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 | 28,966,762 |
| Italy | 15,604,864 |
| Spain | 6,401,618 |
| Germany | 4,002,143 |
| United States | 3,367,529 |
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 | 13,615,222 | 15,351,540 | +1,736,318 |
| Italy | 10,281,796 | 5,323,068 | -4,958,728 |
| Spain | 4,968,903 | 1,432,715 | -3,536,188 |
| Germany | 1,443,830 | 2,558,313 | +1,114,483 |
| United States | 2,628,480 | 739,049 | -1,889,431 |
| China | 1,369,389 | 1,298,012 | -71,377 |
| Taiwan | 1,244,047 | 1,045,698 | -198,349 |
| Netherlands | 449,621 | 1,206,528 | +756,907 |
| France | 540,317 | 943,470 | +403,153 |
| Malaysia | 599,029 | 85,392 | -513,637 |
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 | 28,674,618 |
| Italy | 15,722,356 |
| Spain | 5,300,896 |
| United Kingdom | 3,468,448 |
| China | 3,032,966 |
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 | 14,521,463 | 14,153,155 | -368,308 |
| Italy | 10,302,066 | 5,420,290 | -4,881,776 |
| Spain | 3,989,055 | 1,311,841 | -2,677,214 |
| United Kingdom | 253,179 | 3,215,269 | +2,962,090 |
| China | 1,634,804 | 1,398,162 | -236,642 |
| United States | 2,288,593 | 519,133 | -1,769,460 |
| Germany | 1,880,857 | 755,966 | -1,124,891 |
| Taiwan | 1,244,047 | 1,079,772 | -164,275 |
| Netherlands | 473,852 | 1,230,658 | +756,806 |
| France | 251,039 | 729,675 | +478,636 |
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 | 12 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 9 |
| Inner London - East | 8 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 7 |
| West Midlands | 7 |
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 | 7 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 | 7 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 7 | +2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 6 | 4 | -2 |
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) | 40,511,825 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 24,969,090 |
| Air transport | 4,396,333 |
| Other | 1,224,674 |
| Road transport | 8,931 |
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) | 23,377,125 | 17,134,700 | -6,242,425 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,091,900 | 12,877,190 | +785,290 |
| Air transport | 2,386,964 | 2,009,369 | -377,595 |
| Other | 1,023,150 | 201,524 | -821,626 |
| Road transport | 5,501 | 3,430 | -2,071 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 32,960,550 |
| Eurotunnel | 8,990,977 |
| Dover | 8,589,779 |
| Poole | 3,462,348 |
| Felixstowe | 3,158,932 |
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 | 16,317,428 | 16,643,122 | +325,694 |
| Eurotunnel | 6,222,292 | 2,768,685 | -3,453,607 |
| Dover | 4,572,252 | 4,017,527 | -554,725 |
| Poole | 2,067,246 | 1,395,102 | -672,144 |
| Felixstowe | 1,713,494 | 1,445,438 | -268,056 |
| Portsmouth | 2,059,505 | 57,698 | -2,001,807 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,102,864 | 753,322 | -349,542 |
| East Midlands Airport | 791,255 | 903,751 | +112,496 |
| Southampton | 859,976 | 581,227 | -278,749 |
| Hull | 45,255 | 1,392,075 | +1,346,820 |
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 | 29 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 22 |
| Other manufacturing | 17 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 9 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 21 |
| 2026-03 | 21 |
| 2026-02 | 18 |
| 2026-01 | 19 |
| 2025-12 | 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 | 105 |
| PEKTRON GROUP LIMITED | 64 |
| KOHLER MIRA LIMITED | 47 |
| SPECIAL MELTED PRODUCTS LIMITED | 46 |
| EUROPEAN SAFETY SYSTEMS LIMITED | 40 |
| ICHOR SYSTEMS LTD | 40 |
| DONCASTERS LIMITED | 37 |
| DDC DOLPHIN LIMITED | 36 |
| FREELANCE SURGICAL LIMITED | 35 |
| 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+ | 66 |
| 1m-15m | 49 |
| 15m-54m | 23 |
| 0-1m | 12 |
| Other | 10 |
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 | 516,035,761 |
| Sweden | 254,765,101 |
| United States | 104,717,668 |
| Spain | 43,450,143 |
| Italy | 36,922,506 |
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 | 300,370,460 | 215,665,301 | -84,705,159 |
| Sweden | 164,247,304 | 90,517,797 | -73,729,507 |
| United States | 55,246,949 | 49,470,719 | -5,776,230 |
| Spain | 33,464,440 | 9,985,703 | -23,478,737 |
| Italy | 25,870,951 | 11,051,555 | -14,819,396 |
| Portugal | 15,550,172 | 15,559,486 | +9,314 |
| India | 3,650,917 | 2,521,421 | -1,129,496 |
| South Korea | 2,705,932 | 3,127,290 | +421,358 |
| Malaysia | 174,868 | 5,509,682 | +5,334,814 |
| France | 3,539,040 | 880,643 | -2,658,397 |
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 | 25,056 |
| 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 | 11,452 | 13,604 | +2,152 |
| 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) | 729,104,582 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 300,616,096 |
| Air transport | 14,949,463 |
| Other | 26,624 |
| Road transport | 9,760 |
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) | 410,503,301 | 318,601,281 | -91,902,020 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 206,544,035 | 94,072,061 | -112,471,974 |
| Air transport | 5,725,333 | 9,224,130 | +3,498,797 |
| Other | 13,020 | 13,604 | +584 |
| Road transport | 9,760 | 0 | -9,760 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 644,807,286 |
| Hull | 156,486,485 |
| Liverpool Docks | 88,183,382 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 74,464,942 |
| Avonmouth Docks | 39,201,620 |
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 | 448,882,080 | 195,925,206 | -252,956,874 |
| Hull | 38,256,590 | 118,229,895 | +79,973,305 |
| Liverpool Docks | 42,473,443 | 45,709,939 | +3,236,496 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 44,408,427 | 30,056,515 | -14,351,912 |
| Avonmouth Docks | 29,887,984 | 9,313,636 | -20,574,348 |
| Southampton | 4,860,157 | 6,269,130 | +1,408,973 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,032,367 | 5,708,255 | +2,675,888 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,823,908 | 1,767,857 | -4,056,051 |
| Felixstowe | 1,181,437 | 2,322,640 | +1,141,203 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,114,586 | 2,191,894 | +1,077,308 |
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