Import/export HS code 520420: Retail-packaged cotton sewing thread
Cotton sewing thread sold in ready-to-use retail packages
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 | 931,936 |
| Germany | 441,092 |
| India | 99,118 |
| Netherlands | 64,337 |
| Pakistan | 63,283 |
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 | 524,681 | 407,255 | -117,426 |
| Germany | 175,336 | 265,756 | +90,420 |
| India | 72,750 | 26,368 | -46,382 |
| Netherlands | 37,915 | 26,422 | -11,493 |
| Pakistan | 13,916 | 49,367 | +35,451 |
| United States | 29,232 | 32,861 | +3,629 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 909 | 39,731 | +38,822 |
| South Africa | 26,050 | 7,769 | -18,281 |
| Hungary | 16,329 | 0 | -16,329 |
| France | 8,555 | 7,771 | -784 |
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 | 984,083 |
| Turkey | 278,369 |
| Greece | 125,834 |
| India | 111,127 |
| Pakistan | 67,490 |
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 | 533,109 | 450,974 | -82,135 |
| Turkey | 32,688 | 245,681 | +212,993 |
| Greece | 111,966 | 13,868 | -98,098 |
| India | 80,217 | 30,910 | -49,307 |
| Pakistan | 18,123 | 49,367 | +31,244 |
| United States | 26,637 | 28,323 | +1,686 |
| Netherlands | 24,085 | 17,856 | -6,229 |
| South Africa | 26,050 | 7,769 | -18,281 |
| Czechia | 16,818 | 10,085 | -6,733 |
| Italy | 23,718 | 0 | -23,718 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Essex | 4 |
| Inner London - East | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 0 | -3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 1 | 3 | +2 |
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) | 753,885 |
| Air transport | 575,256 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 441,139 |
| Other | 87,757 |
| 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) | 383,929 | 369,956 | -13,973 |
| Air transport | 286,923 | 288,333 | +1,410 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 196,379 | 244,760 | +48,381 |
| Other | 83,618 | 4,139 | -79,479 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 342,072 |
| Birmingham Airport | 275,288 |
| Felixstowe | 260,430 |
| Southampton | 170,170 |
| Liverpool Docks | 165,647 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 135,407 | 206,665 | +71,258 |
| Birmingham Airport | 130,498 | 144,790 | +14,292 |
| Felixstowe | 115,767 | 144,663 | +28,896 |
| Southampton | 122,430 | 47,740 | -74,690 |
| Liverpool Docks | 118,605 | 47,042 | -71,563 |
| 000 | 83,618 | 4,139 | -79,479 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 46,839 | 39,616 | -7,223 |
| 499 | 23,836 | 50,115 | +26,279 |
| London Gateway Port | 11,412 | 56,558 | +45,146 |
| East Midlands Airport | 44,736 | 16,545 | -28,191 |
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 | 23 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 21 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 4 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 3 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 7 |
| 2026-03 | 8 |
| 2026-02 | 9 |
| 2026-01 | 7 |
| 2025-12 | 7 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 76 |
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 59 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 48 |
| TINYYO LIMITED | 36 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 34 |
| EUROPEAN QUILTING SUPPLIES LIMITED | 30 |
| HAIR ORNAMENTS UK LIMITED | 28 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 27 |
| THE WORKS STORES LIMITED | 23 |
| ANCIENT WISDOM MARKETING LIMITED | 20 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 30 |
| 15m-54m | 11 |
| 0-1m | 8 |
| 54m+ | 7 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 60,153 |
| North Macedonia | 42,092 |
| France | 39,554 |
| Poland | 35,266 |
| Ireland | 28,463 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 15,215 | 44,938 | +29,723 |
| North Macedonia | 0 | 42,092 | +42,092 |
| France | 14,707 | 24,847 | +10,140 |
| Poland | 12,053 | 23,213 | +11,160 |
| Ireland | 11,109 | 17,354 | +6,245 |
| Spain | 5,765 | 14,625 | +8,860 |
| Israel | 4,008 | 16,317 | +12,309 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 19,934 | 0 | -19,934 |
| Germany | 10,509 | 8,194 | -2,315 |
| United States | 9,425 | 9,189 | -236 |
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 | 11,243 |
| XI | 3,311 |
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 | 7,304 | +3,365 |
| XI | 3,311 | 0 | -3,311 |
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) | 245,624 |
| Air transport | 99,391 |
| Other | 14,554 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,712 |
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) | 68,969 | 176,655 | +107,686 |
| Air transport | 56,643 | 42,748 | -13,895 |
| Other | 7,250 | 7,304 | +54 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,687 | 3,025 | +1,338 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 155,670 |
| Dover | 73,915 |
| East Midlands Airport | 37,051 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 30,628 |
| ZLC | 24,704 |
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 | 63,079 | 92,591 | +29,512 |
| Dover | 937 | 72,978 | +72,041 |
| East Midlands Airport | 24,418 | 12,633 | -11,785 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 7,303 | 23,325 | +16,022 |
| ZLC | 19,934 | 4,770 | -15,164 |
| 000 | 7,250 | 7,304 | +54 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,094 | 6,569 | +5,475 |
| Holyhead | 2,563 | 4,517 | +1,954 |
| London Stansted Airport | 4,988 | 2,020 | -2,968 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 1,764 | +1,764 |
Quick facts
HS code: 520420
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Cotton sewing thread sold in ready-to-use retail packages