Import/export HS code 5208: Lightweight woven cotton fabrics
Woven fabrics made mostly of cotton (85% or more), lightweight (under 200 g/m²). Perfect for clothing and linens
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Austria | 66,031,271 |
| Italy | 21,553,517 |
| Pakistan | 19,952,847 |
| Netherlands | 14,668,975 |
| China | 12,807,912 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 27,168,783 | 38,862,488 | +11,693,705 |
| Italy | 11,011,747 | 10,541,770 | -469,977 |
| Pakistan | 9,971,282 | 9,981,565 | +10,283 |
| Netherlands | 6,214,171 | 8,454,804 | +2,240,633 |
| China | 7,239,330 | 5,568,582 | -1,670,748 |
| India | 5,982,219 | 4,866,836 | -1,115,383 |
| Turkey | 3,232,181 | 2,955,301 | -276,880 |
| South Korea | 2,958,453 | 2,623,284 | -335,169 |
| Germany | 1,255,230 | 1,210,281 | -44,949 |
| United States | 1,286,656 | 1,019,224 | -267,432 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Austria | 66,374,995 |
| Pakistan | 21,044,541 |
| Italy | 18,540,989 |
| China | 14,033,229 |
| Netherlands | 12,406,154 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 27,604,212 | 38,770,783 | +11,166,571 |
| Pakistan | 10,534,696 | 10,509,845 | -24,851 |
| Italy | 8,997,796 | 9,543,193 | +545,397 |
| China | 7,626,595 | 6,406,634 | -1,219,961 |
| Netherlands | 4,854,040 | 7,552,114 | +2,698,074 |
| India | 6,594,403 | 5,261,891 | -1,332,512 |
| South Korea | 4,640,191 | 4,012,872 | -627,319 |
| Turkey | 3,233,900 | 3,024,649 | -209,251 |
| Germany | 1,341,544 | 1,102,131 | -239,413 |
| Egypt | 1,047,166 | 1,347,866 | +300,700 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 125 |
| Inner London - East | 51 |
| Greater Manchester | 32 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 31 |
| West Yorkshire | 25 |
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 | 85 | 85 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 34 | 37 | +3 |
| Greater Manchester | 23 | 25 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 20 | 24 | +4 |
| West Yorkshire | 22 | 18 | -4 |
| West Midlands | 16 | 12 | -4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 16 | 12 | -4 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 14 | 12 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 16 | 14 | -2 |
| Lancashire | 14 | 14 | +0 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 73,799,659 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 70,428,690 |
| Air transport | 32,237,145 |
| Road transport | 1,518,068 |
| Other | 358,860 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 31,540,507 | 42,259,152 | +10,718,645 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 35,777,127 | 34,651,563 | -1,125,564 |
| Air transport | 15,938,970 | 16,298,175 | +359,205 |
| Road transport | 603,712 | 914,356 | +310,644 |
| Other | 212,301 | 146,559 | -65,742 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London | 42,150,282 |
| Southampton | 19,899,938 |
| Thamesport | 19,710,948 |
| Felixstowe | 18,742,685 |
| Dover | 18,534,145 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 19,097,209 | 23,053,073 | +3,955,864 |
| Southampton | 10,642,783 | 9,257,155 | -1,385,628 |
| Thamesport | 8,521,049 | 11,189,899 | +2,668,850 |
| Felixstowe | 11,580,334 | 7,162,351 | -4,417,983 |
| Dover | 7,085,277 | 11,448,868 | +4,363,591 |
| Birmingham Airport | 5,644,509 | 9,558,031 | +3,913,522 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,563,156 | 5,515,063 | +2,951,907 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,935,787 | 4,979,498 | +3,043,711 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,885,942 | 1,963,484 | -2,922,458 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,281,613 | 2,367,542 | -914,071 |
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 | 187 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 183 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 61 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 52 |
| Other manufacturing | 24 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 110 |
| 2026-03 | 108 |
| 2026-02 | 101 |
| 2026-01 | 104 |
| 2025-12 | 91 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| PREMIER TEXTILES LIMITED | 122 |
| HANTEX LIMITED | 121 |
| J.BARBOUR & SONS,LIMITED | 117 |
| EUROPEAN QUILTING SUPPLIES LIMITED | 116 |
| SIR JACOB BEHRENS & SONS,LIMITED | 115 |
| M.& N.TEXTILES LIMITED | 114 |
| WHALEYS(BRADFORD)LIMITED | 110 |
| LIBERTY RETAIL LIMITED | 107 |
| PAUL SMITH LIMITED | 105 |
| EMMA WILLIS LIMITED | 103 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 244 |
| 0-1m | 147 |
| 54m+ | 66 |
| 15m-54m | 48 |
| Other | 44 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 81,958,414 |
| Senegal | 9,144,754 |
| Italy | 5,679,612 |
| United Arab Emirates | 5,365,304 |
| United States | 4,513,594 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 34,815,904 | 47,142,510 | +12,326,606 |
| Senegal | 3,931,140 | 5,213,614 | +1,282,474 |
| Italy | 2,539,466 | 3,140,146 | +600,680 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2,265,317 | 3,099,987 | +834,670 |
| United States | 2,101,208 | 2,412,386 | +311,178 |
| Netherlands | 1,193,288 | 1,652,498 | +459,210 |
| Oman | 1,499,494 | 1,334,953 | -164,541 |
| Romania | 562,686 | 2,042,841 | +1,480,155 |
| Turkey | 2,165,932 | 263,667 | -1,902,265 |
| Mali | 167,797 | 2,096,580 | +1,928,783 |
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 | 26,643 |
| XI | 26,060 |
| India | 3,246 |
| Ireland | 331 |
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 | 14,981 | 11,662 | -3,319 |
| XI | 12,579 | 13,481 | +902 |
| India | 1,490 | 1,756 | +266 |
| Ireland | 216 | 115 | -101 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 101,391,833 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 20,799,788 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,587,719 |
| Other | 70,598 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 43,357,112 | 58,034,721 | +14,677,609 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,997,049 | 10,802,739 | +805,690 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,915,509 | 7,672,210 | +1,756,701 |
| Other | 36,318 | 34,280 | -2,038 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 93,298,794 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 16,159,639 |
| London | 6,711,877 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,034,300 |
| Dover | 3,262,863 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 39,875,444 | 53,423,350 | +13,547,906 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,751,608 | 8,408,031 | +656,423 |
| London | 3,319,849 | 3,392,028 | +72,179 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,249,574 | 2,784,726 | +1,535,152 |
| Dover | 1,556,687 | 1,706,176 | +149,489 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,599,164 | 1,658,997 | +59,833 |
| Manchester Airport | 349,076 | 1,103,748 | +754,672 |
| ZLC | 681,869 | 728,997 | +47,128 |
| London Stansted Airport | 357,818 | 749,409 | +391,591 |
| Southampton | 171,987 | 788,868 | +616,881 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 520811 – Light plain weave cotton fabrics
- 520812 – Plain weave cotton fabrics (100-200 g/m²)
- 520813 – Twill weave cotton fabrics
- 520819 – Various cotton fabrics
- 520821 – Light plain weave cotton fabrics (bleached)
- 520822 – Plain weave cotton fabrics (100-200 g/m², bleached)
- 520823 – Bleached twill weave cotton fabrics
- 520829 – Various bleached cotton fabrics
- 520831 – Plain weave cotton fabrics (dyed)
- 520832 – Plain weave cotton fabrics (100-200 g/m², dyed)
- 520833 – Dyed twill weave cotton fabrics
- 520839 – Various dyed cotton fabrics
- 520841 – Plain weave cotton fabrics (printed)
- 520842 – Plain weave cotton fabrics (100-200 g/m², printed)
- 520843 – Printed twill weave cotton fabrics
- 520849 – Various printed cotton fabrics
- 520851 – Plain weave cotton fabrics (yarn-dyed)
- 520852 – Plain weave cotton fabrics (100-200 g/m², yarn-dyed)
- 520859 – Various yarn-dyed cotton fabrics
Quick facts
HS code: 5208
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Woven fabrics made mostly of cotton (85% or more), lightweight (under 200 g/m²). Perfect for clothing and linens