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 | 466,250 |
| China | 139,738 |
| United States | 62,035 |
| Japan | 35,004 |
| Australia | 11,577 |
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 | 466,250 | 0 | -466,250 |
| China | 55,896 | 83,842 | +27,946 |
| United States | 4,582 | 57,453 | +52,871 |
| Japan | 35,004 | 0 | -35,004 |
| Australia | 0 | 11,577 | +11,577 |
| Italy | 6,986 | 1,778 | -5,208 |
| Denmark | 6,834 | 0 | -6,834 |
| 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 | 553,043 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 59,950 |
| Japan | 35,004 |
| United States | 33,584 |
| Viet Nam | 26,564 |
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 | 469,201 | 83,842 | -385,359 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 59,950 | 0 | -59,950 |
| Japan | 35,004 | 0 | -35,004 |
| United States | 4,582 | 29,002 | +24,420 |
| Viet Nam | 0 | 26,564 | +26,564 |
| Australia | 0 | 11,577 | +11,577 |
| France | 1,920 | 5,555 | +3,635 |
| Italy | 3,875 | 1,887 | -1,988 |
| United Arab Emirates | 3,740 | 0 | -3,740 |
| Denmark | 1,020 | 0 | -1,020 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 1 |
| Cumbria | 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 | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| 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 |
| Greater Manchester | 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) | 582,864 |
| Air transport | 125,203 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 29,652 |
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) | 526,459 | 56,405 | -470,054 |
| Air transport | 51,642 | 73,561 | +21,919 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,191 | 28,461 | +27,270 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 394,378 |
| Felixstowe | 177,626 |
| Birmingham Airport | 46,830 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 33,252 |
| London | 24,684 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 357,838 | 36,540 | -321,298 |
| Felixstowe | 164,746 | 12,880 | -151,866 |
| Birmingham Airport | 33,138 | 13,692 | -19,446 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,878 | 30,374 | +27,496 |
| London | 0 | 24,684 | +24,684 |
| London Stansted Airport | 3,624 | 15,525 | +11,901 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,875 | 6,985 | +3,110 |
| 499 | 1,428 | 8,380 | +6,952 |
| East Midlands Airport | 6,834 | 1,329 | -5,505 |
| Dover | 1,191 | 3,777 | +2,586 |
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
|
2 |
|
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 |
|---|---|
| 2025-12 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 1 |
| 2025-06 | 2 |
| 2025-05 | 1 |
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 | 7 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 21,868 |
| Poland | 16,512 |
| Australia | 5,529 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2,657 |
| Germany | 1,000 |
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 | 0 | 21,868 | +21,868 |
| Poland | 16,512 | 0 | -16,512 |
| Australia | 1,959 | 3,570 | +1,611 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2,657 | 0 | -2,657 |
| Germany | 0 | 1,000 | +1,000 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 26,105 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 19,429 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,949 |
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 | 2,657 | 23,448 | +20,791 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 16,512 | 2,917 | -13,595 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,959 | 1,990 | +31 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 18,440 |
| London Stansted Airport | 11,537 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 7,202 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,709 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,949 |
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 | 16,512 | 1,928 | -14,584 |
| London Stansted Airport | 0 | 11,537 | +11,537 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 0 | 7,202 | +7,202 |
| East Midlands Airport | 0 | 4,709 | +4,709 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,959 | 1,990 | +31 |
| Manchester Airport | 2,657 | 0 | -2,657 |
| 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