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 | 7,932,267 |
| Germany | 4,608,933 |
| United States | 4,057,076 |
| Netherlands | 3,070,155 |
| Austria | 2,026,551 |
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 | 4,618,006 | 3,314,261 | -1,303,745 |
| Germany | 1,289,423 | 3,319,510 | +2,030,087 |
| United States | 2,685,074 | 1,372,002 | -1,313,072 |
| Netherlands | 1,364,377 | 1,705,778 | +341,401 |
| Austria | 1,226,048 | 800,503 | -425,545 |
| Italy | 813,463 | 948,919 | +135,456 |
| France | 593,859 | 590,789 | -3,070 |
| Ireland | 591,203 | 427,359 | -163,844 |
| Spain | 7,389 | 856,119 | +848,730 |
| India | 441,011 | 320,031 | -120,980 |
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 | 8,447,189 |
| United States | 5,023,499 |
| Germany | 4,462,425 |
| Austria | 1,862,085 |
| Italy | 1,798,043 |
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 | 4,829,212 | 3,617,977 | -1,211,235 |
| United States | 3,270,555 | 1,752,944 | -1,517,611 |
| Germany | 1,356,065 | 3,106,360 | +1,750,295 |
| Austria | 1,048,439 | 813,646 | -234,793 |
| Italy | 845,901 | 952,142 | +106,241 |
| Netherlands | 535,462 | 1,102,521 | +567,059 |
| Spain | 63,583 | 811,075 | +747,492 |
| India | 441,011 | 323,003 | -118,008 |
| Ireland | 359,020 | 338,038 | -20,982 |
| Estonia | 324,856 | 289,367 | -35,489 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 30 |
| Greater Manchester | 26 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 21 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 17 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 17 |
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 | 20 | 21 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 17 | 18 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 10 | 19 | +9 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 12 | 9 | -3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 13 | 11 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 11 | 13 | +2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 14 | 10 | -4 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 10 | 9 | -1 |
| Essex | 11 | 8 | -3 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 11 | 11 | +0 |
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) | 10,790,080 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 10,703,918 |
| Air transport | 8,852,741 |
| Other | 400,170 |
| 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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,404,884 | 4,385,196 | -2,019,688 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,217,292 | 6,486,626 | +2,269,334 |
| Air transport | 4,855,895 | 3,996,846 | -859,049 |
| Other | 321,342 | 78,828 | -242,514 |
| 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 | 4,801,618 |
| Felixstowe | 4,472,963 |
| East Midlands Airport | 3,507,556 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,462,563 |
| Eurotunnel | 2,291,056 |
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 | 2,143,564 | 2,658,054 | +514,490 |
| Felixstowe | 2,689,730 | 1,783,233 | -906,497 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,968,548 | 1,539,008 | -429,540 |
| Immingham Docks | 481,185 | 1,981,378 | +1,500,193 |
| Eurotunnel | 863,354 | 1,427,702 | +564,348 |
| Southampton | 1,585,101 | 522,216 | -1,062,885 |
| London Gateway Port | 903,521 | 1,179,217 | +275,696 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,100,327 | 605,859 | -494,468 |
| Manchester Airport | 690,287 | 162,428 | -527,859 |
| London | 471,877 | 347,790 | -124,087 |
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
|
127 |
|
Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.
|
43 |
|
Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
|
42 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
31 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
22 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 73 |
| 2026-04 | 68 |
| 2026-03 | 72 |
| 2026-02 | 66 |
| 2026-01 | 61 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SPECIALISED WELDING PRODUCTS LIMITED | 125 |
| ROTHENBERGER (U.K.) LIMITED | 113 |
| BWE LIMITED | 113 |
| WELDFAST (UK) LIMITED | 110 |
| PARWELD LIMITED | 92 |
| JACK SEALEY LIMITED | 73 |
| TOSOH QUARTZ, INC. | 69 |
| LINCOLN ELECTRIC (U.K.) LIMITED | 65 |
| PROTO LABS, LIMITED | 65 |
| SHERWEN ENGINEERING CO LIMITED | 60 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 170 |
| 54m+ | 119 |
| 15m-54m | 50 |
| 0-1m | 41 |
| Other | 26 |
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 | 17,063,625 |
| Germany | 6,362,115 |
| Italy | 4,783,730 |
| Netherlands | 2,833,781 |
| Ireland | 2,334,077 |
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 | 7,021,521 | 10,042,104 | +3,020,583 |
| Germany | 744,830 | 5,617,285 | +4,872,455 |
| Italy | 527,625 | 4,256,105 | +3,728,480 |
| Netherlands | 891,991 | 1,941,790 | +1,049,799 |
| Ireland | 1,137,523 | 1,196,554 | +59,031 |
| United Arab Emirates | 589,472 | 647,685 | +58,213 |
| Poland | 495,113 | 613,645 | +118,532 |
| India | 634,748 | 432,096 | -202,652 |
| Saudi Arabia | 783,199 | 242,259 | -540,940 |
| South Korea | 876,418 | 143,021 | -733,397 |
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 | 44,821 |
| XI | 13,906 |
| Sweden | 5,882 |
| Taiwan | 5,493 |
| Italy | 2,971 |
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 | 23,360 | 21,461 | -1,899 |
| XI | 908 | 12,998 | +12,090 |
| Sweden | 3,817 | 2,065 | -1,752 |
| Taiwan | 2,890 | 2,603 | -287 |
| Italy | 1,267 | 1,704 | +437 |
| Ireland | 645 | 524 | -121 |
| Estonia | 430 | 240 | -190 |
| India | 275 | 254 | -21 |
| 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 | 21,879,687 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 16,865,224 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,228,370 |
| Other | 89,656 |
| 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 | 11,617,738 | 10,261,949 | -1,355,789 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 3,377,140 | 13,488,084 | +10,110,944 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,052,044 | 7,176,326 | +2,124,282 |
| Other | 41,291 | 48,365 | +7,074 |
| 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 | 11,529,903 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 9,503,030 |
| Felixstowe | 7,052,319 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,436,800 |
| Southampton | 4,348,139 |
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 | 5,527,217 | 6,002,686 | +475,469 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,196,732 | 7,306,298 | +5,109,566 |
| Felixstowe | 743,922 | 6,308,397 | +5,564,475 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,376,280 | 2,060,520 | -315,760 |
| Southampton | 1,545,364 | 2,802,775 | +1,257,411 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,201,431 | 2,483,063 | +1,281,632 |
| London Stansted Airport | 2,086,763 | 1,098,915 | -987,848 |
| ZLC | 944,815 | 758,513 | -186,302 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,287,104 | 335,564 | -951,540 |
| Holyhead | 262,743 | 654,284 | +391,541 |
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