Import/export HS code 540120: Sewing thread from artificial filaments
Sewing thread made from artificial materials like rayon or acetate
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 | 3,547,877 |
| China | 187,336 |
| South Korea | 111,237 |
| Thailand | 38,783 |
| France | 35,441 |
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 | 1,827,845 | 1,720,032 | -107,813 |
| China | 120,384 | 66,952 | -53,432 |
| South Korea | 58,993 | 52,244 | -6,749 |
| Thailand | 38,783 | 0 | -38,783 |
| France | 17,009 | 18,432 | +1,423 |
| Turkey | 0 | 26,457 | +26,457 |
| Spain | 14,429 | 0 | -14,429 |
| United States | 8,538 | 4,231 | -4,307 |
| Czechia | 0 | 8,023 | +8,023 |
| Netherlands | 6,206 | 0 | -6,206 |
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 | 3,160,916 |
| China | 587,723 |
| South Korea | 108,531 |
| Italy | 33,563 |
| Turkey | 30,870 |
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 | 1,636,604 | 1,524,312 | -112,292 |
| China | 337,700 | 250,023 | -87,677 |
| South Korea | 58,993 | 49,538 | -9,455 |
| Italy | 19,833 | 13,730 | -6,103 |
| Turkey | 4,413 | 26,457 | +22,044 |
| Singapore | 0 | 19,278 | +19,278 |
| Spain | 14,429 | 0 | -14,429 |
| Japan | 9,329 | 4,114 | -5,215 |
| United States | 7,549 | 2,476 | -5,073 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 8,023 | +8,023 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 |
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 | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 1 | 0 | -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) | 3,554,669 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 312,106 |
| Air transport | 139,841 |
| Road transport | 3,103 |
| Other | 222 |
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) | 1,834,281 | 1,720,388 | -113,893 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 184,458 | 127,648 | -56,810 |
| Air transport | 85,131 | 54,710 | -30,421 |
| Road transport | 3,103 | 0 | -3,103 |
| Other | 0 | 222 | +222 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 2,995,037 |
| Eurotunnel | 541,649 |
| Felixstowe | 153,695 |
| Southampton | 88,370 |
| Birmingham Airport | 65,949 |
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 | 1,721,859 | 1,273,178 | -448,681 |
| Eurotunnel | 100,949 | 440,700 | +339,751 |
| Felixstowe | 85,835 | 67,860 | -17,975 |
| Southampton | 69,116 | 19,254 | -49,862 |
| Birmingham Airport | 30,948 | 35,001 | +4,053 |
| London | 32,018 | 14,063 | -17,955 |
| East Midlands Airport | 31,013 | 10,407 | -20,606 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,775 | 17,689 | +12,914 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 11,374 | 5,523 | -5,851 |
| Thamesport | 0 | 15,292 | +15,292 |
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
|
12 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
5 |
|
Manufacture of food products
|
2 |
|
Manufacture of textiles
|
2 |
|
Office administrative, office support and other business support activities
|
2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 5 |
| 2026-04 | 2 |
| 2026-03 | 5 |
| 2026-02 | 5 |
| 2026-01 | 2 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 17 |
| 0-1m | 3 |
| 15m-54m | 2 |
| 54m+ | 1 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Indonesia | 211,879 |
| Czechia | 191,386 |
| United Arab Emirates | 92,261 |
| Kenya | 48,234 |
| United States | 32,682 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 77,867 | 134,012 | +56,145 |
| Czechia | 98,425 | 92,961 | -5,464 |
| United Arab Emirates | 64,073 | 28,188 | -35,885 |
| Kenya | 17,373 | 30,861 | +13,488 |
| United States | 27,983 | 4,699 | -23,284 |
| Netherlands | 15,036 | 2,815 | -12,221 |
| Ireland | 6,767 | 3,922 | -2,845 |
| France | 2,101 | 6,495 | +4,394 |
| Morocco | 903 | 5,920 | +5,017 |
| Philippines | 0 | 6,372 | +6,372 |
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 | 411,638 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 236,027 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,437 |
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 | 202,303 | 209,335 | +7,032 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 123,413 | 112,614 | -10,799 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,000 | 2,437 | -1,563 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 217,072 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 215,808 |
| London Stansted Airport | 157,361 |
| East Midlands Airport | 21,666 |
| ZLC | 11,148 |
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 | 157,478 | 59,594 | -97,884 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 111,051 | 104,757 | -6,294 |
| London Stansted Airport | 29,154 | 128,207 | +99,053 |
| East Midlands Airport | 9,232 | 12,434 | +3,202 |
| ZLC | 3,607 | 7,541 | +3,934 |
| Holyhead | 5,206 | 3,922 | -1,284 |
| Immingham Docks | 4,498 | 1,492 | -3,006 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,500 | 2,437 | +937 |
| Dover | 1,097 | 2,443 | +1,346 |
| Birmingham Airport | 2,832 | 0 | -2,832 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 540120
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Sewing thread made from artificial materials like rayon or acetate