Import/export HS code 5506: Synthetic fibers ready for spinning

Synthetic fibers like nylon, polyester, or acrylic, prepared for making yarn. Includes carded or combed fibers

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 £
Indonesia 1,179,920
Italy 698,817
China 542,199
Belgium 379,731
Spain 373,708

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 £
Indonesia 690,609 489,311 -201,298
Italy 250,519 448,298 +197,779
China 449,445 92,754 -356,691
Belgium 231,715 148,016 -83,699
Spain 255,961 117,747 -138,214
Germany 351,933 17,326 -334,607
United States 192,261 100,699 -91,562
Portugal 114,229 114,043 -186
Austria 66,774 64,846 -1,928
Turkey 42,682 84,576 +41,894

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 £
Indonesia 1,281,544
Italy 665,941
China 466,722
Belgium 379,731
Spain 375,316

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 £
Indonesia 792,233 489,311 -302,922
Italy 241,401 424,540 +183,139
China 348,717 118,005 -230,712
Belgium 231,715 148,016 -83,699
Spain 257,569 117,747 -139,822
Germany 329,812 0 -329,812
United States 191,365 100,699 -90,666
Turkey 42,682 84,576 +41,894
Taiwan 0 72,319 +72,319
Netherlands 31,853 21,845 -10,008

Importers across UK regions

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

Top 5 values

UK region Companies
West Yorkshire 6
Greater Manchester 3
Inner London - West 3
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 2
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 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 4 5 +1
Greater Manchester 1 2 +1
Inner London - West 2 1 -1
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 0 2 +2
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 1 1 +0
Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire 1 1 +0
Outer London - West and North West 0 2 +2
West Midlands 0 2 +2
Cheshire 1 0 -1
Cumbria 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) 2,067,825
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 1,707,326
Other 458,896
Air transport 386,757
Road transport 4,387

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) 1,159,201 908,624 -250,577
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 1,110,961 596,365 -514,596
Other 245,824 213,072 -32,752
Air transport 215,241 171,516 -43,725
Road transport 4,387 0 -4,387

Import volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Dover 1,157,391
Felixstowe 816,320
London Gateway Port 555,388
000 458,896
Southampton 277,113

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 510,722 646,669 +135,947
Felixstowe 684,648 131,672 -552,976
London Gateway Port 163,643 391,745 +228,102
000 245,824 213,072 -32,752
Southampton 232,225 44,888 -187,337
Eurotunnel 171,159 104,054 -67,105
Immingham Docks 258,136 0 -258,136
London Heathrow Airport 121,413 72,271 -49,142
Killingholme 51,291 107,994 +56,703
Hull 50,730 0 -50,730

Importer companies by SIC division

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

Top 5 values

SIC Companies
Manufacture of textiles 11
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles 9
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles 6
Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding 1
Human health activities 1

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2025-11 4
2025-10 2
2025-09 8
2025-08 6
2025-07 7

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 15
15m-54m 7
54m+ 5
0-1m 2
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 £
Germany 221,020
Portugal 87,180
Turkey 52,006
Italy 43,335
United States 41,824

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 £
Germany 103,697 117,323 +13,626
Portugal 0 87,180 +87,180
Turkey 36,535 15,471 -21,064
Italy 43,335 0 -43,335
United States 31,730 10,094 -21,636
Malaysia 29,345 0 -29,345
Ireland 9,109 3,874 -5,235
France 9,123 1,849 -7,274
Netherlands 6,601 0 -6,601
Norway 0 4,488 +4,488

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) 412,473
Air transport 68,665
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 57,754

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) 192,371 220,102 +27,731
Air transport 40,555 28,110 -12,445
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 53,522 4,232 -49,290

Export volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Dover / Eurotunnel 285,358
Dover 102,977
Southampton 29,345
East Midlands Airport 21,563
Liverpool Docks 16,571

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 175,472 109,886 -65,586
Dover 2,275 100,702 +98,427
Southampton 29,345 0 -29,345
East Midlands Airport 17,425 4,138 -13,287
Liverpool Docks 16,571 0 -16,571
Immingham Docks 5,515 9,872 +4,357
London Stansted Airport 1,795 12,972 +11,177
Holyhead 9,109 3,874 -5,235
ZLC 9,763 0 -9,763
London Heathrow Airport 5,833 2,740 -3,093

Related HS codes

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

Quick facts

HS code: 5506

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

Description: Synthetic fibers like nylon, polyester, or acrylic, prepared for making yarn. Includes carded or combed fibers