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 | 6,818,450 |
| Italy | 2,599,500 |
| South Africa | 2,425,381 |
| China | 1,639,317 |
| Czechia | 1,539,647 |
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 | 687,852 | 6,130,598 | +5,442,746 |
| Italy | 119,136 | 2,480,364 | +2,361,228 |
| South Africa | 2,311,863 | 113,518 | -2,198,345 |
| China | 963,310 | 676,007 | -287,303 |
| Czechia | 770,635 | 769,012 | -1,623 |
| United States | 113,948 | 1,418,937 | +1,304,989 |
| Germany | 628,193 | 586,656 | -41,537 |
| Netherlands | 716,607 | 259,602 | -457,005 |
| Switzerland | 507,484 | 353,871 | -153,613 |
| Norway | 543,205 | 0 | -543,205 |
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 | 5,780,768 |
| Italy | 2,609,384 |
| South Africa | 2,320,619 |
| China | 1,800,738 |
| Czechia | 1,555,779 |
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 | 649,155 | 5,131,613 | +4,482,458 |
| Italy | 130,869 | 2,478,515 | +2,347,646 |
| South Africa | 2,262,731 | 57,888 | -2,204,843 |
| China | 1,082,778 | 717,960 | -364,818 |
| Czechia | 756,975 | 798,804 | +41,829 |
| United States | 107,273 | 1,382,290 | +1,275,017 |
| United Kingdom | 272,931 | 1,138,047 | +865,116 |
| Germany | 592,870 | 600,657 | +7,787 |
| Norway | 848,987 | 0 | -848,987 |
| Switzerland | 479,960 | 356,587 | -123,373 |
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 | 8 |
| Inner London - West | 8 |
| Greater Manchester | 7 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 |
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 | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Inner London - West | 8 | 3 | -5 |
| Greater Manchester | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| South East Wales | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 3 | +2 |
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 | 10,951,242 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,560,232 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,290,413 |
| Road transport | 438,399 |
| Other | 1,676 |
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 | 4,220,620 | 6,730,622 | +2,510,002 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,074,408 | 3,485,824 | +1,411,416 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,235,631 | 3,054,782 | +819,151 |
| Road transport | 42,613 | 395,786 | +353,173 |
| Other | 540 | 1,136 | +596 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 8,741,009 |
| Dover | 3,301,300 |
| Southampton | 3,276,718 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,551,689 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,435,763 |
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 | 2,773,633 | 5,967,376 | +3,193,743 |
| Dover | 611,031 | 2,690,269 | +2,079,238 |
| Southampton | 808,800 | 2,467,918 | +1,659,118 |
| Eurotunnel | 930,280 | 621,409 | -308,871 |
| East Midlands Airport | 947,591 | 488,172 | -459,419 |
| Felixstowe | 264,277 | 423,229 | +158,952 |
| ZLC | 135,712 | 394,787 | +259,075 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 526,709 | 0 | -526,709 |
| London Stansted Airport | 139,518 | 252,698 | +113,180 |
| Thamesport | 324,054 | 10,605 | -313,449 |
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. | 25 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 23 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 8 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 6 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 6 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 14 |
| 2025-11 | 15 |
| 2025-10 | 19 |
| 2025-09 | 12 |
| 2025-08 | 10 |
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 | 53 |
| 54m+ | 35 |
| 15m-54m | 11 |
| 0-1m | 8 |
| Other | 5 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| South Korea | 12,570,119 |
| Italy | 10,580,043 |
| United States | 10,575,654 |
| Indonesia | 10,510,702 |
| Germany | 4,495,183 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 11,713,522 | 856,597 | -10,856,925 |
| Italy | 297,158 | 10,282,885 | +9,985,727 |
| United States | 3,498,889 | 7,076,765 | +3,577,876 |
| Indonesia | 6,976,146 | 3,534,556 | -3,441,590 |
| Germany | 3,528,017 | 967,166 | -2,560,851 |
| Egypt | 1,766,590 | 832,289 | -934,301 |
| Netherlands | 1,328,876 | 1,140,365 | -188,511 |
| China | 1,802,071 | 499,107 | -1,302,964 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,234,058 | 906,400 | -327,658 |
| Japan | 1,729,973 | 301,829 | -1,428,144 |
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 | 29 |
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 | 29 | 0 | -29 |
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 | 49,002,786 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 18,495,025 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,478,173 |
| Road transport | 12,861 |
| Other | 1,019 |
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 | 34,323,674 | 14,679,112 | -19,644,562 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,980,246 | 12,514,779 | +6,534,533 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,435,173 | 7,043,000 | +1,607,827 |
| Road transport | 12,861 | 0 | -12,861 |
| Other | 532 | 487 | -45 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 38,987,340 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 16,908,234 |
| East Midlands Airport | 7,901,991 |
| Southampton | 5,644,056 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,271,689 |
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 | 28,438,537 | 10,548,803 | -17,889,734 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 5,064,062 | 11,844,172 | +6,780,110 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,880,603 | 3,021,388 | -1,859,215 |
| Southampton | 853,679 | 4,790,377 | +3,936,698 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,261,483 | 2,010,206 | -1,251,277 |
| Felixstowe | 1,193,660 | 151,087 | -1,042,573 |
| Immingham Docks | 320,276 | 710,668 | +390,392 |
| Manchester Airport | 336,559 | 647,562 | +311,003 |
| London Stansted Airport | 407,392 | 162,403 | -244,989 |
| ZLC | 274,200 | 290,406 | +16,206 |
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