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 | 44,640,583 |
| Italy | 21,645,519 |
| Belgium | 19,466,140 |
| France | 17,558,254 |
| Philippines | 13,962,769 |
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 | 19,579,918 | 25,060,665 | +5,480,747 |
| Italy | 10,246,016 | 11,399,503 | +1,153,487 |
| Belgium | 9,389,749 | 10,076,391 | +686,642 |
| France | 7,783,700 | 9,774,554 | +1,990,854 |
| Philippines | 5,829,435 | 8,133,334 | +2,303,899 |
| Ecuador | 8,530,536 | 4,875,827 | -3,654,709 |
| Sri Lanka | 5,119,730 | 5,650,923 | +531,193 |
| Turkey | 4,723,119 | 4,326,088 | -397,031 |
| China | 4,652,579 | 3,613,404 | -1,039,175 |
| Netherlands | 3,841,581 | 3,853,233 | +11,652 |
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 | 46,498,483 |
| Italy | 26,898,431 |
| Belgium | 18,706,134 |
| Philippines | 14,420,755 |
| Ecuador | 14,173,996 |
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 | 20,184,901 | 26,313,582 | +6,128,681 |
| Italy | 12,506,510 | 14,391,921 | +1,885,411 |
| Belgium | 9,293,802 | 9,412,332 | +118,530 |
| Philippines | 5,838,334 | 8,582,421 | +2,744,087 |
| Ecuador | 8,915,011 | 5,258,985 | -3,656,026 |
| China | 6,666,500 | 5,625,201 | -1,041,299 |
| Sri Lanka | 5,194,828 | 5,204,521 | +9,693 |
| France | 4,508,572 | 5,563,248 | +1,054,676 |
| Turkey | 5,043,531 | 4,665,212 | -378,319 |
| Bangladesh | 3,507,345 | 2,278,016 | -1,229,329 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 183 |
| Inner London - East | 51 |
| West Yorkshire | 47 |
| 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 | 128 | 133 | +5 |
| Inner London - East | 27 | 42 | +15 |
| West Yorkshire | 40 | 32 | -8 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 27 | 35 | +8 |
| Greater Manchester | 28 | 26 | -2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 25 | 26 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 23 | 25 | +2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 24 | 21 | -3 |
| Lancashire | 20 | 23 | +3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 17 | 24 | +7 |
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) | 111,102,309 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 66,465,209 |
| Air transport | 25,569,303 |
| Other | 2,742,019 |
| Road transport | 973,145 |
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) | 54,689,884 | 56,412,425 | +1,722,541 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 31,545,457 | 34,919,752 | +3,374,295 |
| Air transport | 12,141,404 | 13,427,899 | +1,286,495 |
| Other | 1,278,510 | 1,463,509 | +184,999 |
| Road transport | 550,187 | 422,958 | -127,229 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Gateway Port | 33,198,822 |
| Dover | 24,981,548 |
| Felixstowe | 23,993,634 |
| Southampton | 21,519,214 |
| Eurotunnel | 12,833,869 |
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 | 16,657,730 | 16,541,092 | -116,638 |
| Dover | 12,114,613 | 12,866,935 | +752,322 |
| Felixstowe | 13,978,893 | 10,014,741 | -3,964,152 |
| Southampton | 9,158,793 | 12,360,421 | +3,201,628 |
| Eurotunnel | 5,811,131 | 7,022,738 | +1,211,607 |
| Thamesport | 6,403,913 | 5,024,171 | -1,379,742 |
| Belfast Port | 4,602,340 | 4,416,236 | -186,104 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,387,121 | 3,834,527 | -552,594 |
| East Midlands Airport | 3,123,055 | 4,448,246 | +1,325,191 |
| London | 2,809,136 | 4,581,592 | +1,772,456 |
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 | 300 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 252 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 102 |
| Other professional, scientific and technical activities | 58 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 45 |
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 | 457 |
| 0-1m | 201 |
| 54m+ | 108 |
| 15m-54m | 90 |
| Other | 54 |
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 | 58,981,256 |
| France | 7,583,735 |
| Netherlands | 7,329,182 |
| India | 5,003,956 |
| Germany | 3,814,119 |
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 | 28,418,384 | 30,562,872 | +2,144,488 |
| France | 4,069,818 | 3,513,917 | -555,901 |
| Netherlands | 3,111,885 | 4,217,297 | +1,105,412 |
| India | 2,316,991 | 2,686,965 | +369,974 |
| Germany | 1,365,231 | 2,448,888 | +1,083,657 |
| Italy | 1,809,808 | 1,698,513 | -111,295 |
| Ireland | 1,028,850 | 1,175,050 | +146,200 |
| China | 1,516,504 | 607,072 | -909,432 |
| Canada | 802,753 | 949,474 | +146,721 |
| Spain | 784,884 | 830,446 | +45,562 |
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 | 6,117,034 |
| Poland | 70,815 |
| Czechia | 63,588 |
| France | 33,777 |
| Ireland | 20,640 |
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 | 2,060,297 | 4,056,737 | +1,996,440 |
| Poland | 55,598 | 15,217 | -40,381 |
| Czechia | 25,897 | 37,691 | +11,794 |
| France | 14,026 | 19,751 | +5,725 |
| Ireland | 14,512 | 6,128 | -8,384 |
| China | 8,190 | 6,297 | -1,893 |
| India | 3,009 | 3,347 | +338 |
| Sri Lanka | 289 | 1,230 | +941 |
| 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 | 77,461,239 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 17,637,094 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,887,860 |
| Other | 7,540,223 |
| Road transport | 32,254 |
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 | 38,849,466 | 38,611,773 | -237,693 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 8,852,460 | 8,784,634 | -67,826 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,344,213 | 6,543,647 | +2,199,434 |
| Other | 3,122,920 | 4,417,303 | +1,294,383 |
| Road transport | 27,012 | 5,242 | -21,770 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 21,632,259 |
| London Stansted Airport | 19,033,408 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 16,326,368 |
| ZLC | 13,498,835 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,031,932 |
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 | 11,829,872 | 9,802,387 | -2,027,485 |
| London Stansted Airport | 8,930,942 | 10,102,466 | +1,171,524 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,828,164 | 9,498,204 | +2,670,040 |
| ZLC | 7,908,035 | 5,590,800 | -2,317,235 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,852,838 | 4,179,094 | +326,256 |
| 000 | 3,116,514 | 4,414,564 | +1,298,050 |
| Dover | 2,748,106 | 2,673,402 | -74,704 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,809,882 | 2,190,998 | +381,116 |
| Southampton | 559,925 | 3,402,798 | +2,842,873 |
| Belfast Port | 1,596,868 | 1,359,181 | -237,687 |
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