Import/export HS code 8203: Hand tools like files, pliers, and shears
Common hand tools including files, rasps, pliers, tweezers, metal-cutting shears, and pipe-cutters
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 52,701,877 |
| Germany | 30,453,065 |
| United States | 25,546,648 |
| France | 15,852,415 |
| Netherlands | 10,581,187 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 26,009,456 | 26,692,421 | +682,965 |
| Germany | 14,800,813 | 15,652,252 | +851,439 |
| United States | 13,358,488 | 12,188,160 | -1,170,328 |
| France | 8,466,886 | 7,385,529 | -1,081,357 |
| Netherlands | 4,982,480 | 5,598,707 | +616,227 |
| Taiwan | 5,281,832 | 4,468,740 | -813,092 |
| Switzerland | 1,514,562 | 1,676,003 | +161,441 |
| Japan | 1,356,617 | 1,498,487 | +141,870 |
| Belgium | 1,359,592 | 1,161,475 | -198,117 |
| Italy | 1,034,941 | 1,160,815 | +125,874 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 63,128,851 |
| Germany | 28,948,469 |
| United States | 22,063,774 |
| Taiwan | 12,181,452 |
| Switzerland | 8,670,174 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 31,034,500 | 32,094,351 | +1,059,851 |
| Germany | 14,898,018 | 14,050,451 | -847,567 |
| United States | 11,444,893 | 10,618,881 | -826,012 |
| Taiwan | 6,619,770 | 5,561,682 | -1,058,088 |
| Switzerland | 4,061,067 | 4,609,107 | +548,040 |
| India | 2,542,108 | 2,489,835 | -52,273 |
| France | 2,318,923 | 2,346,118 | +27,195 |
| Sweden | 2,171,035 | 2,022,373 | -148,662 |
| Spain | 1,906,744 | 1,897,650 | -9,094 |
| Japan | 1,719,831 | 1,955,385 | +235,554 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 83 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 81 |
| West Midlands | 70 |
| Greater Manchester | 65 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 61 |
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 | 57 | 56 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 62 | 61 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 47 | 53 | +6 |
| Greater Manchester | 48 | 44 | -4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 49 | 41 | -8 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 47 | 39 | -8 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 43 | 40 | -3 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 36 | 39 | +3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 42 | 42 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 36 | 33 | -3 |
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) | 73,629,556 |
| Air transport | 54,301,758 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 39,197,788 |
| Other | 2,304,307 |
| Road transport | 299,876 |
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) | 37,883,959 | 35,745,597 | -2,138,362 |
| Air transport | 25,750,754 | 28,551,004 | +2,800,250 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 20,117,131 | 19,080,657 | -1,036,474 |
| Other | 1,338,034 | 966,273 | -371,761 |
| Road transport | 171,428 | 128,448 | -42,980 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 31,150,861 |
| Southampton | 22,789,310 |
| Birmingham Airport | 19,055,166 |
| Dover | 15,641,412 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 11,548,821 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 17,453,433 | 13,697,428 | -3,756,005 |
| Southampton | 13,018,081 | 9,771,229 | -3,246,852 |
| Birmingham Airport | 7,959,123 | 11,096,043 | +3,136,920 |
| Dover | 6,868,524 | 8,772,888 | +1,904,364 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,305,282 | 5,243,539 | -1,061,743 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,579,195 | 6,816,662 | +4,237,467 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,196,218 | 4,957,665 | +761,447 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,070,441 | 3,205,626 | +135,185 |
| London | 3,570,577 | 2,476,761 | -1,093,816 |
| London Stansted Airport | 2,406,287 | 3,221,922 | +815,635 |
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 | 501 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 261 |
| Other manufacturing | 84 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 80 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 62 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 231 |
| 2026-03 | 265 |
| 2026-02 | 248 |
| 2026-01 | 255 |
| 2025-12 | 240 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| DRAPER TOOLS LIMITED | 124 |
| GLENAIR UK LIMITED | 124 |
| JACK SEALEY LIMITED | 124 |
| SNAP-ON U.K. HOLDINGS LIMITED | 124 |
| TWEEZERMAN UK LTD | 124 |
| CARL KAMMERLING INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 123 |
| IDEAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 123 |
| THE TOOL CONNECTION LIMITED | 123 |
| TOOLBANK LIMITED | 122 |
| ROLSON TOOLS LIMITED | 122 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 531 |
| 54m+ | 424 |
| 15m-54m | 175 |
| 0-1m | 156 |
| Other | 111 |
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 | 9,706,223 |
| Germany | 6,488,613 |
| France | 5,448,111 |
| Ireland | 4,090,140 |
| Netherlands | 3,071,520 |
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 | 4,699,191 | 5,007,032 | +307,841 |
| Germany | 3,043,773 | 3,444,840 | +401,067 |
| France | 2,678,597 | 2,769,514 | +90,917 |
| Ireland | 2,172,788 | 1,917,352 | -255,436 |
| Netherlands | 1,665,620 | 1,405,900 | -259,720 |
| Belgium | 986,926 | 1,091,269 | +104,343 |
| Australia | 1,086,533 | 761,427 | -325,106 |
| Italy | 844,574 | 739,744 | -104,830 |
| China | 521,107 | 708,380 | +187,273 |
| Poland | 524,817 | 519,135 | -5,682 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 377,940 |
| Taiwan | 58,544 |
| XI | 32,899 |
| Germany | 31,174 |
| Austria | 30,816 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 187,802 | 190,138 | +2,336 |
| Taiwan | 32,256 | 26,288 | -5,968 |
| XI | 15,106 | 17,793 | +2,687 |
| Germany | 24,952 | 6,222 | -18,730 |
| Austria | 30,107 | 709 | -29,398 |
| Ireland | 13,670 | 12,175 | -1,495 |
| United States | 11,122 | 9,661 | -1,461 |
| India | 7,841 | 6,189 | -1,652 |
| Italy | 2,036 | 7,113 | +5,077 |
| Sweden | 4,241 | 3,633 | -608 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 20,671,371 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 19,304,989 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,394,752 |
| Other | 865,780 |
| Road transport | 5,408 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 9,656,444 | 11,014,927 | +1,358,483 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 10,173,642 | 9,131,347 | -1,042,295 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,095,446 | 4,299,306 | -1,796,140 |
| Other | 457,860 | 407,920 | -49,940 |
| Road transport | 5,408 | 0 | -5,408 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 9,079,097 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,805,489 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,965,141 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,172,664 |
| Dover | 3,731,206 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 4,088,428 | 4,990,669 | +902,241 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,760,731 | 4,044,758 | -715,973 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,403,284 | 3,561,857 | +1,158,573 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,784,784 | 1,387,880 | -1,396,904 |
| Dover | 2,155,758 | 1,575,448 | -580,310 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,393,168 | 1,439,393 | +46,225 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,806,488 | 731,522 | -1,074,966 |
| ZLC | 1,476,190 | 1,043,232 | -432,958 |
| Southampton | 821,924 | 1,495,598 | +673,674 |
| Holyhead | 965,339 | 930,109 | -35,230 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8203
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Common hand tools including files, rasps, pliers, tweezers, metal-cutting shears, and pipe-cutters