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 | 962,252 |
| Netherlands | 627,708 |
| Romania | 514,439 |
| Thailand | 410,088 |
| Germany | 391,268 |
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 | 669,317 | 292,935 | -376,382 |
| Netherlands | 262,636 | 365,072 | +102,436 |
| Romania | 319,978 | 194,461 | -125,517 |
| Thailand | 249,876 | 160,212 | -89,664 |
| Germany | 222,406 | 168,862 | -53,544 |
| Belgium | 214,646 | 132,287 | -82,359 |
| Turkey | 136,766 | 51,566 | -85,200 |
| Spain | 104,881 | 67,071 | -37,810 |
| France | 57,315 | 56,867 | -448 |
| Malaysia | 0 | 91,906 | +91,906 |
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 | 2,040,742 |
| Turkey | 522,853 |
| Indonesia | 374,219 |
| Thailand | 274,996 |
| Spain | 197,456 |
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 | 1,183,805 | 856,937 | -326,868 |
| Turkey | 348,444 | 174,409 | -174,035 |
| Indonesia | 218,549 | 155,670 | -62,879 |
| Thailand | 179,310 | 95,686 | -83,624 |
| Spain | 111,334 | 86,122 | -25,212 |
| Germany | 99,219 | 66,652 | -32,567 |
| Malaysia | 0 | 91,906 | +91,906 |
| Slovenia | 48,077 | 31,726 | -16,351 |
| India | 45,881 | 28,217 | -17,664 |
| United States | 35,210 | 21,930 | -13,280 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 |
| Cheshire | 4 |
| 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 | 6 | 6 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Cheshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| North Wales | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| 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) | 2,647,035 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 800,467 |
| Air transport | 586,764 |
| Other | 41,358 |
| 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) | 1,584,229 | 1,062,806 | -521,423 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 477,481 | 322,986 | -154,495 |
| Air transport | 303,990 | 282,774 | -21,216 |
| Other | 13,801 | 27,557 | +13,756 |
| 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 | 889,813 |
| Southampton | 724,232 |
| Dover | 424,984 |
| Birmingham Airport | 370,475 |
| Thamesport | 308,860 |
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 | 603,637 | 286,176 | -317,461 |
| Southampton | 467,542 | 256,690 | -210,852 |
| Dover | 237,235 | 187,749 | -49,486 |
| Birmingham Airport | 160,245 | 210,230 | +49,985 |
| Thamesport | 184,405 | 124,455 | -59,950 |
| Killingholme | 207,313 | 93,204 | -114,109 |
| London Gateway Port | 84,271 | 141,673 | +57,402 |
| Eurotunnel | 115,290 | 51,266 | -64,024 |
| Immingham Docks | 27,888 | 101,921 | +74,033 |
| London | 30,409 | 49,232 | +18,823 |
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 | 24 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 13 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 10 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 5 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 19 |
| 2025-11 | 12 |
| 2025-10 | 21 |
| 2025-09 | 16 |
| 2025-08 | 17 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 92 |
| DEE SET LOGISTICS LIMITED | 72 |
| MADEIRA UK LLP | 56 |
| SOMAC THREADS LIMITED | 49 |
| WOOL WAREHOUSE DIRECT LIMITED | 48 |
| COATS TRADING (UK) LIMITED | 47 |
| MARATHON THREADS (NOTTINGHAM) LTD | 40 |
| IMMI LTD | 38 |
| AMANN THREADS UK LIMITED | 36 |
| FISCHBEIN-SAXON LTD | 35 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 38 |
| 15m-54m | 9 |
| 0-1m | 8 |
| 54m+ | 8 |
| Other | 4 |
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 | 387,662 |
| Viet Nam | 157,754 |
| Morocco | 127,920 |
| Ireland | 114,553 |
| 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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 150,094 | 237,568 | +87,474 |
| Viet Nam | 153,753 | 4,001 | -149,752 |
| Morocco | 39,631 | 88,289 | +48,658 |
| Ireland | 65,515 | 49,038 | -16,477 |
| Madagascar | 53,641 | 19,009 | -34,632 |
| Tunisia | 8,001 | 31,832 | +23,831 |
| Czechia | 20,230 | 4,629 | -15,601 |
| Mexico | 18,758 | 0 | -18,758 |
| Sweden | 10,626 | 6,136 | -4,490 |
| Chile | 4,951 | 7,892 | +2,941 |
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 | 2,333 |
| 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 | 1,149 | 1,184 | +35 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 395,245 |
| Air transport | 386,441 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 292,675 |
| Other | 2,348 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 156,381 | 238,864 | +82,483 |
| Air transport | 302,810 | 83,631 | -219,179 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 144,886 | 147,789 | +2,903 |
| Other | 1,149 | 1,199 | +50 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 293,968 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 255,003 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 145,893 |
| Heysham | 83,928 |
| 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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 74,449 | 219,519 | +145,070 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 208,125 | 46,878 | -161,247 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 72,784 | 73,109 | +325 |
| Heysham | 46,332 | 37,596 | -8,736 |
| Southampton | 63,814 | 2,010 | -61,804 |
| East Midlands Airport | 51,883 | 8,924 | -42,959 |
| London Gateway Port | 14,982 | 20,485 | +5,503 |
| London Stansted Airport | 18,801 | 7,620 | -11,181 |
| Manchester Airport | 7,405 | 18,302 | +10,897 |
| Portsmouth | 2,652 | 21,780 | +19,128 |
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