Import/export HS code 8456: Advanced material-working machines
Machines that shape materials using lasers, light beams, ultrasonic waves, or water jets
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 41,397,313 |
| Switzerland | 41,186,477 |
| China | 32,753,435 |
| Italy | 18,463,842 |
| France | 17,828,900 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 22,612,393 | 18,784,920 | -3,827,473 |
| Switzerland | 24,519,773 | 16,666,704 | -7,853,069 |
| China | 17,224,643 | 15,528,792 | -1,695,851 |
| Italy | 9,379,104 | 9,084,738 | -294,366 |
| France | 10,346,401 | 7,482,499 | -2,863,902 |
| Netherlands | 9,062,275 | 6,448,659 | -2,613,616 |
| Belgium | 5,602,650 | 6,670,804 | +1,068,154 |
| United States | 4,240,177 | 2,958,489 | -1,281,688 |
| Japan | 3,561,867 | 2,427,455 | -1,134,412 |
| Turkey | 2,632,792 | 2,162,059 | -470,733 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | 41,351,724 |
| China | 39,212,408 |
| Germany | 36,253,400 |
| Japan | 29,586,271 |
| Italy | 18,953,527 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 24,707,264 | 16,644,460 | -8,062,804 |
| China | 20,714,259 | 18,498,149 | -2,216,110 |
| Germany | 19,339,280 | 16,914,120 | -2,425,160 |
| Japan | 17,133,619 | 12,452,652 | -4,680,967 |
| Italy | 9,777,813 | 9,175,714 | -602,099 |
| United States | 6,497,343 | 4,826,537 | -1,670,806 |
| Netherlands | 3,833,166 | 1,285,941 | -2,547,225 |
| Turkey | 2,715,348 | 2,211,695 | -503,653 |
| Thailand | 1,751,344 | 2,512,065 | +760,721 |
| Spain | 1,461,686 | 2,099,974 | +638,288 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 38 |
| Greater Manchester | 37 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 34 |
| West Yorkshire | 28 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 27 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 30 | 23 | -7 |
| Greater Manchester | 20 | 24 | +4 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 19 | 25 | +6 |
| West Yorkshire | 20 | 19 | -1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 20 | 14 | -6 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 18 | 14 | -4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 15 | 15 | +0 |
| West Midlands | 17 | 14 | -3 |
| Inner London - West | 13 | 12 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 12 | 10 | -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) | 144,188,671 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 48,142,990 |
| Air transport | 26,851,192 |
| Road transport | 3,041,832 |
| Other | 741,604 |
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) | 77,821,715 | 66,366,956 | -11,454,759 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 27,236,209 | 20,906,781 | -6,329,428 |
| Air transport | 14,344,608 | 12,506,584 | -1,838,024 |
| Road transport | 2,393,678 | 648,154 | -1,745,524 |
| Other | 293,048 | 448,556 | +155,508 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 60,614,356 |
| ZLC | 50,907,497 |
| Felixstowe | 16,962,049 |
| Eurotunnel | 11,795,822 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 10,612,972 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 31,555,314 | 29,059,042 | -2,496,272 |
| ZLC | 28,523,627 | 22,383,870 | -6,139,757 |
| Felixstowe | 9,228,421 | 7,733,628 | -1,494,793 |
| Eurotunnel | 7,417,465 | 4,378,357 | -3,039,108 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,580,891 | 5,032,081 | -548,810 |
| Southampton | 5,143,282 | 3,566,650 | -1,576,632 |
| Birmingham Airport | 4,507,396 | 3,339,935 | -1,167,461 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,702,161 | 3,427,477 | -274,684 |
| London | 4,927,827 | 1,962,323 | -2,965,504 |
| Tyne | 3,679,416 | 2,236,310 | -1,443,106 |
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 | 132 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 75 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 69 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 44 |
| Other manufacturing | 41 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 67 |
| 2025-11 | 81 |
| 2025-10 | 85 |
| 2025-09 | 74 |
| 2025-08 | 70 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| KEYENCE (UK) LIMITED | 111 |
| LINX PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 87 |
| TRUMPF LIMITED | 76 |
| MANTECH (U.K.) LIMITED | 75 |
| GRAFITYP (UK) LIMITED | 75 |
| UNITED MACHINING UK LIMITED | 71 |
| AMADA UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED | 56 |
| BYSTRONIC UK LIMITED | 56 |
| TROTEC LASER LIMITED | 50 |
| ESAB GROUP (UK) LIMITED | 50 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 249 |
| 54m+ | 143 |
| 0-1m | 99 |
| 15m-54m | 54 |
| Other | 22 |
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 | 31,282,477 |
| China | 17,794,276 |
| Germany | 12,985,287 |
| Ireland | 8,226,923 |
| Netherlands | 6,069,063 |
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 | 17,616,134 | 13,666,343 | -3,949,791 |
| China | 8,949,022 | 8,845,254 | -103,768 |
| Germany | 6,801,656 | 6,183,631 | -618,025 |
| Ireland | 4,971,975 | 3,254,948 | -1,717,027 |
| Netherlands | 3,003,076 | 3,065,987 | +62,911 |
| India | 3,020,687 | 1,866,700 | -1,153,987 |
| Costa Rica | 1,765,076 | 842,318 | -922,758 |
| France | 1,722,230 | 753,891 | -968,339 |
| Mexico | 2,106,083 | 61,249 | -2,044,834 |
| Australia | 1,230,909 | 934,490 | -296,419 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Nicaragua | 20,963 |
| China | 12,028 |
| Australia | 10,769 |
| Switzerland | 1,936 |
| United States | 555 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicaragua | 0 | 20,963 | +20,963 |
| China | 5,145 | 6,883 | +1,738 |
| Australia | 10,769 | 0 | -10,769 |
| Switzerland | 1,936 | 0 | -1,936 |
| United States | 555 | 0 | -555 |
| Spain | 0 | 238 | +238 |
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) | 45,936,687 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 38,756,319 |
| Air transport | 35,764,966 |
| Other | 50,359 |
| Road transport | 23,717 |
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) | 25,558,711 | 20,377,976 | -5,180,735 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 22,180,819 | 16,575,500 | -5,605,319 |
| Air transport | 21,903,905 | 13,861,061 | -8,042,844 |
| Other | 22,275 | 28,084 | +5,809 |
| Road transport | 23,717 | 0 | -23,717 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 28,123,821 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 23,293,793 |
| Southampton | 18,039,131 |
| London Gateway Port | 11,817,918 |
| Felixstowe | 8,367,583 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 17,888,414 | 10,235,407 | -7,653,007 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 13,249,473 | 10,044,320 | -3,205,153 |
| Southampton | 12,389,327 | 5,649,804 | -6,739,523 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,169,925 | 6,647,993 | +1,478,068 |
| Felixstowe | 4,364,457 | 4,003,126 | -361,331 |
| Liverpool Docks | 3,086,984 | 4,069,479 | +982,495 |
| Holyhead | 2,736,141 | 2,147,755 | -588,386 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,269,518 | 2,204,375 | -65,143 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,232,730 | 1,544,450 | -688,280 |
| Dover | 1,701,163 | 408,461 | -1,292,702 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8456
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Machines that shape materials using lasers, light beams, ultrasonic waves, or water jets