Import/export HS code 56012110: Absorbent cotton wadding
Highly absorbent cotton wadding, often used in medical or hygiene 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 24,507,822 |
| India | 13,272,539 |
| Belgium | 12,610,534 |
| Bulgaria | 12,217,752 |
| China | 7,520,213 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 11,741,279 | 12,766,543 | +1,025,264 |
| India | 6,631,451 | 6,641,088 | +9,637 |
| Belgium | 6,039,761 | 6,570,773 | +531,012 |
| Bulgaria | 5,540,927 | 6,676,825 | +1,135,898 |
| China | 3,846,632 | 3,673,581 | -173,051 |
| Netherlands | 2,633,506 | 3,502,441 | +868,935 |
| Turkey | 2,673,603 | 2,800,738 | +127,135 |
| Germany | 3,108,245 | 797,006 | -2,311,239 |
| Greece | 1,541,448 | 1,542,532 | +1,084 |
| France | 1,218,434 | 867,904 | -350,530 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 24,702,253 |
| India | 13,319,453 |
| Bulgaria | 12,674,308 |
| Turkey | 9,035,377 |
| China | 8,052,026 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 11,821,948 | 12,880,305 | +1,058,357 |
| India | 6,700,153 | 6,619,300 | -80,853 |
| Bulgaria | 5,849,523 | 6,824,785 | +975,262 |
| Turkey | 4,001,738 | 5,033,639 | +1,031,901 |
| China | 4,198,708 | 3,853,318 | -345,390 |
| Germany | 4,012,335 | 2,960,818 | -1,051,517 |
| France | 3,067,459 | 3,217,711 | +150,252 |
| Netherlands | 2,425,068 | 2,700,449 | +275,381 |
| Greece | 1,228,280 | 1,395,018 | +166,738 |
| Spain | 1,387,899 | 0 | -1,387,899 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 20 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 8 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 7 |
| West Yorkshire | 7 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 |
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 | 16 | 12 | -4 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 6 | 8 | +2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 | 5 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Outer London - South | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 4 | 0 | -4 |
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) | 48,802,002 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 38,532,237 |
| Other | 5,619,220 |
| Air transport | 787,602 |
| Road transport | 727,977 |
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) | 25,493,329 | 23,308,673 | -2,184,656 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 16,811,538 | 21,720,699 | +4,909,161 |
| Other | 4,580,816 | 1,038,404 | -3,542,412 |
| Air transport | 420,655 | 366,947 | -53,708 |
| Road transport | 13,593 | 714,384 | +700,791 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London | 27,936,947 |
| Felixstowe | 15,576,446 |
| Dover | 15,046,216 |
| London Gateway Port | 7,171,435 |
| 000 | 5,619,220 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 12,822,211 | 15,114,736 | +2,292,525 |
| Felixstowe | 10,405,627 | 5,170,819 | -5,234,808 |
| Dover | 6,615,307 | 8,430,909 | +1,815,602 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,394,954 | 5,776,481 | +4,381,527 |
| 000 | 4,580,816 | 1,038,404 | -3,542,412 |
| Liverpool Docks | 2,296,491 | 2,477,761 | +181,270 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,669,062 | 1,182,760 | -1,486,302 |
| 499 | 0 | 3,613,096 | +3,613,096 |
| Southampton | 1,877,659 | 1,673,019 | -204,640 |
| Middlesbrough | 839,682 | 753,157 | -86,525 |
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
|
47 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
31 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
7 |
|
Other personal service activities
|
4 |
|
Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities
|
3 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 27 |
| 2026-04 | 32 |
| 2026-03 | 25 |
| 2026-02 | 27 |
| 2026-01 | 27 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| QUEST PERSONAL CARE GLOBAL LTD | 113 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 88 |
| GREAT JAPANESE GUY LTD | 83 |
| SYSCO GUEST SUPPLY EUROPE LIMITED | 76 |
| TOILETRY SALES LIMITED | 74 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 70 |
| CONNECT MARKETING INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 67 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 62 |
| LIDL UK TRADING LIMITED | 52 |
| QUALTEX UK LIMITED | 49 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 46 |
| 1m-15m | 33 |
| 15m-54m | 12 |
| Other | 12 |
| 0-1m | 8 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 3,799,849 |
| Denmark | 2,550,366 |
| United States | 1,379,049 |
| Taiwan | 428,955 |
| Poland | 259,684 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 1,837,684 | 1,962,165 | +124,481 |
| Denmark | 1,188,487 | 1,361,879 | +173,392 |
| United States | 528,604 | 850,445 | +321,841 |
| Taiwan | 216,080 | 212,875 | -3,205 |
| Poland | 138,309 | 121,375 | -16,934 |
| France | 84,507 | 95,707 | +11,200 |
| Singapore | 59,998 | 104,739 | +44,741 |
| United Arab Emirates | 59,909 | 92,029 | +32,120 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 61,334 | 52,790 | -8,544 |
| Malaysia | 58,501 | 55,510 | -2,991 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 462,378 |
| Italy | 31,860 |
| Ireland | 10,761 |
| India | 5,131 |
| Portugal | 2,790 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 266,335 | 196,043 | -70,292 |
| Italy | 19,864 | 11,996 | -7,868 |
| Ireland | 5,694 | 5,067 | -627 |
| India | 2,585 | 2,546 | -39 |
| Portugal | 1,217 | 1,573 | +356 |
| XI | 5 | 1,918 | +1,913 |
| China | 474 | 721 | +247 |
| Turkey | 518 | 0 | -518 |
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) | 6,673,375 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,278,002 |
| Air transport | 817,987 |
| Other | 517,432 |
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) | 3,153,439 | 3,519,936 | +366,497 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 910,950 | 1,367,052 | +456,102 |
| Air transport | 455,652 | 362,335 | -93,317 |
| Other | 297,150 | 220,282 | -76,868 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Holyhead | 2,932,551 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,583,950 |
| Southampton | 1,335,989 |
| London Gateway Port | 613,869 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 607,579 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holyhead | 1,259,160 | 1,673,391 | +414,231 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,215,631 | 1,368,319 | +152,688 |
| Southampton | 442,241 | 893,748 | +451,507 |
| London Gateway Port | 288,366 | 325,503 | +37,137 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 300,313 | 307,266 | +6,953 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 342,358 | 250,868 | -91,490 |
| 000 | 297,150 | 220,282 | -76,868 |
| Liverpool Docks | 206,218 | 87,343 | -118,875 |
| Felixstowe | 64,481 | 74,791 | +10,310 |
| East Midlands Airport | 58,219 | 41,372 | -16,847 |
Quick facts
HS code: 56012110
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Highly absorbent cotton wadding, often used in medical or hygiene products