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 | 3,737,633 |
| China | 191,910 |
| South Korea | 119,927 |
| Thailand | 38,783 |
| France | 32,343 |
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 | 1,820,468 | 1,917,165 | +96,697 |
| China | 117,586 | 74,324 | -43,262 |
| South Korea | 63,479 | 56,448 | -7,031 |
| Thailand | 38,783 | 0 | -38,783 |
| France | 16,983 | 15,360 | -1,623 |
| Turkey | 0 | 26,457 | +26,457 |
| United States | 11,299 | 5,220 | -6,079 |
| Spain | 14,429 | 0 | -14,429 |
| Romania | 7,750 | 0 | -7,750 |
| 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 | 3,334,487 |
| China | 599,356 |
| South Korea | 119,927 |
| Italy | 36,885 |
| Turkey | 34,207 |
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 | 1,634,536 | 1,699,951 | +65,415 |
| China | 327,211 | 272,145 | -55,066 |
| South Korea | 63,479 | 56,448 | -7,031 |
| Italy | 21,183 | 15,702 | -5,481 |
| Turkey | 7,750 | 26,457 | +18,707 |
| Singapore | 0 | 19,278 | +19,278 |
| Spain | 14,429 | 0 | -14,429 |
| United States | 11,299 | 2,476 | -8,823 |
| Japan | 9,329 | 3,241 | -6,088 |
| Romania | 6,206 | 0 | -6,206 |
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 | 1 | -3 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| 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) | 3,745,365 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 322,956 |
| Air transport | 139,311 |
| 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) | 1,832,085 | 1,913,280 | +81,195 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 194,018 | 128,938 | -65,080 |
| Air transport | 80,047 | 59,264 | -20,783 |
| 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 | 3,263,197 |
| Eurotunnel | 416,559 |
| Felixstowe | 152,308 |
| Southampton | 96,517 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 70,090 |
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 | 1,667,749 | 1,595,448 | -72,301 |
| Eurotunnel | 104,271 | 312,288 | +208,017 |
| Felixstowe | 86,739 | 65,569 | -21,170 |
| Southampton | 71,261 | 25,256 | -46,005 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 52,401 | 17,689 | -34,712 |
| Birmingham Airport | 30,044 | 36,536 | +6,492 |
| London | 36,592 | 21,377 | -15,215 |
| East Midlands Airport | 30,024 | 7,358 | -22,666 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 7,849 | 9,392 | +1,543 |
| 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 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 2 |
| 2026-03 | 5 |
| 2026-02 | 5 |
| 2026-01 | 2 |
| 2025-12 | 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 | 3 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Indonesia | 211,879 |
| Czechia | 184,699 |
| United Arab Emirates | 138,637 |
| Kenya | 48,234 |
| United States | 30,182 |
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 | 0 | 211,879 | +211,879 |
| Czechia | 119,348 | 65,351 | -53,997 |
| United Arab Emirates | 87,881 | 50,756 | -37,125 |
| Kenya | 17,373 | 30,861 | +13,488 |
| United States | 27,983 | 2,199 | -25,784 |
| Netherlands | 16,207 | 3,469 | -12,738 |
| Ireland | 5,206 | 4,197 | -1,009 |
| Philippines | 0 | 6,372 | +6,372 |
| Morocco | 903 | 4,937 | +4,034 |
| France | 2,101 | 3,444 | +1,343 |
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 | 455,514 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 225,845 |
| 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 | 146,121 | 309,393 | +163,272 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 143,946 | 81,899 | -62,047 |
| 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 | 263,448 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 208,235 |
| London Stansted Airport | 157,361 |
| East Midlands Airport | 19,166 |
| 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 | 106,084 | 157,364 | +51,280 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 135,122 | 73,113 | -62,009 |
| London Stansted Airport | 27,031 | 130,330 | +103,299 |
| East Midlands Airport | 6,567 | 12,599 | +6,032 |
| ZLC | 3,607 | 7,541 | +3,934 |
| Holyhead | 5,206 | 2,636 | -2,570 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,521 | 3,469 | +948 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,500 | 2,437 | +937 |
| Birmingham Airport | 2,832 | 0 | -2,832 |
| Felixstowe | 2,500 | 0 | -2,500 |
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