Import/export HS code 7218: Stainless steel in primary forms
Stainless steel in basic shapes like ingots, blocks, or semi-finished 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 27,690,521 |
| Italy | 15,973,924 |
| Spain | 4,537,499 |
| Germany | 3,960,578 |
| United States | 2,630,969 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 12,381,566 | 15,308,955 | +2,927,389 |
| Italy | 10,177,319 | 5,796,605 | -4,380,714 |
| Spain | 3,210,323 | 1,327,176 | -1,883,147 |
| Germany | 1,415,994 | 2,544,584 | +1,128,590 |
| United States | 2,207,652 | 423,317 | -1,784,335 |
| China | 1,136,328 | 1,223,106 | +86,778 |
| Taiwan | 1,164,658 | 920,254 | -244,404 |
| France | 357,392 | 1,628,463 | +1,271,071 |
| Netherlands | 500,814 | 1,147,515 | +646,701 |
| India | 334,257 | 359,179 | +24,922 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 26,626,719 |
| Italy | 16,633,244 |
| Spain | 3,935,159 |
| United Kingdom | 3,733,985 |
| China | 2,708,993 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 12,785,571 | 13,841,148 | +1,055,577 |
| Italy | 10,197,589 | 6,435,655 | -3,761,934 |
| Spain | 2,728,857 | 1,206,302 | -1,522,555 |
| United Kingdom | 315,589 | 3,418,396 | +3,102,807 |
| China | 1,484,926 | 1,224,067 | -260,859 |
| Germany | 1,516,721 | 736,178 | -780,543 |
| United States | 1,888,055 | 236,989 | -1,651,066 |
| Taiwan | 1,164,658 | 954,328 | -210,330 |
| Netherlands | 511,209 | 1,185,481 | +674,272 |
| France | 255,033 | 871,205 | +616,172 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 10 |
| Inner London - East | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 7 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 8 | 4 | -4 |
| Inner London - East | 7 | 5 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 6 | 7 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 5 | +2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 6 | 1 | -5 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| West Midlands | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 5 | 4 | -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) | 38,867,045 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 23,710,125 |
| Air transport | 3,792,550 |
| Other | 887,489 |
| Road transport | 3,430 |
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) | 21,246,912 | 17,620,133 | -3,626,779 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,478,467 | 13,231,658 | +2,753,191 |
| Air transport | 2,132,194 | 1,660,356 | -471,838 |
| Other | 846,889 | 40,600 | -806,289 |
| Road transport | 0 | 3,430 | +3,430 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 31,024,580 |
| Eurotunnel | 9,506,045 |
| Dover | 8,797,649 |
| Poole | 3,027,092 |
| Felixstowe | 2,874,509 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 14,118,012 | 16,906,568 | +2,788,556 |
| Eurotunnel | 5,990,095 | 3,515,950 | -2,474,145 |
| Dover | 4,467,107 | 4,330,542 | -136,565 |
| Poole | 1,733,689 | 1,293,403 | -440,286 |
| Felixstowe | 1,554,461 | 1,320,048 | -234,413 |
| East Midlands Airport | 933,432 | 730,408 | -203,024 |
| Hull | 52,709 | 1,406,334 | +1,353,625 |
| Southampton | 846,142 | 609,212 | -236,930 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 784,635 | 591,789 | -192,846 |
| Portsmouth | 1,198,118 | 84,130 | -1,113,988 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
|
Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
|
30 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
26 |
|
Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.
|
22 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
15 |
|
Manufacture of basic metals
|
9 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 21 |
| 2026-04 | 21 |
| 2026-03 | 21 |
| 2026-02 | 18 |
| 2026-01 | 19 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TRELLEBORG SEALING SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED | 106 |
| PEKTRON GROUP LIMITED | 64 |
| KOHLER MIRA LIMITED | 47 |
| SPECIAL MELTED PRODUCTS LIMITED | 46 |
| EUROPEAN SAFETY SYSTEMS LIMITED | 41 |
| ICHOR SYSTEMS LTD | 40 |
| DDC DOLPHIN LIMITED | 37 |
| DONCASTERS LIMITED | 37 |
| FREELANCE SURGICAL LIMITED | 36 |
| SPECIALITY STEEL UK LIMITED | 35 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 65 |
| 1m-15m | 45 |
| 15m-54m | 21 |
| 0-1m | 10 |
| Other | 6 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 466,862,526 |
| Sweden | 228,822,652 |
| United States | 102,757,973 |
| Italy | 44,130,071 |
| Spain | 30,003,683 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 273,818,164 | 193,044,362 | -80,773,802 |
| Sweden | 147,594,193 | 81,228,459 | -66,365,734 |
| United States | 47,535,099 | 55,222,874 | +7,687,775 |
| Italy | 27,567,987 | 16,562,084 | -11,005,903 |
| Spain | 20,626,797 | 9,376,886 | -11,249,911 |
| Portugal | 12,363,992 | 15,962,115 | +3,598,123 |
| South Korea | 3,178,991 | 3,388,765 | +209,774 |
| India | 3,062,189 | 3,159,062 | +96,873 |
| Malaysia | 391,720 | 5,635,526 | +5,243,806 |
| China | 2,468,694 | 2,064,536 | -404,158 |
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 | 24,131 |
| Italy | 198 |
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 | 17,823 | 6,308 | -11,515 |
| Italy | 198 | 0 | -198 |
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) | 671,591,131 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 271,488,517 |
| Air transport | 15,306,837 |
| Other | 24,985 |
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) | 376,079,397 | 295,511,734 | -80,567,663 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 178,364,130 | 93,124,387 | -85,239,743 |
| Air transport | 6,522,567 | 8,784,270 | +2,261,703 |
| Other | 18,677 | 6,308 | -12,369 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 552,752,246 |
| Hull | 181,657,407 |
| Liverpool Docks | 86,378,874 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 69,372,760 |
| Avonmouth Docks | 25,963,411 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 380,973,991 | 171,778,255 | -209,195,736 |
| Hull | 63,495,419 | 118,161,988 | +54,666,569 |
| Liverpool Docks | 34,884,457 | 51,494,417 | +16,609,960 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 42,979,920 | 26,392,840 | -16,587,080 |
| Avonmouth Docks | 17,289,074 | 8,674,337 | -8,614,737 |
| Southampton | 4,936,236 | 5,699,128 | +762,892 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,476,720 | 5,403,866 | +1,927,146 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,546,679 | 2,601,398 | -2,945,281 |
| Felixstowe | 1,002,940 | 2,873,506 | +1,870,566 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,446,065 | 2,208,572 | +762,507 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 7218
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Stainless steel in basic shapes like ingots, blocks, or semi-finished products