Import/export HS code 81129221: Metal waste and scrap

Recyclable materials like leftover pieces or used items

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 £
United States 4,779,447
China 1,456,125
Japan 657,264
Germany 652,979
Estonia 204,741

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 £
United States 4,136,103 643,344 -3,492,759
China 748,034 708,091 -39,943
Japan 608,609 48,655 -559,954
Germany 192,458 460,521 +268,063
Estonia 0 204,741 +204,741
Austria 0 137,169 +137,169
Liechtenstein 111,129 9,537 -101,592
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 31,474 0 -31,474
France 13,506 6,963 -6,543
Netherlands 1,679 16,664 +14,985

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 £
United States 3,850,009
China 1,572,529
Estonia 1,103,632
Japan 655,242
Germany 619,697

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 £
United States 3,220,867 629,142 -2,591,725
China 779,508 793,021 +13,513
Estonia 915,236 188,396 -726,840
Japan 606,587 48,655 -557,932
Germany 143,753 475,944 +332,191
Liechtenstein 111,129 9,537 -101,592
Austria 50,384 53,480 +3,096
France 13,506 6,963 -6,543
Spain 0 16,345 +16,345
Kazakhstan 0 14,202 +14,202

Importers across UK regions

What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.

Top 5 values

UK region Companies
Essex 1
Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 1

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
Essex 0 1 +1
Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 0 1 +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) 5,024,296
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 2,676,837
Air transport 380,020

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) 4,576,846 447,450 -4,129,396
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,233,050 1,443,787 +210,737
Air transport 35,572 344,448 +308,876

Import volume by port

What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
London Gateway Port 3,217,727
Felixstowe 1,984,201
Immingham Docks 1,090,745
Liverpool Docks 915,236
London Heathrow Airport 340,931

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 Gateway Port 3,217,727 0 -3,217,727
Felixstowe 1,359,364 624,837 -734,527
Immingham Docks 5,368 1,085,377 +1,080,009
Liverpool Docks 915,236 0 -915,236
London Heathrow Airport 0 340,931 +340,931
Dover 233,976 75,547 -158,429
London 0 84,930 +84,930
Eurotunnel 55,578 0 -55,578
East Midlands Airport 34,614 3,517 -31,097
Dover / Eurotunnel 20,625 0 -20,625

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 3
Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery 1

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2025-10 2
2025-08 3

Top importers

What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.

Importer company size by revenue band

What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.

Top 5 values

Revenue Companies
15m-54m 1
54m+ 1
Other 1

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 4,687,006
Germany 2,206,995
Belgium 221,411
Netherlands 161,813
Japan 131,731

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 3,381,587 1,305,419 -2,076,168
Germany 1,978,703 228,292 -1,750,411
Belgium 976 220,435 +219,459
Netherlands 161,813 0 -161,813
Japan 131,731 0 -131,731
United Arab Emirates 0 74,222 +74,222
Spain 36,795 29,373 -7,422
France 3,570 37,243 +33,673
South Korea 14,969 0 -14,969
Taiwan 5,388 0 -5,388

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) 4,771,865
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 2,323,751
Air transport 514,900

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) 3,715,071 1,056,794 -2,658,277
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,962,245 361,506 -1,600,739
Air transport 38,216 476,684 +438,468

Export volume by port

What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Southampton 4,299,131
Dover / Eurotunnel 2,014,902
Liverpool Docks 214,719
Immingham Docks 204,697
London Stansted Airport 164,660

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 £
Southampton 3,343,959 955,172 -2,388,787
Dover / Eurotunnel 1,769,052 245,850 -1,523,202
Liverpool Docks 34,684 180,035 +145,351
Immingham Docks 204,697 0 -204,697
London Stansted Airport 0 164,660 +164,660
Harwich 161,813 0 -161,813
London Heathrow Airport 0 143,406 +143,406
London Gateway Port 131,731 0 -131,731
East Midlands Airport 25,440 94,396 +68,956
Manchester Airport 0 74,222 +74,222

Quick facts

HS code: 81129221

Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months

Description: Recyclable materials like leftover pieces or used items