Import/export HS code 53: Various natural fibers from plants, paper yarn, and fabrics made from paper yarn
Includes all types of plant-based fibers (not cotton or jute), paper yarn, and woven fabrics made from paper yarn
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| India | 41,037,534 |
| Italy | 19,821,322 |
| Belgium | 17,560,574 |
| France | 16,176,394 |
| Philippines | 13,570,264 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 18,374,154 | 22,663,380 | +4,289,226 |
| Italy | 10,697,257 | 9,124,065 | -1,573,192 |
| Belgium | 9,665,859 | 7,894,715 | -1,771,144 |
| France | 7,727,636 | 8,448,758 | +721,122 |
| Philippines | 6,357,438 | 7,212,826 | +855,388 |
| Ecuador | 7,805,550 | 3,818,382 | -3,987,168 |
| Sri Lanka | 5,233,805 | 5,130,862 | -102,943 |
| Turkey | 4,693,843 | 3,561,637 | -1,132,206 |
| Netherlands | 3,902,702 | 3,232,653 | -670,049 |
| China | 4,129,428 | 2,839,773 | -1,289,655 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| India | 42,746,817 |
| Italy | 24,552,053 |
| Belgium | 16,701,130 |
| Philippines | 14,028,250 |
| Ecuador | 12,350,660 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 19,036,748 | 23,710,069 | +4,673,321 |
| Italy | 12,849,817 | 11,702,236 | -1,147,581 |
| Belgium | 9,119,751 | 7,581,379 | -1,538,372 |
| Philippines | 6,368,159 | 7,660,091 | +1,291,932 |
| Ecuador | 8,295,902 | 4,054,758 | -4,241,144 |
| China | 6,075,256 | 4,590,386 | -1,484,870 |
| Sri Lanka | 5,294,422 | 4,765,834 | -528,588 |
| France | 4,527,082 | 4,838,571 | +311,489 |
| Turkey | 5,015,251 | 3,840,469 | -1,174,782 |
| Bangladesh | 3,493,836 | 1,798,670 | -1,695,166 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 174 |
| Inner London - East | 48 |
| West Yorkshire | 46 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 43 |
| Greater Manchester | 37 |
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 | 131 | 123 | -8 |
| Inner London - East | 27 | 38 | +11 |
| West Yorkshire | 39 | 31 | -8 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 30 | 33 | +3 |
| Greater Manchester | 30 | 26 | -4 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 25 | 23 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 26 | 22 | -4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 23 | 19 | -4 |
| Lancashire | 20 | 21 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 21 | 21 | +0 |
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) | 102,022,049 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 60,302,339 |
| Air transport | 23,220,808 |
| Other | 2,620,798 |
| Road transport | 824,422 |
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) | 53,428,969 | 48,593,080 | -4,835,889 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 31,127,540 | 29,174,799 | -1,952,741 |
| Air transport | 12,088,171 | 11,132,637 | -955,534 |
| Other | 1,723,803 | 896,995 | -826,808 |
| Road transport | 477,389 | 347,033 | -130,356 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Gateway Port | 30,561,770 |
| Dover | 22,568,298 |
| Felixstowe | 21,637,611 |
| Southampton | 21,120,643 |
| Eurotunnel | 11,758,869 |
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 Gateway Port | 16,178,398 | 14,383,372 | -1,795,026 |
| Dover | 11,560,694 | 11,007,604 | -553,090 |
| Felixstowe | 13,002,819 | 8,634,792 | -4,368,027 |
| Southampton | 10,463,961 | 10,656,682 | +192,721 |
| Eurotunnel | 6,034,424 | 5,724,445 | -309,979 |
| Thamesport | 6,877,310 | 3,535,226 | -3,342,084 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,242,773 | 3,140,715 | -1,102,058 |
| Belfast Port | 3,544,429 | 3,721,838 | +177,409 |
| East Midlands Airport | 3,196,994 | 3,855,408 | +658,414 |
| London | 3,175,256 | 3,724,802 | +549,546 |
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
|
293 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
241 |
|
Manufacture of textiles
|
100 |
|
Other professional, scientific and technical activities
|
54 |
|
Manufacture of wearing apparel
|
44 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 188 |
| 2026-04 | 205 |
| 2026-03 | 210 |
| 2026-02 | 214 |
| 2026-01 | 163 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ROMO LIMITED | 125 |
| COLEFAX GROUP PLC | 125 |
| TURNBULL PRINTS LTD | 125 |
| WARWICK FABRICS (UK) LIMITED | 124 |
| GP & J BAKER LIMITED | 124 |
| SANDERSON DESIGN GROUP PLC | 123 |
| OSBORNE & LITTLE LIMITED | 122 |
| TURNELL AND GIGON LIMITED | 122 |
| JAMES HARE LIMITED | 121 |
| PARRY MURRAY & COMPANY LIMITED | 121 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 441 |
| 0-1m | 193 |
| 54m+ | 105 |
| 15m-54m | 90 |
| Other | 50 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 53,652,691 |
| Netherlands | 6,715,499 |
| France | 6,304,027 |
| India | 4,095,534 |
| Germany | 3,502,225 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 28,418,776 | 25,233,915 | -3,184,861 |
| Netherlands | 3,128,766 | 3,586,733 | +457,967 |
| France | 3,549,322 | 2,754,705 | -794,617 |
| India | 2,171,057 | 1,924,477 | -246,580 |
| Germany | 1,393,182 | 2,109,043 | +715,861 |
| Italy | 1,610,750 | 1,526,035 | -84,715 |
| Ireland | 1,011,444 | 1,015,535 | +4,091 |
| China | 1,360,209 | 523,810 | -836,399 |
| Canada | 798,355 | 801,357 | +3,002 |
| Spain | 766,335 | 706,709 | -59,626 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 5,868,229 |
| Czechia | 62,928 |
| Poland | 51,427 |
| France | 33,691 |
| Ireland | 20,610 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 2,261,464 | 3,606,765 | +1,345,301 |
| Czechia | 26,863 | 36,065 | +9,202 |
| Poland | 36,210 | 15,217 | -20,993 |
| France | 14,187 | 19,504 | +5,317 |
| Ireland | 14,526 | 6,084 | -8,442 |
| China | 9,093 | 5,387 | -3,706 |
| India | 2,953 | 2,700 | -253 |
| Sri Lanka | 333 | 1,158 | +825 |
| Belgium | 0 | 457 | +457 |
| Netherlands | 15 | 0 | -15 |
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 | 69,550,896 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 15,463,352 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,243,264 |
| Other | 7,012,311 |
| Road transport | 28,653 |
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 | 37,730,156 | 31,820,740 | -5,909,416 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 8,029,878 | 7,433,474 | -596,404 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,218,855 | 5,024,409 | -194,446 |
| Other | 3,087,516 | 3,924,795 | +837,279 |
| Road transport | 23,411 | 5,242 | -18,169 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 19,462,996 |
| London Stansted Airport | 17,471,564 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 15,213,823 |
| ZLC | 10,842,953 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,270,898 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 11,284,002 | 8,178,994 | -3,105,008 |
| London Stansted Airport | 9,392,162 | 8,079,402 | -1,312,760 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,920,523 | 8,293,300 | +1,372,777 |
| ZLC | 6,691,371 | 4,151,582 | -2,539,789 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,782,804 | 3,488,094 | -294,710 |
| 000 | 3,081,100 | 3,922,153 | +841,053 |
| Dover | 2,652,450 | 2,284,038 | -368,412 |
| Southampton | 691,222 | 3,232,139 | +2,540,917 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,760,827 | 1,983,994 | +223,167 |
| Belfast Airport | 1,548,529 | 1,120,634 | -427,895 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 5301 – Flax fibers, raw or processed but not spun, flax waste, and scraps
- 5302 – Raw or processed hemp, not spun
- 5303 – Raw or processed jute and similar fibers
- 5305 – Natural plant fibers like coconut, abaca, ramie, and others
- 5306 – Flax yarn
- 5307 – Yarn made from jute or similar plant fibers
- 5308 – Yarn from other plant fibers or paper
- 5309 – Woven fabrics made of flax
- 5310 – Woven fabrics made of jute or similar fibers
- 5311 – Woven fabrics made from plant-based fibers
Quick facts
HS code: 53
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes all types of plant-based fibers (not cotton or jute), paper yarn, and woven fabrics made from paper yarn