Import/export HS code 5501: Synthetic filament tow
Thin strands of synthetic fibers, often used to make yarn or fabric
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Japan | 9,555,119 |
| Portugal | 4,802,048 |
| Germany | 2,837,257 |
| United States | 2,503,476 |
| France | 2,148,902 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2,791,270 | 6,763,849 | +3,972,579 |
| Portugal | 2,543,899 | 2,258,149 | -285,750 |
| Germany | 1,442,484 | 1,394,773 | -47,711 |
| United States | 1,261,227 | 1,242,249 | -18,978 |
| France | 1,198,816 | 950,086 | -248,730 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 737,363 | 99,937 | -637,426 |
| Turkey | 315,903 | 151,618 | -164,285 |
| China | 222,541 | 207,121 | -15,420 |
| Canada | 95,562 | 215,516 | +119,954 |
| South Korea | 84,632 | 161,487 | +76,855 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Japan | 9,561,217 |
| Portugal | 5,176,143 |
| United States | 4,695,552 |
| France | 2,151,347 |
| China | 1,177,097 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2,795,301 | 6,765,916 | +3,970,615 |
| Portugal | 2,637,650 | 2,538,493 | -99,157 |
| United States | 2,375,353 | 2,320,199 | -55,154 |
| France | 1,198,816 | 952,531 | -246,285 |
| China | 870,039 | 307,058 | -562,981 |
| Turkey | 315,903 | 151,618 | -164,285 |
| Germany | 155,201 | 287,035 | +131,834 |
| South Korea | 91,327 | 122,500 | +31,173 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 116,402 | 0 | -116,402 |
| Canada | 95,562 | 0 | -95,562 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 |
| Inner London - West | 3 |
| West Central Scotland | 2 |
| West Yorkshire | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| West Central Scotland | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Cumbria | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 18,696,326 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,170,725 |
| Air transport | 547,353 |
| Other | 118 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 7,689,975 | 11,006,351 | +3,316,376 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,723,070 | 2,447,655 | -275,415 |
| Air transport | 407,309 | 140,044 | -267,265 |
| Other | 56 | 62 | +6 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Grangemouth Docks | 9,332,790 |
| Southampton | 3,706,338 |
| Greenock | 3,414,982 |
| Felixstowe | 2,842,457 |
| Dover | 1,994,711 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grangemouth Docks | 2,592,036 | 6,740,754 | +4,148,718 |
| Southampton | 1,903,967 | 1,802,371 | -101,596 |
| Greenock | 1,796,840 | 1,618,142 | -178,698 |
| Felixstowe | 1,547,820 | 1,294,637 | -253,183 |
| Dover | 1,134,556 | 860,155 | -274,401 |
| Liverpool Docks | 630,331 | 594,653 | -35,678 |
| Immingham Docks | 146,715 | 280,195 | +133,480 |
| London Gateway Port | 201,120 | 5,217 | -195,903 |
| Middlesbrough | 185,079 | 0 | -185,079 |
| Eurotunnel | 63,410 | 114,700 | +51,290 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 7 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 6 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 5 |
| Other manufacturing | 4 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 3 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 1 |
| 2025-08 | 5 |
| 2025-07 | 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 | 16 |
| 54m+ | 7 |
| 0-1m | 1 |
| 15m-54m | 1 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 2,389,232 |
| Japan | 1,065,567 |
| United States | 215,061 |
| Germany | 163,246 |
| China | 145,192 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1,396,950 | 992,282 | -404,668 |
| Japan | 975,728 | 89,839 | -885,889 |
| United States | 169,930 | 45,131 | -124,799 |
| Germany | 9,358 | 153,888 | +144,530 |
| China | 16,118 | 129,074 | +112,956 |
| Hungary | 0 | 140,638 | +140,638 |
| Algeria | 0 | 110,880 | +110,880 |
| Turkey | 0 | 65,853 | +65,853 |
| Belgium | 38,952 | 5,022 | -33,930 |
| Canada | 34,606 | 0 | -34,606 |
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) | 2,775,449 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,367,801 |
| Air transport | 438,491 |
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) | 1,490,394 | 1,285,055 | -205,339 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,084,045 | 283,756 | -800,289 |
| Air transport | 217,039 | 221,452 | +4,413 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,575,603 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,135,857 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 193,939 |
| Immingham Docks | 188,020 |
| Glasgow Airport | 76,059 |
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 | 1,449,490 | 1,126,113 | -323,377 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 990,885 | 144,972 | -845,913 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 65,778 | 128,161 | +62,383 |
| Immingham Docks | 34,744 | 153,276 | +118,532 |
| Glasgow Airport | 76,059 | 0 | -76,059 |
| London Gateway Port | 9,076 | 64,843 | +55,767 |
| East Midlands Airport | 34,184 | 33,647 | -537 |
| London Stansted Airport | 30,337 | 31,869 | +1,532 |
| Southampton | 4,503 | 56,407 | +51,904 |
| Liverpool Docks | 40,056 | 989 | -39,067 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 5501
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Thin strands of synthetic fibers, often used to make yarn or fabric