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 | 905,498 |
| Germany | 458,438 |
| India | 155,526 |
| Pakistan | 61,597 |
| Netherlands | 56,726 |
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 | 512,048 | 393,450 | -118,598 |
| Germany | 205,703 | 252,735 | +47,032 |
| India | 72,419 | 83,107 | +10,688 |
| Pakistan | 52,674 | 8,923 | -43,751 |
| Netherlands | 33,320 | 23,406 | -9,914 |
| United States | 26,939 | 28,484 | +1,545 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 1,313 | 38,418 | +37,105 |
| South Africa | 26,050 | 7,769 | -18,281 |
| Japan | 10,968 | 4,903 | -6,065 |
| France | 10,051 | 4,796 | -5,255 |
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 | 954,420 |
| Turkey | 316,202 |
| India | 167,535 |
| Greece | 110,994 |
| Pakistan | 65,804 |
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 | 519,560 | 434,860 | -84,700 |
| Turkey | 73,843 | 242,359 | +168,516 |
| India | 79,886 | 87,649 | +7,763 |
| Greece | 105,829 | 5,165 | -100,664 |
| Pakistan | 56,881 | 8,923 | -47,958 |
| United States | 25,492 | 23,946 | -1,546 |
| Netherlands | 19,490 | 14,840 | -4,650 |
| South Africa | 26,050 | 7,769 | -18,281 |
| Czechia | 15,884 | 10,085 | -5,799 |
| Romania | 5,662 | 17,621 | +11,959 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - East | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 |
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 - 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 |
| Essex | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 0 | -3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 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) | 784,620 |
| Air transport | 553,226 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 454,475 |
| Other | 87,316 |
| 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) | 417,314 | 367,306 | -50,008 |
| Air transport | 273,395 | 279,831 | +6,436 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 214,926 | 239,549 | +24,623 |
| Other | 84,939 | 2,377 | -82,562 |
| 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 | 358,529 |
| Felixstowe | 318,287 |
| Birmingham Airport | 283,873 |
| Liverpool Docks | 161,535 |
| Southampton | 160,119 |
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 | 158,786 | 199,743 | +40,957 |
| Felixstowe | 120,721 | 197,566 | +76,845 |
| Birmingham Airport | 136,513 | 147,360 | +10,847 |
| Liverpool Docks | 118,720 | 42,815 | -75,905 |
| Southampton | 118,162 | 41,957 | -76,205 |
| 000 | 84,939 | 2,377 | -82,562 |
| 499 | 22,668 | 50,115 | +27,447 |
| London Gateway Port | 13,807 | 52,544 | +38,737 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 28,607 | 33,459 | +4,852 |
| East Midlands Airport | 42,410 | 15,563 | -26,847 |
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
|
20 |
|
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 6 |
| 2026-04 | 7 |
| 2026-03 | 8 |
| 2026-02 | 9 |
| 2026-01 | 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 | 77 |
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 60 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 49 |
| TINYYO LIMITED | 36 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 35 |
| EUROPEAN QUILTING SUPPLIES LIMITED | 30 |
| HAIR ORNAMENTS UK LIMITED | 28 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 27 |
| THE WORKS STORES LIMITED | 23 |
| DSL DAILY SUPPLY LTD. | 20 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 27 |
| 15m-54m | 13 |
| 0-1m | 9 |
| 54m+ | 5 |
| 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 | 34,182 |
| Ireland | 30,659 |
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 | 14,624 | 27,468 | +12,844 |
| France | 14,707 | 24,847 | +10,140 |
| Poland | 10,969 | 23,213 | +12,244 |
| Ireland | 10,964 | 19,695 | +8,731 |
| Israel | 4,008 | 16,317 | +12,309 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 19,934 | 0 | -19,934 |
| Spain | 4,733 | 14,625 | +9,892 |
| Germany | 12,932 | 5,771 | -7,161 |
| United States | 4,346 | 9,189 | +4,843 |
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 | 11,826 |
| XI | 2,007 |
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 | 6,728 | +1,630 |
| XI | 2,007 | 0 | -2,007 |
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) | 244,767 |
| Air transport | 93,319 |
| Other | 13,833 |
| 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) | 79,832 | 164,935 | +85,103 |
| Air transport | 50,697 | 42,622 | -8,075 |
| Other | 7,105 | 6,728 | -377 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,451 | 1,261 | -2,190 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 151,909 |
| Dover | 76,819 |
| East Midlands Airport | 31,419 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 30,628 |
| ZLC | 25,679 |
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 | 73,942 | 77,967 | +4,025 |
| Dover | 937 | 75,882 | +74,945 |
| East Midlands Airport | 18,292 | 13,127 | -5,165 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 7,303 | 23,325 | +16,022 |
| ZLC | 21,529 | 4,150 | -17,379 |
| 000 | 7,105 | 6,728 | -377 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,094 | 6,569 | +5,475 |
| Holyhead | 2,563 | 4,517 | +1,954 |
| London Stansted Airport | 3,573 | 2,020 | -1,553 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,764 | 0 | -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