Import/export HS code 550120: Polyester synthetic fibers
Durable and versatile synthetic fibers, commonly used in clothing and home textiles
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 700,849 |
| China | 130,770 |
| United States | 117,088 |
| Japan | 35,004 |
| Italy | 8,764 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 697,627 | 3,222 | -694,405 |
| China | 54,480 | 76,290 | +21,810 |
| United States | 82,565 | 34,523 | -48,042 |
| Japan | 35,004 | 0 | -35,004 |
| Italy | 5,066 | 3,698 | -1,368 |
| Denmark | 8,336 | 0 | -8,336 |
| Australia | 0 | 7,316 | +7,316 |
| France | 0 | 3,777 | +3,777 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2,144 | 0 | -2,144 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,596 | 0 | -1,596 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 741,754 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 116,402 |
| United States | 38,465 |
| Japan | 35,004 |
| Italy | 28,917 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 662,242 | 79,512 | -582,730 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 116,402 | 0 | -116,402 |
| United States | 5,822 | 32,643 | +26,821 |
| Japan | 35,004 | 0 | -35,004 |
| Italy | 28,917 | 0 | -28,917 |
| India | 21,341 | 0 | -21,341 |
| France | 0 | 7,475 | +7,475 |
| Australia | 0 | 7,316 | +7,316 |
| South Korea | 6,695 | 0 | -6,695 |
| United Arab Emirates | 3,740 | 0 | -3,740 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 2 |
| Inner London - West | 2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cumbria | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 0 | 1 | +1 |
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) | 809,892 |
| Air transport | 200,784 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,968 |
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) | 754,474 | 55,418 | -699,056 |
| Air transport | 131,153 | 69,631 | -61,522 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,191 | 3,777 | +2,586 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 409,025 |
| Southampton | 394,378 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 111,136 |
| Birmingham Airport | 54,321 |
| London Stansted Airport | 13,304 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 395,983 | 13,042 | -382,941 |
| Southampton | 354,616 | 39,762 | -314,854 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 77,884 | 33,252 | -44,632 |
| Birmingham Airport | 36,512 | 17,809 | -18,703 |
| London Stansted Airport | 2,443 | 10,861 | +8,418 |
| East Midlands Airport | 10,574 | 1,329 | -9,245 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,875 | 2,614 | -1,261 |
| 499 | 0 | 6,380 | +6,380 |
| Dover | 1,191 | 3,777 | +2,586 |
| Manchester Airport | 3,740 | 0 | -3,740 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of textiles | 4 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 3 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 2 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 1 |
| Other manufacturing | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 1 |
| 2025-06 | 2 |
| 2025-05 | 1 |
| 2024-11 | 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 | 8 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 19,126 |
| Poland | 16,512 |
| France | 10,162 |
| Germany | 6,000 |
| Australia | 5,529 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,686 | 15,440 | +11,754 |
| Poland | 16,512 | 0 | -16,512 |
| France | 10,162 | 0 | -10,162 |
| Germany | 5,000 | 1,000 | -4,000 |
| Australia | 1,959 | 3,570 | +1,611 |
| Falkland Islands | 3,663 | 0 | -3,663 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 1,657 | 1,000 | -657 |
| Ireland | 0 | 989 | +989 |
| Italy | 0 | 928 | +928 |
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) | 29,591 |
| Air transport | 28,363 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 7,612 |
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) | 26,674 | 2,917 | -23,757 |
| Air transport | 10,343 | 18,020 | +7,677 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,622 | 1,990 | -3,632 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 27,505 |
| East Midlands Airport | 10,266 |
| London Stansted Airport | 8,238 |
| London Gateway Port | 7,612 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 7,202 |
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 | 25,577 | 1,928 | -23,649 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,686 | 1,580 | -7,106 |
| London Stansted Airport | 0 | 8,238 | +8,238 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,622 | 1,990 | -3,632 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 0 | 7,202 | +7,202 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,657 | 1,000 | -657 |
| Dover | 1,097 | 0 | -1,097 |
| Liverpool Docks | 0 | 989 | +989 |
Quick facts
HS code: 550120
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Durable and versatile synthetic fibers, commonly used in clothing and home textiles