Import/export HS code 5504: Artificial staple fibers, not processed for spinning

Unprocessed synthetic fibers used in making yarn or thread. Includes fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic

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 12,545,877
Austria 4,942,510
Japan 2,159,694
China 1,696,326
Indonesia 1,010,095

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 9,417,641 3,128,236 -6,289,405
Austria 2,770,611 2,171,899 -598,712
Japan 39,070 2,120,624 +2,081,554
China 1,069,305 627,021 -442,284
Indonesia 471,724 538,371 +66,647
Netherlands 291,329 230,227 -61,102
Italy 212,695 137,764 -74,931
Spain 202,164 0 -202,164
India 5,751 145,186 +139,435
France 62,276 32,771 -29,505

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 12,462,784
Austria 5,482,980
Japan 2,247,963
China 1,679,077
Indonesia 1,010,095

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 9,399,341 3,063,443 -6,335,898
Austria 3,069,569 2,413,411 -656,158
Japan 39,070 2,208,893 +2,169,823
China 1,052,056 627,021 -425,035
Indonesia 471,724 538,371 +66,647
Italy 463,109 135,774 -327,335
India 5,751 161,817 +156,066
Switzerland 31,621 47,057 +15,436
Turkey 33,097 1,856 -31,241
United States 28,491 4,849 -23,642

Importers across UK regions

What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.

Top 5 values

UK region Companies
West Yorkshire 7
Greater Manchester 5
Inner London - West 4
Lancashire 3
Cheshire 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
West Yorkshire 5 5 +0
Greater Manchester 5 2 -3
Inner London - West 4 3 -1
Lancashire 3 1 -2
Cheshire 2 1 -1
Cumbria 1 2 +1
Essex 2 2 +0
Hampshire and Isle of Wight 2 2 +0
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1 0 -1
Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 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) 18,278,812
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 5,343,667
Air transport 233,541

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) 12,768,834 5,509,978 -7,258,856
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 1,700,799 3,642,868 +1,942,069
Air transport 178,414 55,127 -123,287

Import volume by port

What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Dover 9,441,748
Immingham Docks 2,609,232
Southampton 2,535,338
Dover / Eurotunnel 2,102,440
Felixstowe 1,879,950

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 5,962,927 3,478,821 -2,484,106
Immingham Docks 2,414,385 194,847 -2,219,538
Southampton 219,814 2,315,524 +2,095,710
Dover / Eurotunnel 881,556 1,220,884 +339,328
Felixstowe 1,176,031 703,919 -472,112
Harwich 1,262,844 245,581 -1,017,263
Killingholme 974,271 0 -974,271
London Gateway Port 384,869 585,828 +200,959
Eurotunnel 493,591 307,890 -185,701
Purfleet 542,981 39,662 -503,319

Importer companies by SIC division

What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.

Top 5 values

SIC Companies
Manufacture of textiles
14
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
8
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
6
Manufacture of paper and paper products
5
Other manufacturing
5

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2026-05 4
2026-04 7
2026-03 8
2026-02 6
2026-01 10

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 14
54m+ 10
15m-54m 7
0-1m 3
Other 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 £
Turkey 538,185
United States 305,496
Romania 112,394
India 90,623
Viet Nam 85,646

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 £
Turkey 272,907 265,278 -7,629
United States 156,355 149,141 -7,214
Romania 99,563 12,831 -86,732
India 48,418 42,205 -6,213
Viet Nam 85,646 0 -85,646
Germany 52,726 26,927 -25,799
Denmark 6,648 37,333 +30,685
Malaysia 25,824 0 -25,824
Czechia 24,350 0 -24,350
Italy 6,901 16,218 +9,317

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) 764,876
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 578,352
Air transport 41,991

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) 401,032 363,844 -37,188
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 393,859 184,493 -209,366
Air transport 32,138 9,853 -22,285

Export volume by port

What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Dover / Eurotunnel 740,974
Southampton 227,256
Felixstowe 204,897
London Gateway Port 130,166
ZLC 35,273

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 384,966 356,008 -28,958
Southampton 155,801 71,455 -84,346
Felixstowe 134,064 70,833 -63,231
London Gateway Port 87,961 42,205 -45,756
ZLC 26,378 8,895 -17,483
Immingham Docks 22,681 3,636 -19,045
Portsmouth 7,167 0 -7,167
Heysham 2,251 4,200 +1,949
East Midlands Airport 5,760 0 -5,760
London Stansted Airport 0 958 +958

Related HS codes

What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.

Quick facts

HS code: 5504

Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months

Description: Unprocessed synthetic fibers used in making yarn or thread. Includes fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic