Import/export HS code 8478: Tobacco processing machines
Machines used to prepare or make tobacco products
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| South Korea | 8,343,420 |
| Italy | 2,642,367 |
| South Africa | 2,052,507 |
| Czechia | 1,951,340 |
| United States | 1,520,218 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 798,221 | 7,545,199 | +6,746,978 |
| Italy | 139,060 | 2,503,307 | +2,364,247 |
| South Africa | 1,873,376 | 179,131 | -1,694,245 |
| Czechia | 733,585 | 1,217,755 | +484,170 |
| United States | 1,499,392 | 20,826 | -1,478,566 |
| China | 788,783 | 609,518 | -179,265 |
| Norway | 543,205 | 741,000 | +197,795 |
| Germany | 424,498 | 643,442 | +218,944 |
| Netherlands | 707,554 | 262,775 | -444,779 |
| Switzerland | 434,710 | 382,447 | -52,263 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| South Korea | 6,055,604 |
| United States | 2,769,196 |
| Italy | 2,767,942 |
| Czechia | 1,958,183 |
| South Africa | 1,874,840 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 795,021 | 5,260,583 | +4,465,562 |
| United States | 1,458,363 | 1,310,833 | -147,530 |
| Italy | 146,312 | 2,621,630 | +2,475,318 |
| Czechia | 753,692 | 1,204,491 | +450,799 |
| South Africa | 1,873,376 | 1,464 | -1,871,912 |
| China | 910,224 | 708,580 | -201,644 |
| Norway | 848,987 | 741,000 | -107,987 |
| United Kingdom | 187,978 | 1,172,486 | +984,508 |
| Germany | 502,834 | 625,233 | +122,399 |
| Switzerland | 425,960 | 354,352 | -71,608 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 6 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 6 |
| Inner London - West | 5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| South East Wales | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 11,477,867 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 6,686,002 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,319,007 |
| Road transport | 438,399 |
| Other | 2,899 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 4,786,515 | 6,691,352 | +1,904,837 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,033,930 | 4,652,072 | +2,618,142 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,279,777 | 3,039,230 | +759,453 |
| Road transport | 101,879 | 336,520 | +234,641 |
| Other | 550 | 2,349 | +1,799 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 9,594,802 |
| Southampton | 3,517,296 |
| Dover | 3,480,169 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,712,171 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,297,724 |
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 Heathrow Airport | 3,669,099 | 5,925,703 | +2,256,604 |
| Southampton | 970,098 | 2,547,198 | +1,577,100 |
| Dover | 566,006 | 2,914,163 | +2,348,157 |
| Eurotunnel | 883,969 | 828,202 | -55,767 |
| East Midlands Airport | 733,169 | 564,555 | -168,614 |
| Immingham Docks | 315,237 | 764,708 | +449,471 |
| Felixstowe | 365,704 | 290,408 | -75,296 |
| ZLC | 194,978 | 335,521 | +140,543 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 526,709 | 0 | -526,709 |
| London Stansted Airport | 186,750 | 159,775 | -26,975 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
|
Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.
|
23 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
22 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
8 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
7 |
|
Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities
|
6 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 12 |
| 2026-04 | 12 |
| 2026-03 | 14 |
| 2026-02 | 12 |
| 2026-01 | 14 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 47 |
| 54m+ | 38 |
| 15m-54m | 12 |
| Other | 8 |
| 0-1m | 6 |
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 | 10,767,980 |
| Italy | 10,590,725 |
| Indonesia | 8,674,467 |
| Germany | 4,897,578 |
| Netherlands | 3,407,436 |
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 | 2,810,789 | 7,957,191 | +5,146,402 |
| Italy | 6,073,035 | 4,517,690 | -1,555,345 |
| Indonesia | 5,519,681 | 3,154,786 | -2,364,895 |
| Germany | 3,230,807 | 1,666,771 | -1,564,036 |
| Netherlands | 2,029,247 | 1,378,189 | -651,058 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,120,551 | 1,395,574 | +275,023 |
| Japan | 1,893,640 | 314,827 | -1,578,813 |
| Egypt | 1,693,952 | 407,219 | -1,286,733 |
| China | 1,618,500 | 311,461 | -1,307,039 |
| Poland | 930,287 | 870,942 | -59,345 |
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 | 36,197,929 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 19,957,478 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,426,365 |
| Road transport | 5,501 |
| Other | 942 |
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 | 21,213,105 | 14,984,824 | -6,228,281 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 12,414,246 | 7,543,232 | -4,871,014 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,161,831 | 7,264,534 | +2,102,703 |
| Road transport | 5,501 | 0 | -5,501 |
| Other | 541 | 401 | -140 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 25,942,556 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 18,294,804 |
| East Midlands Airport | 7,698,429 |
| Southampton | 6,502,794 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,408,266 |
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 | 15,564,873 | 10,377,683 | -5,187,190 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 10,915,839 | 7,378,965 | -3,536,874 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,333,471 | 3,364,958 | -968,513 |
| Southampton | 918,108 | 5,584,686 | +4,666,578 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,891,683 | 1,516,583 | -1,375,100 |
| Felixstowe | 1,170,350 | 234,188 | -936,162 |
| Manchester Airport | 590,128 | 502,084 | -88,044 |
| Immingham Docks | 967,782 | 63,162 | -904,620 |
| ZLC | 357,239 | 350,124 | -7,115 |
| London Stansted Airport | 365,008 | 239,999 | -125,009 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8478
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Machines used to prepare or make tobacco products