Import/export HS code 8468: Machines and tools for soldering, welding, or brazing, including gas-operated tools
Includes all types of machines and tools used for joining or cutting metal, such as gas-operated tempering machines and handheld blowpipes
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 | 8,263,005 |
| Germany | 4,878,757 |
| United States | 4,461,809 |
| Netherlands | 2,720,044 |
| Austria | 2,146,847 |
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 | 4,664,809 | 3,598,196 | -1,066,613 |
| Germany | 1,497,360 | 3,381,397 | +1,884,037 |
| United States | 2,557,298 | 1,904,511 | -652,787 |
| Netherlands | 1,353,652 | 1,366,392 | +12,740 |
| Austria | 1,308,081 | 838,766 | -469,315 |
| Italy | 887,130 | 1,021,033 | +133,903 |
| France | 741,501 | 578,528 | -162,973 |
| Ireland | 688,832 | 488,533 | -200,299 |
| Spain | 9,900 | 855,187 | +845,287 |
| India | 421,376 | 428,420 | +7,044 |
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 | 8,778,188 |
| United States | 5,396,938 |
| Germany | 4,706,046 |
| Austria | 1,957,534 |
| Italy | 1,939,209 |
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 | 4,926,002 | 3,852,186 | -1,073,816 |
| United States | 2,984,808 | 2,412,130 | -572,678 |
| Germany | 1,452,408 | 3,253,638 | +1,801,230 |
| Austria | 1,095,189 | 862,345 | -232,844 |
| Italy | 921,823 | 1,017,386 | +95,563 |
| Netherlands | 542,169 | 700,725 | +158,556 |
| Spain | 57,277 | 820,269 | +762,992 |
| India | 421,376 | 431,392 | +10,016 |
| Ireland | 419,515 | 387,214 | -32,301 |
| Poland | 509,918 | 237,822 | -272,096 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 29 |
| Greater Manchester | 28 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 21 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 20 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 18 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 21 | 22 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 18 | 20 | +2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 10 | 19 | +9 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 17 | 12 | -5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 16 | 9 | -7 |
| Inner London - West | 10 | 8 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 13 | 12 | -1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 11 | 11 | +0 |
| Essex | 13 | 8 | -5 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 12 | 12 | +0 |
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) | 11,384,176 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,172,427 |
| Air transport | 9,204,931 |
| Other | 457,242 |
| Road transport | 43,160 |
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) | 4,545,710 | 6,838,466 | +2,292,756 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,707,558 | 4,464,869 | -2,242,689 |
| Air transport | 4,613,111 | 4,591,820 | -21,291 |
| Other | 365,690 | 91,552 | -274,138 |
| Road transport | 13,227 | 29,933 | +16,706 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 4,859,244 |
| Felixstowe | 4,798,504 |
| East Midlands Airport | 3,754,055 |
| Southampton | 2,586,897 |
| Eurotunnel | 2,471,366 |
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 | 2,151,281 | 2,707,963 | +556,682 |
| Felixstowe | 2,594,187 | 2,204,317 | -389,870 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,075,597 | 1,678,458 | -397,139 |
| Southampton | 1,956,091 | 630,806 | -1,325,285 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,046,401 | 1,424,965 | +378,564 |
| Immingham Docks | 483,841 | 1,574,531 | +1,090,690 |
| London Gateway Port | 723,972 | 1,287,259 | +563,287 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,075,747 | 696,595 | -379,152 |
| Birmingham Airport | 458,247 | 369,369 | -88,878 |
| London | 360,698 | 458,962 | +98,264 |
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 | 128 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 45 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 43 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 33 |
| Other manufacturing | 26 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 68 |
| 2026-03 | 72 |
| 2026-02 | 66 |
| 2026-01 | 61 |
| 2025-12 | 60 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SPECIALISED WELDING PRODUCTS LIMITED | 124 |
| ROTHENBERGER (U.K.) LIMITED | 112 |
| BWE LIMITED | 112 |
| WELDFAST (UK) LIMITED | 109 |
| PARWELD LIMITED | 92 |
| JACK SEALEY LIMITED | 73 |
| TOSOH QUARTZ, INC. | 68 |
| PROTO LABS, LIMITED | 65 |
| LINCOLN ELECTRIC (U.K.) LIMITED | 64 |
| SHERWEN ENGINEERING CO LIMITED | 59 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 185 |
| 54m+ | 116 |
| 15m-54m | 53 |
| 0-1m | 47 |
| Other | 27 |
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 | 17,441,345 |
| Germany | 6,620,886 |
| Italy | 4,830,033 |
| Netherlands | 2,839,015 |
| Ireland | 2,483,001 |
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 | 6,930,149 | 10,511,196 | +3,581,047 |
| Germany | 899,120 | 5,721,766 | +4,822,646 |
| Italy | 503,488 | 4,326,545 | +3,823,057 |
| Netherlands | 748,949 | 2,090,066 | +1,341,117 |
| Ireland | 1,237,949 | 1,245,052 | +7,103 |
| United Arab Emirates | 585,690 | 669,406 | +83,716 |
| Poland | 552,283 | 641,071 | +88,788 |
| Thailand | 712,122 | 423,631 | -288,491 |
| Saudi Arabia | 865,126 | 207,797 | -657,329 |
| India | 435,723 | 620,624 | +184,901 |
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 | 45,234 |
| XI | 11,822 |
| Sweden | 6,307 |
| Taiwan | 5,907 |
| Italy | 3,586 |
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 | 20,754 | 24,480 | +3,726 |
| XI | 605 | 11,217 | +10,612 |
| Sweden | 1,912 | 4,395 | +2,483 |
| Taiwan | 3,414 | 2,493 | -921 |
| Italy | 1,686 | 1,900 | +214 |
| Ireland | 645 | 524 | -121 |
| Estonia | 430 | 240 | -190 |
| India | 174 | 341 | +167 |
| Hungary | 0 | 323 | +323 |
| France | 175 | 0 | -175 |
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 | 22,714,214 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 17,554,589 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,785,778 |
| Other | 90,718 |
| Road transport | 11,500 |
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 | 11,569,652 | 11,144,562 | -425,090 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 3,930,537 | 13,624,052 | +9,693,515 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,897,705 | 7,888,073 | +2,990,368 |
| Other | 38,668 | 52,050 | +13,382 |
| Road transport | 11,500 | 0 | -11,500 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 11,819,779 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 9,890,501 |
| Felixstowe | 7,254,148 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,715,989 |
| Southampton | 4,233,309 |
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 | 5,507,260 | 6,312,519 | +805,259 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,505,283 | 7,385,218 | +4,879,935 |
| Felixstowe | 722,200 | 6,531,948 | +5,809,748 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,456,382 | 2,259,607 | -196,775 |
| Southampton | 1,156,511 | 3,076,798 | +1,920,287 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,362,003 | 2,556,872 | +1,194,869 |
| London Stansted Airport | 1,920,140 | 1,386,437 | -533,703 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,338,959 | 526,694 | -812,265 |
| ZLC | 951,761 | 826,208 | -125,553 |
| Holyhead | 383,081 | 630,613 | +247,532 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8468
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes all types of machines and tools used for joining or cutting metal, such as gas-operated tempering machines and handheld blowpipes