Import/export HS code 56: Textile padding, felt, and nonwoven fabrics; special yarns; ropes and cables
Includes all types of textile padding, felt, nonwoven fabrics, special yarns, ropes, and cables, along with related products
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 | 170,339,192 |
| China | 163,945,978 |
| Turkey | 129,931,113 |
| Luxembourg | 103,584,262 |
| France | 100,006,290 |
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 | 88,215,886 | 82,123,306 | -6,092,580 |
| China | 86,193,404 | 77,752,574 | -8,440,830 |
| Turkey | 63,808,813 | 66,122,300 | +2,313,487 |
| Luxembourg | 51,845,557 | 51,738,705 | -106,852 |
| France | 52,952,589 | 47,053,701 | -5,898,888 |
| Italy | 47,710,138 | 48,144,326 | +434,188 |
| Belgium | 31,050,850 | 47,340,125 | +16,289,275 |
| Netherlands | 36,752,921 | 41,549,926 | +4,797,005 |
| Spain | 31,855,407 | 38,402,751 | +6,547,344 |
| India | 32,017,834 | 27,860,170 | -4,157,664 |
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 | 187,166,866 |
| Germany | 184,082,103 |
| Turkey | 134,302,381 |
| Italy | 99,264,251 |
| United States | 86,025,986 |
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 | 97,575,890 | 89,590,976 | -7,984,914 |
| Germany | 92,333,959 | 91,748,144 | -585,815 |
| Turkey | 65,455,553 | 68,846,828 | +3,391,275 |
| Italy | 49,643,134 | 49,621,117 | -22,017 |
| United States | 45,681,188 | 40,344,798 | -5,336,390 |
| Spain | 34,818,000 | 41,742,560 | +6,924,560 |
| India | 32,843,177 | 28,750,903 | -4,092,274 |
| Belgium | 20,156,751 | 25,521,445 | +5,364,694 |
| Austria | 22,201,589 | 20,402,670 | -1,798,919 |
| France | 20,165,862 | 20,233,535 | +67,673 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 249 |
| Greater Manchester | 224 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 187 |
| West Yorkshire | 178 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 172 |
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 | 178 | 174 | -4 |
| Greater Manchester | 168 | 173 | +5 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 138 | 140 | +2 |
| West Yorkshire | 138 | 141 | +3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 130 | 136 | +6 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 124 | 119 | -5 |
| West Midlands | 114 | 116 | +2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 91 | 100 | +9 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 91 | 84 | -7 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 83 | 91 | +8 |
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) | 683,323,713 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 557,372,783 |
| Other | 92,482,953 |
| Air transport | 86,467,442 |
| Road transport | 7,502,397 |
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) | 344,907,267 | 338,416,446 | -6,490,821 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 277,396,559 | 279,976,224 | +2,579,665 |
| Other | 48,209,927 | 44,273,026 | -3,936,901 |
| Air transport | 44,039,876 | 42,427,566 | -1,612,310 |
| Road transport | 2,025,948 | 5,476,449 | +3,450,501 |
| Rail transport | 27,073 | 62,039 | +34,966 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 271,906,087 |
| Felixstowe | 212,326,937 |
| London Gateway Port | 132,521,209 |
| Immingham Docks | 125,308,685 |
| 000 | 92,200,999 |
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 | 137,905,319 | 134,000,768 | -3,904,551 |
| Felixstowe | 122,590,470 | 89,736,467 | -32,854,003 |
| London Gateway Port | 52,206,840 | 80,314,369 | +28,107,529 |
| Immingham Docks | 59,136,407 | 66,172,278 | +7,035,871 |
| 000 | 48,162,823 | 44,038,176 | -4,124,647 |
| London | 35,381,095 | 46,398,086 | +11,016,991 |
| Southampton | 38,907,107 | 34,772,308 | -4,134,799 |
| Liverpool Docks | 30,055,264 | 27,357,702 | -2,697,562 |
| Killingholme | 24,046,105 | 17,799,526 | -6,246,579 |
| Eurotunnel | 22,952,458 | 17,283,913 | -5,668,545 |
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 | 1108 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 611 |
| Other manufacturing | 350 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 205 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 165 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 871 |
| 2026-03 | 925 |
| 2026-02 | 900 |
| 2026-01 | 835 |
| 2025-12 | 738 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ROBERT SCOTT & SONS LIMITED | 124 |
| 3M UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 124 |
| PETS AT HOME LTD | 124 |
| NICE-PAK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 124 |
| TECHNICAL TEXTILE SERVICES LIMITED | 124 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 123 |
| THE LUREX COMPANY LIMITED | 122 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 122 |
| KIMBERLY-CLARK EUROPE LIMITED | 121 |
| BUILDING PRODUCT DESIGN LIMITED | 121 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 1678 |
| 54m+ | 858 |
| 0-1m | 493 |
| 15m-54m | 449 |
| Other | 241 |
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 | 137,185,289 |
| Germany | 55,736,138 |
| China | 54,158,997 |
| Ireland | 47,684,281 |
| France | 44,019,268 |
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 | 64,700,329 | 72,484,960 | +7,784,631 |
| Germany | 29,238,689 | 26,497,449 | -2,741,240 |
| China | 31,150,173 | 23,008,824 | -8,141,349 |
| Ireland | 25,522,466 | 22,161,815 | -3,360,651 |
| France | 20,123,331 | 23,895,937 | +3,772,606 |
| Netherlands | 17,798,410 | 13,924,979 | -3,873,431 |
| Sweden | 16,318,288 | 14,511,834 | -1,806,454 |
| Denmark | 11,407,361 | 12,722,992 | +1,315,631 |
| Japan | 7,009,727 | 15,542,583 | +8,532,856 |
| Italy | 9,639,324 | 10,700,376 | +1,061,052 |
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 | 19,336,226 |
| Luxembourg | 17,199,141 |
| Japan | 1,792,225 |
| United States | 1,750,265 |
| Portugal | 957,148 |
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 | 2,319,021 | 17,017,205 | +14,698,184 |
| Luxembourg | 12,785,481 | 4,413,660 | -8,371,821 |
| Japan | 1,011,501 | 780,724 | -230,777 |
| United States | 1,263,182 | 487,083 | -776,099 |
| Portugal | 442,485 | 514,663 | +72,178 |
| France | 359,887 | 279,550 | -80,337 |
| Hungary | 160,438 | 162,155 | +1,717 |
| China | 149,736 | 169,028 | +19,292 |
| Czechia | 115,423 | 158,300 | +42,877 |
| Greece | 118,156 | 87,155 | -31,001 |
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) | 273,560,325 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 265,441,614 |
| Air transport | 139,335,926 |
| Other | 51,165,274 |
| Road transport | 110,259 |
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) | 141,680,208 | 131,880,117 | -9,800,091 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 133,650,096 | 131,791,518 | -1,858,578 |
| Air transport | 65,202,584 | 74,133,342 | +8,930,758 |
| Other | 23,650,515 | 27,514,759 | +3,864,244 |
| Road transport | 103,670 | 6,589 | -97,081 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 132,013,156 |
| Immingham Docks | 80,349,696 |
| Southampton | 76,192,719 |
| London Gateway Port | 58,132,698 |
| London Stansted Airport | 54,801,501 |
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 | 66,942,601 | 65,070,555 | -1,872,046 |
| Immingham Docks | 40,623,549 | 39,726,147 | -897,402 |
| Southampton | 29,327,775 | 46,864,944 | +17,537,169 |
| London Gateway Port | 29,181,017 | 28,951,681 | -229,336 |
| London Stansted Airport | 27,107,534 | 27,693,967 | +586,433 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 23,339,714 | 30,255,296 | +6,915,582 |
| 000 | 23,591,807 | 27,471,252 | +3,879,445 |
| Felixstowe | 28,655,805 | 16,381,235 | -12,274,570 |
| Belfast Port | 21,677,840 | 7,279,977 | -14,397,863 |
| Liverpool Docks | 11,837,378 | 9,233,627 | -2,603,751 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 5601 – Textile wadding and short fiber materials
- 5602 – Felt materials
- 5603 – Nonwoven materials
- 5604 – Rubber thread and cord with textile cover
- 5605 – Metallised yarn with metal coating
- 5606 – Fancy yarns and threads
- 5607 – Ropes and cords
- 5608 – Knotted nets made of rope or textile materials
- 5609 – Products made from yarn, rope, or cables
Quick facts
HS code: 56
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes all types of textile padding, felt, nonwoven fabrics, special yarns, ropes, and cables, along with related products