Import/export HS code 5508: Sewing thread made from man-made fibers
Sewing thread made from synthetic or artificial fibers, available in retail or bulk packaging
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 | 959,362 |
| Netherlands | 625,881 |
| Romania | 535,265 |
| Thailand | 461,630 |
| Germany | 411,900 |
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 | 589,609 | 369,753 | -219,856 |
| Netherlands | 255,963 | 369,918 | +113,955 |
| Romania | 296,082 | 239,183 | -56,899 |
| Thailand | 210,037 | 251,593 | +41,556 |
| Germany | 183,702 | 228,198 | +44,496 |
| Belgium | 197,349 | 190,716 | -6,633 |
| Turkey | 162,425 | 25,907 | -136,518 |
| Spain | 127,409 | 44,553 | -82,856 |
| Malaysia | 25,925 | 107,438 | +81,513 |
| France | 64,555 | 61,973 | -2,582 |
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 | 2,041,784 |
| Turkey | 531,991 |
| Indonesia | 406,211 |
| Thailand | 325,562 |
| Spain | 194,843 |
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 | 1,068,826 | 972,958 | -95,868 |
| Turkey | 356,999 | 174,992 | -182,007 |
| Indonesia | 195,197 | 211,014 | +15,817 |
| Thailand | 139,471 | 186,091 | +46,620 |
| Spain | 128,863 | 65,980 | -62,883 |
| Germany | 79,991 | 100,147 | +20,156 |
| Malaysia | 25,925 | 107,438 | +81,513 |
| Slovenia | 54,893 | 31,906 | -22,987 |
| India | 33,968 | 50,843 | +16,875 |
| United States | 36,425 | 24,148 | -12,277 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 6 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 |
| Cheshire | 3 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 |
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 | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Cheshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| North Wales | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 | 2 | +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) | 2,773,159 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 821,001 |
| Air transport | 639,665 |
| Other | 41,480 |
| Road transport | 3,254 |
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) | 1,490,994 | 1,282,165 | -208,829 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 443,666 | 377,335 | -66,331 |
| Air transport | 282,723 | 356,942 | +74,219 |
| Other | 22,344 | 19,136 | -3,208 |
| Road transport | 3,254 | 0 | -3,254 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 925,416 |
| Southampton | 734,153 |
| Dover | 424,443 |
| Birmingham Airport | 415,810 |
| Killingholme | 348,148 |
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 | 594,434 | 330,982 | -263,452 |
| Southampton | 406,957 | 327,196 | -79,761 |
| Dover | 233,240 | 191,203 | -42,037 |
| Birmingham Airport | 154,720 | 261,090 | +106,370 |
| Killingholme | 192,588 | 155,560 | -37,028 |
| Thamesport | 173,228 | 128,133 | -45,095 |
| London Gateway Port | 72,667 | 182,817 | +110,150 |
| Eurotunnel | 106,164 | 77,932 | -28,232 |
| Immingham Docks | 27,400 | 98,447 | +71,047 |
| London | 32,866 | 47,779 | +14,913 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 23 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 12 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 9 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 5 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 13 |
| 2026-03 | 16 |
| 2026-02 | 13 |
| 2026-01 | 19 |
| 2025-12 | 16 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 96 |
| DEE SET LOGISTICS LIMITED | 73 |
| MADEIRA UK LLP | 60 |
| WOOL WAREHOUSE DIRECT LIMITED | 52 |
| SOMAC THREADS LIMITED | 52 |
| COATS TRADING (UK) LIMITED | 51 |
| MARATHON THREADS (NOTTINGHAM) LTD | 41 |
| AMANN THREADS UK LIMITED | 40 |
| IMMI LTD | 40 |
| FISCHBEIN-SAXON LTD | 38 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 33 |
| 15m-54m | 10 |
| 0-1m | 9 |
| 54m+ | 6 |
| Other | 5 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Viet Nam | 963,420 |
| United States | 587,525 |
| Morocco | 151,495 |
| Ireland | 142,900 |
| Madagascar | 72,650 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viet Nam | 147,814 | 815,606 | +667,792 |
| United States | 205,678 | 381,847 | +176,169 |
| Morocco | 32,779 | 118,716 | +85,937 |
| Ireland | 64,275 | 78,625 | +14,350 |
| Madagascar | 53,641 | 19,009 | -34,632 |
| Tunisia | 19,550 | 21,558 | +2,008 |
| Czechia | 21,152 | 11,064 | -10,088 |
| Mexico | 18,758 | 0 | -18,758 |
| Sweden | 11,145 | 0 | -11,145 |
| Chile | 3,000 | 7,892 | +4,892 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 2,197 |
| Nicaragua | 15 |
Export origin countries 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 export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 2,172 | 25 | -2,147 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 15 | +15 |
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 | 1,334,824 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 455,024 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 339,621 |
| Other | 2,212 |
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 | 280,684 | 1,054,140 | +773,456 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 217,498 | 237,526 | +20,028 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 143,560 | 196,061 | +52,501 |
| Other | 2,172 | 40 | -2,132 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,213,513 |
| Liverpool Docks | 365,606 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 148,490 |
| Heysham | 105,503 |
| Southampton | 65,824 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 207,150 | 1,006,363 | +799,213 |
| Liverpool Docks | 141,289 | 224,317 | +83,028 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 69,258 | 79,232 | +9,974 |
| Heysham | 43,885 | 61,618 | +17,733 |
| Southampton | 63,814 | 2,010 | -61,804 |
| East Midlands Airport | 44,226 | 10,812 | -33,414 |
| London Gateway Port | 14,982 | 20,485 | +5,503 |
| Portsmouth | 7,299 | 27,568 | +20,269 |
| Manchester Airport | 3,600 | 25,226 | +21,626 |
| London Stansted Airport | 17,482 | 7,620 | -9,862 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 5508
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Sewing thread made from synthetic or artificial fibers, available in retail or bulk packaging