Import/export HS code 5401: Sewing thread made from man-made filaments
Sewing thread created from synthetic or artificial fibers, available for retail or bulk sale
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 13,158,946 |
| France | 2,329,674 |
| China | 1,653,845 |
| India | 882,062 |
| Romania | 742,050 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 6,492,952 | 6,665,994 | +173,042 |
| France | 930,285 | 1,399,389 | +469,104 |
| China | 1,022,746 | 631,099 | -391,647 |
| India | 508,697 | 373,365 | -135,332 |
| Romania | 397,432 | 344,618 | -52,814 |
| United States | 405,251 | 293,652 | -111,599 |
| Netherlands | 384,171 | 241,487 | -142,684 |
| Turkey | 151,342 | 206,560 | +55,218 |
| Spain | 175,955 | 128,100 | -47,855 |
| South Korea | 173,400 | 78,552 | -94,848 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 7,383,484 |
| China | 5,999,848 |
| Egypt | 3,641,517 |
| India | 1,080,270 |
| Turkey | 895,571 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 4,490,208 | 2,893,276 | -1,596,932 |
| China | 3,137,146 | 2,862,702 | -274,444 |
| Egypt | 858,485 | 2,783,032 | +1,924,547 |
| India | 655,169 | 425,101 | -230,068 |
| Turkey | 426,584 | 468,987 | +42,403 |
| United States | 463,917 | 289,744 | -174,173 |
| Netherlands | 204,300 | 207,058 | +2,758 |
| Viet Nam | 126,384 | 259,907 | +133,523 |
| South Korea | 137,706 | 93,904 | -43,802 |
| Spain | 73,707 | 61,307 | -12,400 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 20 |
| Inner London - West | 16 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 12 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 10 |
| West Yorkshire | 10 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 12 | 17 | +5 |
| Inner London - West | 10 | 11 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 11 | 10 | -1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 10 | 5 | -5 |
| West Yorkshire | 10 | 7 | -3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Cheshire | 3 | 6 | +3 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Lancashire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
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) | 13,701,026 |
| Air transport | 4,262,927 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,626,066 |
| Road transport | 110,312 |
| Other | 18,610 |
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) | 6,692,319 | 7,008,707 | +316,388 |
| Air transport | 2,114,584 | 2,148,343 | +33,759 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,177,860 | 1,448,206 | -729,654 |
| Road transport | 35,086 | 75,226 | +40,140 |
| Other | 13,024 | 5,586 | -7,438 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 10,242,893 |
| Eurotunnel | 2,803,572 |
| Birmingham Airport | 1,626,451 |
| Felixstowe | 1,438,488 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 758,498 |
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 | 5,135,275 | 5,107,618 | -27,657 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,154,048 | 1,649,524 | +495,476 |
| Birmingham Airport | 759,674 | 866,777 | +107,103 |
| Felixstowe | 1,011,369 | 427,119 | -584,250 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 449,366 | 309,132 | -140,234 |
| Manchester Airport | 364,791 | 378,386 | +13,595 |
| London Gateway Port | 389,829 | 329,290 | -60,539 |
| East Midlands Airport | 363,768 | 293,046 | -70,722 |
| Thamesport | 287,688 | 279,953 | -7,735 |
| Southampton | 334,327 | 139,525 | -194,802 |
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 | 61 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 33 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 25 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 11 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 9 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 29 |
| 2026-03 | 36 |
| 2026-02 | 31 |
| 2026-01 | 25 |
| 2025-12 | 22 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SOMAC THREADS LIMITED | 116 |
| BB MARINE & COVERGUARD LIMITED | 101 |
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 99 |
| CLOCKWORK COMPONENTS LIMITED | 72 |
| MARATHON THREADS (NOTTINGHAM) LTD | 63 |
| KAYOSPRUCE LIMITED | 62 |
| GEM IMPORTS LIMITED | 55 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 54 |
| R.J. BINNIE LIMITED | 53 |
| AMANN THREADS UK LIMITED | 52 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 82 |
| 54m+ | 35 |
| 0-1m | 23 |
| 15m-54m | 16 |
| Other | 13 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 11,269,529 |
| China | 8,823,947 |
| Romania | 7,178,699 |
| United States | 6,550,432 |
| Portugal | 3,997,755 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 4,490,750 | 6,778,779 | +2,288,029 |
| China | 4,423,693 | 4,400,254 | -23,439 |
| Romania | 4,082,158 | 3,096,541 | -985,617 |
| United States | 3,626,800 | 2,923,632 | -703,168 |
| Portugal | 2,113,356 | 1,884,399 | -228,957 |
| Mexico | 1,902,774 | 1,039,303 | -863,471 |
| Viet Nam | 1,321,774 | 1,481,746 | +159,972 |
| North Macedonia | 946,035 | 904,382 | -41,653 |
| Poland | 776,383 | 617,920 | -158,463 |
| India | 534,012 | 644,970 | +110,958 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 16,843 |
| India | 13,401 |
| Denmark | 9,190 |
| France | 1,902 |
| Romania | 1,089 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 3,024 | 13,819 | +10,795 |
| India | 6,597 | 6,804 | +207 |
| Denmark | 7,032 | 2,158 | -4,874 |
| France | 1,902 | 0 | -1,902 |
| Romania | 124 | 965 | +841 |
| Ireland | 572 | 0 | -572 |
| Belgium | 0 | 369 | +369 |
| United States | 0 | 346 | +346 |
| Italy | 239 | 98 | -141 |
| XI | 258 | 40 | -218 |
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) | 27,689,498 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 20,128,531 |
| Air transport | 7,822,965 |
| Other | 70,039 |
| Road transport | 1,334 |
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) | 13,801,745 | 13,887,753 | +86,008 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,450,319 | 9,678,212 | -772,107 |
| Air transport | 4,186,635 | 3,636,330 | -550,305 |
| Other | 28,187 | 41,852 | +13,665 |
| Road transport | 1,334 | 0 | -1,334 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 22,884,908 |
| London Gateway Port | 8,057,996 |
| Southampton | 6,590,033 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 4,149,551 |
| Felixstowe | 3,497,239 |
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 | 10,718,521 | 12,166,387 | +1,447,866 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,758,147 | 4,299,849 | +541,702 |
| Southampton | 3,439,387 | 3,150,646 | -288,741 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,125,247 | 2,024,304 | -100,943 |
| Felixstowe | 2,578,510 | 918,729 | -1,659,781 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,069,183 | 889,353 | -179,830 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,072,034 | 623,672 | -448,362 |
| Harwich | 1,121,426 | 443,413 | -678,013 |
| Liverpool Docks | 119,375 | 1,263,663 | +1,144,288 |
| London Stansted Airport | 386,652 | 668,931 | +282,279 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 5401
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Sewing thread created from synthetic or artificial fibers, available for retail or bulk sale