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 | 3,539,363 |
| China | 172,274 |
| South Korea | 122,135 |
| France | 48,113 |
| Thailand | 38,783 |
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 | 1,876,100 | 1,663,263 | -212,837 |
| China | 127,930 | 44,344 | -83,586 |
| South Korea | 69,931 | 52,204 | -17,727 |
| France | 37,941 | 10,172 | -27,769 |
| Thailand | 38,783 | 0 | -38,783 |
| United States | 9,616 | 8,174 | -1,442 |
| Spain | 14,429 | 0 | -14,429 |
| Turkey | 0 | 13,992 | +13,992 |
| Romania | 6,567 | 1,183 | -5,384 |
| 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 | 3,134,867 |
| China | 593,547 |
| South Korea | 122,135 |
| Italy | 59,604 |
| Turkey | 21,742 |
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 | 1,736,553 | 1,398,314 | -338,239 |
| China | 286,311 | 307,236 | +20,925 |
| South Korea | 69,931 | 52,204 | -17,727 |
| Italy | 49,366 | 10,238 | -39,128 |
| Turkey | 6,567 | 15,175 | +8,608 |
| United States | 9,616 | 7,185 | -2,431 |
| Spain | 14,429 | 0 | -14,429 |
| Japan | 6,444 | 6,126 | -318 |
| Romania | 6,206 | 0 | -6,206 |
| France | 3,029 | 2,366 | -663 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 5 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2 |
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 | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 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) | 3,543,038 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 326,584 |
| Air transport | 128,544 |
| Road transport | 3,103 |
| Other | 1 |
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) | 1,890,316 | 1,652,722 | -237,594 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 235,087 | 91,497 | -143,590 |
| Air transport | 68,587 | 59,957 | -8,630 |
| Road transport | 3,103 | 0 | -3,103 |
| Other | 0 | 1 | +1 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 2,919,350 |
| Eurotunnel | 537,610 |
| Felixstowe | 121,217 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 105,938 |
| Southampton | 102,974 |
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 | 1,449,362 | 1,469,988 | +20,626 |
| Eurotunnel | 359,612 | 177,998 | -181,614 |
| Felixstowe | 94,005 | 27,212 | -66,793 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 93,396 | 12,542 | -80,854 |
| Southampton | 84,607 | 18,367 | -66,240 |
| London | 37,331 | 33,521 | -3,810 |
| Birmingham Airport | 22,003 | 31,909 | +9,906 |
| East Midlands Airport | 23,208 | 13,957 | -9,251 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 9,505 | 8,492 | -1,013 |
| Manchester Airport | 7,225 | 2,199 | -5,026 |
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 | 4 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 3 |
| Manufacture of food products | 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 2 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 6 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 3 |
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 | 4 |
| 15m-54m | 2 |
| 54m+ | 2 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Czechia | 183,187 |
| Indonesia | 156,120 |
| United Arab Emirates | 146,925 |
| Kenya | 37,728 |
| United States | 29,013 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czechia | 111,320 | 71,867 | -39,453 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 156,120 | +156,120 |
| United Arab Emirates | 101,179 | 45,746 | -55,433 |
| Kenya | 17,373 | 20,355 | +2,982 |
| United States | 3,334 | 25,679 | +22,345 |
| Netherlands | 19,434 | 3,469 | -15,965 |
| Ireland | 4,319 | 6,413 | +2,094 |
| Philippines | 0 | 6,372 | +6,372 |
| France | 3,555 | 2,420 | -1,135 |
| India | 4,037 | 0 | -4,037 |
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 | 393,945 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 224,949 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,000 |
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 | 135,146 | 258,799 | +123,653 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 136,258 | 88,691 | -47,567 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,000 | 0 | -4,000 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 258,912 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 206,010 |
| London Stansted Airport | 101,602 |
| East Midlands Airport | 19,166 |
| ZLC | 11,433 |
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 | 118,304 | 140,608 | +22,304 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 129,418 | 76,592 | -52,826 |
| London Stansted Airport | 2,382 | 99,220 | +96,838 |
| East Midlands Airport | 6,567 | 12,599 | +6,032 |
| ZLC | 5,061 | 6,372 | +1,311 |
| Holyhead | 4,319 | 4,852 | +533 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,521 | 3,469 | +948 |
| Birmingham Airport | 2,832 | 0 | -2,832 |
| Felixstowe | 2,500 | 0 | -2,500 |
| Dover | 0 | 2,217 | +2,217 |
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