 |
| Other | 113,589 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 44,738 |
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) | 365,287 | 162,652 | -202,635 |
| Air transport | 221,766 | 154,584 | -67,182 |
| Other | 1,525 | 112,064 | +110,539 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 12,508 | 32,230 | +19,722 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Birmingham Airport | 181,963 |
| Liverpool Docks | 145,362 |
| Southampton | 129,683 |
| 000 | 113,589 |
| London Gateway Port | 103,665 |
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 | 86,473 | 95,490 | +9,017 |
| Liverpool Docks | 108,148 | 37,214 | -70,934 |
| Southampton | 90,766 | 38,917 | -51,849 |
| 000 | 1,525 | 112,064 | +110,539 |
| London Gateway Port | 100,007 | 3,658 | -96,349 |
| Felixstowe | 41,128 | 58,298 | +17,170 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 55,112 | 26,759 | -28,353 |
| London Stansted Airport | 26,403 | 6,497 | -19,906 |
| Manchester Airport | 20,921 | 9,438 | -11,483 |
| Thamesport | 24,084 | 5,872 | -18,212 |
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
|
17 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
12 |
|
Manufacture of textiles
|
3 |
|
Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding
|
2 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 1 |
| 2026-03 | 2 |
| 2026-02 | 3 |
| 2026-01 | 2 |
| 2025-12 | 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 |
|---|---|
| 0-1m | 10 |
| 1m-15m | 10 |
| 15m-54m | 8 |
| Other | 3 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Morocco | 262,564 |
| United Arab Emirates | 145,456 |
| United States | 21,301 |
| France | 12,385 |
| Ireland | 12,096 |
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 | 0 | -262,564 |
| United Arab Emirates | 143,722 | 1,734 | -141,988 |
| United States | 20,051 | 1,250 | -18,801 |
| France | 11,462 | 923 | -10,539 |
| Ireland | 8,556 | 3,540 | -5,016 |
| China | 0 | 9,200 | +9,200 |
| Uganda | 7,284 | 0 | -7,284 |
| Germany | 3,459 | 110 | -3,349 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2,190 | 1,179 | -1,011 |
| Qatar | 0 | 2,554 | +2,554 |
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 | 1,363 |
| XI | 627 |
| 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 | 0 | 1,363 | +1,363 |
| XI | 354 | 273 | -81 |
| 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) | 284,129 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 151,270 |
| Air transport | 51,298 |
| Other | 2,510 |
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) | 280,952 | 3,177 | -277,775 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 149,536 | 1,734 | -147,802 |
| Air transport | 32,608 | 18,690 | -13,918 |
| Other | 547 | 1,963 | +1,416 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 203,492 |
| London Gateway Port | 145,456 |
| Portsmouth | 62,608 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 17,089 |
| East Midlands Airport | 13,246 |
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 | 203,492 | 0 | -203,492 |
| London Gateway Port | 143,722 | 1,734 | -141,988 |
| Portsmouth | 62,608 | 0 | -62,608 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 15,910 | 1,179 | -14,731 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,739 | 4,507 | -4,232 |
| Edinburgh Airport | 0 | 9,200 | +9,200 |
| Holyhead | 7,490 | 0 | -7,490 |
| Southampton | 5,814 | 0 | -5,814 |
| Eurotunnel | 5,474 | 0 | -5,474 |
| Dover | 1,888 | 3,177 | +1,289 |
Quick facts
HS code: 520411
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Sewing thread made mostly from cotton (85% or more by weight)