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 | 822,780 |
| Germany | 393,805 |
| India | 97,773 |
| United States | 62,867 |
| Netherlands | 61,846 |
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 | 492,609 | 330,171 | -162,438 |
| Germany | 177,988 | 215,817 | +37,829 |
| India | 34,475 | 63,298 | +28,823 |
| United States | 31,886 | 30,981 | -905 |
| Netherlands | 34,728 | 27,118 | -7,610 |
| Pakistan | 11,245 | 44,330 | +33,085 |
| South Africa | 26,050 | 7,769 | -18,281 |
| Hungary | 19,260 | 0 | -19,260 |
| Greece | 4,535 | 9,458 | +4,923 |
| Japan | 10,968 | 2,992 | -7,976 |
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 | 837,387 |
| Turkey | 191,284 |
| Greece | 159,788 |
| India | 108,822 |
| Pakistan | 59,782 |
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 | 501,037 | 336,350 | -164,687 |
| Turkey | 6,773 | 184,511 | +177,738 |
| Greece | 138,194 | 21,594 | -116,600 |
| India | 34,475 | 74,347 | +39,872 |
| Pakistan | 15,452 | 44,330 | +28,878 |
| United States | 26,910 | 28,046 | +1,136 |
| Netherlands | 25,067 | 15,343 | -9,724 |
| South Africa | 26,050 | 7,769 | -18,281 |
| Italy | 26,558 | 5,106 | -21,452 |
| Czechia | 13,080 | 12,207 | -873 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - East | 5 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 5 |
| Essex | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - East | 5 | 1 | -4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Essex | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| West Midlands | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 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) | 651,446 |
| Air transport | 508,878 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 390,500 |
| Other | 87,607 |
| 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) | 296,976 | 354,470 | +57,494 |
| Air transport | 297,671 | 211,207 | -86,464 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 193,707 | 196,793 | +3,086 |
| Other | 83,103 | 4,504 | -78,599 |
| 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 | 300,567 |
| Birmingham Airport | 224,056 |
| Felixstowe | 217,970 |
| Southampton | 162,733 |
| Liverpool Docks | 160,038 |
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 | 133,290 | 167,277 | +33,987 |
| Birmingham Airport | 134,095 | 89,961 | -44,134 |
| Felixstowe | 121,947 | 96,023 | -25,924 |
| Southampton | 127,114 | 35,619 | -91,495 |
| Liverpool Docks | 22,380 | 137,658 | +115,278 |
| 000 | 83,103 | 4,504 | -78,599 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 47,834 | 32,122 | -15,712 |
| 499 | 29,630 | 37,345 | +7,715 |
| East Midlands Airport | 35,671 | 26,080 | -9,591 |
| London Stansted Airport | 27,528 | 13,085 | -14,443 |
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 | 22 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 18 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 4 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 3 |
| Other personal service activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 7 |
| 2025-11 | 7 |
| 2025-10 | 10 |
| 2025-09 | 8 |
| 2025-08 | 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 | 72 |
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 56 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 44 |
| TINYYO LIMITED | 36 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 31 |
| EUROPEAN QUILTING SUPPLIES LIMITED | 29 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 26 |
| HAIR ORNAMENTS UK LIMITED | 26 |
| 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 | 28 |
| 0-1m | 9 |
| 54m+ | 8 |
| 15m-54m | 7 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 55,377 |
| France | 34,672 |
| North Macedonia | 23,925 |
| Ireland | 23,590 |
| Poland | 22,391 |
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 | 17,517 | 37,860 | +20,343 |
| France | 15,739 | 18,933 | +3,194 |
| North Macedonia | 0 | 23,925 | +23,925 |
| Ireland | 8,173 | 15,417 | +7,244 |
| Poland | 12,053 | 10,338 | -1,715 |
| Germany | 19,151 | 2,423 | -16,728 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 19,934 | 0 | -19,934 |
| Spain | 8,882 | 5,055 | -3,827 |
| United States | 10,370 | 1,261 | -9,109 |
| Belgium | 11,284 | 0 | -11,284 |
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 | 9,608 |
| XI | 4,228 |
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 | 2,694 | 6,914 | +4,220 |
| XI | 4,228 | 0 | -4,228 |
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) | 200,537 |
| Air transport | 69,721 |
| Other | 13,836 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,712 |
| Road transport | 883 |
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) | 83,614 | 116,923 | +33,309 |
| Air transport | 52,240 | 17,481 | -34,759 |
| Other | 6,922 | 6,914 | -8 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,687 | 3,025 | +1,338 |
| Road transport | 883 | 0 | -883 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 136,192 |
| Dover | 48,306 |
| East Midlands Airport | 33,856 |
| ZLC | 22,412 |
| 000 | 13,836 |
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 | 70,670 | 65,522 | -5,148 |
| Dover | 10,599 | 37,707 | +27,108 |
| East Midlands Airport | 25,378 | 8,478 | -16,900 |
| ZLC | 20,817 | 1,595 | -19,222 |
| 000 | 6,922 | 6,914 | -8 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,940 | 6,308 | +4,368 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,094 | 6,569 | +5,475 |
| Holyhead | 1,251 | 5,829 | +4,578 |
| London Stansted Airport | 4,988 | 1,100 | -3,888 |
| 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