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 | 537,850 |
| Italy | 170,670 |
| Germany | 116,947 |
| India | 102,563 |
| 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 | 344,249 | 193,601 | -150,648 |
| Italy | 75,492 | 95,178 | +19,686 |
| Germany | 8,166 | 108,781 | +100,615 |
| India | 61,036 | 41,527 | -19,509 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 71,057 | +71,057 |
| United States | 12,784 | 18,596 | +5,812 |
| France | 7,231 | 16,236 | +9,005 |
| Peru | 14,869 | 0 | -14,869 |
| Japan | 7,111 | 6,906 | -205 |
| Turkey | 0 | 11,918 | +11,918 |
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 | 547,933 |
| Italy | 166,080 |
| India | 102,587 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
| United States | 29,584 |
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 | 353,250 | 194,683 | -158,567 |
| Italy | 76,646 | 89,434 | +12,788 |
| India | 62,832 | 39,755 | -23,077 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 71,057 | +71,057 |
| United States | 10,988 | 18,596 | +7,608 |
| Peru | 14,869 | 0 | -14,869 |
| Japan | 7,111 | 6,906 | -205 |
| Egypt | 5,700 | 7,272 | +1,572 |
| Turkey | 0 | 11,918 | +11,918 |
| Australia | 890 | 9,676 | +8,786 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 5 |
| Greater Manchester | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 |
| Inner London - East | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| North Yorkshire | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 0 | 1 | +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) | 596,812 |
| Air transport | 377,780 |
| Other | 114,734 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 50,663 |
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) | 388,192 | 208,620 | -179,572 |
| Air transport | 146,160 | 231,620 | +85,460 |
| Other | 1,214 | 113,520 | +112,306 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 18,433 | 32,230 | +13,797 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Birmingham Airport | 175,992 |
| Liverpool Docks | 169,901 |
| Southampton | 160,451 |
| 000 | 114,734 |
| 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 | 49,879 | 126,113 | +76,234 |
| Liverpool Docks | 121,616 | 48,285 | -73,331 |
| Southampton | 104,418 | 56,033 | -48,385 |
| 000 | 1,214 | 113,520 | +112,306 |
| London Gateway Port | 97,829 | 5,836 | -91,993 |
| Felixstowe | 25,899 | 77,563 | +51,664 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 45,584 | 36,287 | -9,297 |
| Thamesport | 39,216 | 5,872 | -33,344 |
| London Stansted Airport | 16,301 | 21,328 | +5,027 |
| Manchester Airport | 0 | 30,359 | +30,359 |
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 | 16 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 13 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 4 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-03 | 2 |
| 2026-02 | 3 |
| 2026-01 | 2 |
| 2025-12 | 2 |
| 2025-11 | 5 |
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 | 11 |
| 1m-15m | 10 |
| 15m-54m | 7 |
| Other | 4 |
| 54m+ | 3 |
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 | 20,728 |
| 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 | 0 | 145,456 | +145,456 |
| United States | 14,567 | 6,734 | -7,833 |
| France | 19,757 | 971 | -18,786 |
| 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 | 0 | 3,369 | +3,369 |
| 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) | 292,472 |
| 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) | 289,295 | 3,177 | -286,118 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,764 | 149,506 | +147,742 |
| Air transport | 26,999 | 24,299 | -2,700 |
| Other | 499 | 2,011 | +1,512 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 208,335 |
| 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 | 208,335 | 0 | -208,335 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 145,456 | +145,456 |
| 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 | 1,764 | 4,050 | +2,286 |
| 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)