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 | 12,362,134 |
| France | 2,075,939 |
| China | 1,616,461 |
| India | 861,455 |
| United States | 703,068 |
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 | 6,721,477 | 5,640,657 | -1,080,820 |
| France | 998,689 | 1,077,250 | +78,561 |
| China | 1,036,012 | 580,449 | -455,563 |
| India | 455,264 | 406,191 | -49,073 |
| United States | 407,820 | 295,248 | -112,572 |
| Romania | 418,352 | 278,673 | -139,679 |
| Netherlands | 456,465 | 161,394 | -295,071 |
| Turkey | 140,775 | 213,924 | +73,149 |
| Spain | 175,540 | 132,933 | -42,607 |
| South Korea | 181,940 | 75,403 | -106,537 |
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 | 7,420,764 |
| China | 5,896,279 |
| Egypt | 2,667,857 |
| India | 1,036,625 |
| Turkey | 823,653 |
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 | 4,976,070 | 2,444,694 | -2,531,376 |
| China | 3,386,484 | 2,509,795 | -876,689 |
| Egypt | 413,461 | 2,254,396 | +1,840,935 |
| India | 589,390 | 447,235 | -142,155 |
| Turkey | 411,895 | 411,758 | -137 |
| United States | 469,722 | 300,713 | -169,009 |
| Netherlands | 292,989 | 109,371 | -183,618 |
| Viet Nam | 122,954 | 214,535 | +91,581 |
| South Korea | 157,434 | 84,911 | -72,523 |
| Spain | 69,075 | 69,275 | +200 |
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 | 15 |
| 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 | 11 | 9 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 11 | 8 | -3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 9 | 4 | -5 |
| West Yorkshire | 9 | 7 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 5 | 7 | +2 |
| Inner London - East | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Lancashire | 3 | 5 | +2 |
| Essex | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 4 | 4 | +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) | 12,933,295 |
| Air transport | 3,878,485 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,576,068 |
| Road transport | 116,703 |
| Other | 15,800 |
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) | 6,980,342 | 5,952,953 | -1,027,389 |
| Air transport | 2,175,066 | 1,703,419 | -471,647 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,203,143 | 1,372,925 | -830,218 |
| Road transport | 41,686 | 75,017 | +33,331 |
| Other | 11,486 | 4,314 | -7,172 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 9,545,375 |
| Eurotunnel | 2,839,515 |
| Felixstowe | 1,388,637 |
| Birmingham Airport | 1,349,388 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 739,455 |
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 | 4,953,752 | 4,591,623 | -362,129 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,656,886 | 1,182,629 | -474,257 |
| Felixstowe | 941,247 | 447,390 | -493,857 |
| Birmingham Airport | 706,932 | 642,456 | -64,476 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 411,403 | 328,052 | -83,351 |
| Manchester Airport | 478,270 | 248,738 | -229,532 |
| London Gateway Port | 376,320 | 308,243 | -68,077 |
| East Midlands Airport | 384,342 | 244,056 | -140,286 |
| Thamesport | 319,236 | 215,284 | -103,952 |
| Southampton | 361,239 | 130,429 | -230,810 |
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 | 60 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 35 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 24 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 11 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 8 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 25 |
| 2025-11 | 33 |
| 2025-10 | 38 |
| 2025-09 | 37 |
| 2025-08 | 36 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SOMAC THREADS LIMITED | 112 |
| BAINBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 98 |
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 95 |
| CLOCKWORK COMPONENTS LIMITED | 68 |
| MARATHON THREADS (NOTTINGHAM) LTD | 62 |
| KAYOSPRUCE LIMITED | 62 |
| GEM IMPORTS LIMITED | 53 |
| R.J. BINNIE LIMITED | 52 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 50 |
| AMANN THREADS UK LIMITED | 48 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 78 |
| 54m+ | 32 |
| 0-1m | 26 |
| 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 | 9,456,229 |
| China | 8,380,728 |
| Romania | 7,403,226 |
| United States | 6,373,483 |
| Portugal | 3,889,217 |
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 | 3,885,938 | 5,570,291 | +1,684,353 |
| China | 4,668,748 | 3,711,980 | -956,768 |
| Romania | 4,214,944 | 3,188,282 | -1,026,662 |
| United States | 3,931,910 | 2,441,573 | -1,490,337 |
| Portugal | 2,160,634 | 1,728,583 | -432,051 |
| Mexico | 2,182,099 | 1,071,284 | -1,110,815 |
| Viet Nam | 1,586,901 | 1,212,218 | -374,683 |
| North Macedonia | 978,457 | 758,238 | -220,219 |
| Poland | 776,151 | 615,175 | -160,976 |
| India | 534,403 | 568,590 | +34,187 |
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 | 14,627 |
| India | 12,474 |
| Denmark | 9,444 |
| 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 | 2,442 | 12,185 | +9,743 |
| India | 7,364 | 5,110 | -2,254 |
| Denmark | 9,031 | 413 | -8,618 |
| France | 1,714 | 188 | -1,526 |
| Romania | 34 | 1,055 | +1,021 |
| Ireland | 572 | 0 | -572 |
| XI | 435 | 0 | -435 |
| Belgium | 0 | 369 | +369 |
| United States | 0 | 346 | +346 |
| Italy | 128 | 177 | +49 |
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) | 25,865,411 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,687,881 |
| Air transport | 7,271,960 |
| Other | 63,725 |
| Road transport | 6,508 |
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) | 13,371,311 | 12,494,100 | -877,211 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,323,728 | 8,364,153 | -2,959,575 |
| Air transport | 4,398,124 | 2,873,836 | -1,524,288 |
| Other | 30,809 | 32,916 | +2,107 |
| Road transport | 6,508 | 0 | -6,508 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 20,970,074 |
| London Gateway Port | 7,223,044 |
| Southampton | 6,234,153 |
| Felixstowe | 4,131,292 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,776,840 |
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 | 10,230,954 | 10,739,120 | +508,166 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,993,688 | 3,229,356 | -764,332 |
| Southampton | 3,290,536 | 2,943,617 | -346,919 |
| Felixstowe | 3,108,922 | 1,022,370 | -2,086,552 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,283,793 | 1,493,047 | -790,746 |
| Immingham Docks | 981,400 | 925,477 | -55,923 |
| Harwich | 1,108,479 | 547,738 | -560,741 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,156,234 | 490,923 | -665,311 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,172,909 | 206,314 | -966,595 |
| Liverpool Docks | 58,897 | 1,098,559 | +1,039,662 |
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