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 | 528,957 |
| Italy | 159,029 |
| India | 114,337 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
| Peru | 68,704 |
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 | 315,901 | 213,056 | -102,845 |
| Italy | 84,729 | 74,300 | -10,429 |
| India | 73,371 | 40,966 | -32,405 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 71,057 | +71,057 |
| Peru | 68,704 | 0 | -68,704 |
| United States | 9,824 | 17,641 | +7,817 |
| Japan | 10,472 | 5,951 | -4,521 |
| France | 4,997 | 9,696 | +4,699 |
| Turkey | 0 | 11,918 | +11,918 |
| Australia | 0 | 10,566 | +10,566 |
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 | 540,703 |
| Italy | 154,439 |
| India | 114,361 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
| Peru | 68,704 |
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 | 323,284 | 217,419 | -105,865 |
| Italy | 85,883 | 68,556 | -17,327 |
| India | 73,371 | 40,990 | -32,381 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 71,057 | +71,057 |
| Peru | 68,704 | 0 | -68,704 |
| United States | 8,425 | 15,845 | +7,420 |
| Japan | 10,472 | 5,951 | -4,521 |
| Turkey | 0 | 11,918 | +11,918 |
| Australia | 0 | 10,566 | +10,566 |
| Pakistan | 3,071 | 5,301 | +2,230 |
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 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 |
| Inner London - East | 3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 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 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 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) | 691,561 |
| Air transport | 333,111 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 44,921 |
| Other | 3,035 |
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) | 454,685 | 236,876 | -217,809 |
| Air transport | 130,153 | 202,958 | +72,805 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 13,830 | 31,091 | +17,261 |
| Other | 1,214 | 1,821 | +607 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 181,360 |
| Liverpool Docks | 176,507 |
| London Gateway Port | 156,067 |
| Birmingham Airport | 143,031 |
| Felixstowe | 101,783 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 128,915 | 52,445 | -76,470 |
| Liverpool Docks | 95,009 | 81,498 | -13,511 |
| London Gateway Port | 151,664 | 4,403 | -147,261 |
| Birmingham Airport | 36,625 | 106,406 | +69,781 |
| Felixstowe | 25,486 | 76,297 | +50,811 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 43,787 | 23,977 | -19,810 |
| Thamesport | 54,397 | 7,202 | -47,195 |
| London Stansted Airport | 13,556 | 23,118 | +9,562 |
| Manchester Airport | 0 | 30,359 | +30,359 |
| East Midlands Airport | 17,669 | 9,732 | -7,937 |
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 | 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 2 |
| 2025-11 | 5 |
| 2025-10 | 6 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 3 |
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 | 11 |
| 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 | 143,722 |
| Italy | 38,213 |
| United States | 21,301 |
| France | 20,850 |
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 | 260,964 | 1,600 | -259,364 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 143,722 | +143,722 |
| Italy | 37,979 | 234 | -37,745 |
| United States | 12,803 | 8,498 | -4,305 |
| France | 14,405 | 6,445 | -7,960 |
| Ireland | 7,584 | 3,389 | -4,195 |
| China | 0 | 9,200 | +9,200 |
| Uganda | 0 | 7,284 | +7,284 |
| Germany | 3,459 | 0 | -3,459 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 0 | 3,369 | +3,369 |
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 | 476 |
| Nicaragua | 157 |
| 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 | 242 | 234 | -8 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 157 | +157 |
| 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) | 291,283 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 149,536 |
| Air transport | 77,611 |
| Road transport | 6,543 |
| Other | 2,189 |
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) | 281,213 | 10,070 | -271,143 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 0 | 149,536 | +149,536 |
| Air transport | 51,063 | 26,548 | -24,515 |
| Road transport | 6,543 | 0 | -6,543 |
| Other | 387 | 1,802 | +1,415 |
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 | 143,722 |
| Portsmouth | 62,608 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 48,474 |
| ZLC | 10,718 |
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 | 143,722 | +143,722 |
| Portsmouth | 61,008 | 1,600 | -59,408 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 40,011 | 8,463 | -31,548 |
| ZLC | 6,543 | 4,175 | -2,368 |
| East Midlands Airport | 7,767 | 2,026 | -5,741 |
| Edinburgh Airport | 0 | 9,200 | +9,200 |
| Holyhead | 7,490 | 0 | -7,490 |
| Southampton | 0 | 5,814 | +5,814 |
| Eurotunnel | 0 | 5,474 | +5,474 |
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)