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 4,775,930
China 1,479,810
Germany 652,979
Japan 618,565
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 4,136,103 639,827 -3,496,276
China 1,194,033 285,777 -908,256
Germany 192,458 460,521 +268,063
Japan 608,609 9,956 -598,653
Estonia 0 204,741 +204,741
Austria 0 126,804 +126,804
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 3,846,492
China 1,596,214
Estonia 1,103,632
Germany 619,697
Japan 616,543

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 3,220,867 625,625 -2,595,242
China 1,225,507 370,707 -854,800
Estonia 915,236 188,396 -726,840
Germany 143,753 475,944 +332,191
Japan 606,587 9,956 -596,631
Liechtenstein 111,129 9,537 -101,592
Austria 50,384 43,115 -7,269
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) 5,318,578
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 2,666,472
Air transport 67,207

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) 5,022,845 295,733 -4,727,112
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,233,050 1,433,422 +200,372
Air transport 35,572 31,635 -3,937

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 2,289,492
Immingham Docks 1,090,745
Liverpool Docks 915,236
Dover 299,158

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 1,805,363 484,129 -1,321,234
Immingham Docks 5,368 1,085,377 +1,080,009
Liverpool Docks 915,236 0 -915,236
Dover 233,976 65,182 -168,794
London 0 84,930 +84,930
Eurotunnel 55,578 0 -55,578
East Midlands Airport 34,614 0 -34,614
London Heathrow Airport 0 31,635 +31,635
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 4,951,003
Germany 2,180,259
Netherlands 161,813
Japan 131,731
United Arab Emirates 74,222

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 3,735,356 1,215,647 -2,519,709
Germany 1,841,585 338,674 -1,502,911
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
Belgium 976 0 -976

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) 5,037,633
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 2,267,976
Air transport 321,733

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) 3,925,750 1,111,883 -2,813,867
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,962,245 305,731 -1,656,514
Air transport 44,188 277,545 +233,357

Export volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Southampton 4,563,128
Dover / Eurotunnel 1,959,127
Liverpool Docks 214,719
Immingham Docks 206,468
Harwich 161,813

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 3,697,728 865,400 -2,832,328
Dover / Eurotunnel 1,769,052 190,075 -1,578,977
Liverpool Docks 34,684 180,035 +145,351
Immingham Docks 61,607 144,861 +83,254
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 31,412 59,917 +28,505
Manchester Airport 0 74,222 +74,222
Dover 17,597 37,243 +19,646

Quick facts

HS code: 81129221

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

Description: Recyclable materials like leftover pieces or used items