Import/export HS code 8480: Moulds and patterns
Moulding boxes, bases, patterns, and moulds for metal, glass, rubber, or plastics
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 | 158,320,485 |
| Germany | 82,870,882 |
| Italy | 48,605,381 |
| France | 31,975,952 |
| Portugal | 29,729,963 |
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 | 74,695,323 | 83,625,162 | +8,929,839 |
| Germany | 34,207,798 | 48,663,084 | +14,455,286 |
| Italy | 26,018,893 | 22,586,488 | -3,432,405 |
| France | 20,656,997 | 11,318,955 | -9,338,042 |
| Portugal | 9,611,625 | 20,118,338 | +10,506,713 |
| Luxembourg | 13,226,472 | 16,079,801 | +2,853,329 |
| Denmark | 17,820,682 | 2,097,706 | -15,722,976 |
| United States | 8,978,243 | 9,137,420 | +159,177 |
| Netherlands | 10,400,814 | 4,335,137 | -6,065,677 |
| Ireland | 8,403,636 | 5,116,850 | -3,286,786 |
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 | 169,891,154 |
| Italy | 83,006,361 |
| Germany | 77,100,031 |
| Portugal | 30,481,811 |
| Denmark | 19,214,920 |
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 | 79,031,758 | 90,859,396 | +11,827,638 |
| Italy | 46,102,535 | 36,903,826 | -9,198,709 |
| Germany | 31,447,167 | 45,652,864 | +14,205,697 |
| Portugal | 10,207,040 | 20,274,771 | +10,067,731 |
| Denmark | 17,587,459 | 1,627,461 | -15,959,998 |
| United Kingdom | 9,151,256 | 8,745,279 | -405,977 |
| United States | 8,162,511 | 8,192,655 | +30,144 |
| France | 8,478,348 | 6,365,519 | -2,112,829 |
| Croatia | 7,796,496 | 5,342,250 | -2,454,246 |
| Japan | 5,929,225 | 7,094,659 | +1,165,434 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 98 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 74 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 66 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 66 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 64 |
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 | 62 | 74 | +12 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 53 | 54 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 48 | 47 | -1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 52 | 45 | -7 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 47 | 51 | +4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 42 | 42 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 37 | 42 | +5 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 38 | 40 | +2 |
| West Yorkshire | 35 | 38 | +3 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 35 | 33 | -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) | 282,823,431 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 142,634,559 |
| Air transport | 121,032,857 |
| Other | 7,026,230 |
| Road transport | 1,657,558 |
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) | 135,171,569 | 147,651,862 | +12,480,293 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 76,782,995 | 65,851,564 | -10,931,431 |
| Air transport | 56,973,551 | 64,059,306 | +7,085,755 |
| Other | 4,099,343 | 2,926,887 | -1,172,456 |
| Road transport | 796,338 | 861,220 | +64,882 |
| Rail transport | 0 | 18,928 | +18,928 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 149,979,570 |
| Felixstowe | 84,540,323 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 72,594,731 |
| Eurotunnel | 53,590,456 |
| Southampton | 20,818,248 |
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 | 75,492,354 | 74,487,216 | -1,005,138 |
| Felixstowe | 36,279,186 | 48,261,137 | +11,981,951 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 33,951,417 | 38,643,314 | +4,691,897 |
| Eurotunnel | 23,718,284 | 29,872,172 | +6,153,888 |
| Southampton | 9,857,759 | 10,960,489 | +1,102,730 |
| Hull | 17,770,582 | 1,094,305 | -16,676,277 |
| East Midlands Airport | 9,053,586 | 8,903,448 | -150,138 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,416,491 | 11,296,378 | +4,879,887 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 6,970,210 | 3,787,027 | -3,183,183 |
| Manchester Airport | 4,608,808 | 5,909,126 | +1,300,318 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
|
Manufacture of rubber and plastic products
|
319 |
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
160 |
|
Other manufacturing
|
132 |
|
Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
|
109 |
|
Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.
|
103 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 222 |
| 2026-04 | 248 |
| 2026-03 | 246 |
| 2026-02 | 220 |
| 2026-01 | 217 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TOYOTA TSUSHO U.K. LIMITED | 123 |
| NIFCO UK LIMITED | 117 |
| ENCIRC LIMITED | 116 |
| TRP POLYMER SOLUTIONS LIMITED | 106 |
| GEORGE UTZ LIMITED | 101 |
| BEATSON CLARK LIMITED | 100 |
| BECTON DICKINSON INFUSION THERAPY UK | 100 |
| O-I GLASS LIMITED | 99 |
| MORGAN TECHNICAL CERAMICS LIMITED | 97 |
| HUSQVARNA UK LIMITED | 91 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 525 |
| 54m+ | 437 |
| 15m-54m | 179 |
| 0-1m | 105 |
| Other | 81 |
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 | 47,409,934 |
| Luxembourg | 42,439,129 |
| Germany | 35,630,540 |
| France | 22,478,486 |
| Poland | 16,433,771 |
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 | 22,677,260 | 24,732,674 | +2,055,414 |
| Luxembourg | 21,138,236 | 21,300,893 | +162,657 |
| Germany | 17,044,385 | 18,586,155 | +1,541,770 |
| France | 14,646,495 | 7,831,991 | -6,814,504 |
| Poland | 6,268,480 | 10,165,291 | +3,896,811 |
| Ireland | 9,070,282 | 6,442,750 | -2,627,532 |
| Czechia | 4,801,964 | 6,104,102 | +1,302,138 |
| Italy | 5,578,030 | 4,275,335 | -1,302,695 |
| Netherlands | 4,338,059 | 4,652,232 | +314,173 |
| Spain | 4,193,862 | 4,475,879 | +282,017 |
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 | 1,197,742 |
| Ireland | 71,745 |
| XI | 59,583 |
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 | 580,142 | 617,600 | +37,458 |
| Ireland | 47,660 | 24,085 | -23,575 |
| XI | 27,763 | 31,820 | +4,057 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 187,466,275 |
| Air transport | 88,791,609 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 17,992,363 |
| Other | 1,329,782 |
| Road transport | 32,988 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 95,219,738 | 92,246,537 | -2,973,201 |
| Air transport | 41,728,393 | 47,063,216 | +5,334,823 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,112,656 | 8,879,707 | -232,949 |
| Other | 655,933 | 673,849 | +17,916 |
| Road transport | 15,639 | 17,349 | +1,710 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 147,978,613 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 53,679,207 |
| East Midlands Airport | 17,657,261 |
| Immingham Docks | 11,497,554 |
| Holyhead | 10,532,842 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 76,510,349 | 71,468,264 | -5,042,085 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 25,273,791 | 28,405,416 | +3,131,625 |
| East Midlands Airport | 7,839,260 | 9,818,001 | +1,978,741 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,972,478 | 7,525,076 | +3,552,598 |
| Holyhead | 6,119,639 | 4,413,203 | -1,706,436 |
| London Stansted Airport | 3,910,406 | 2,845,272 | -1,065,134 |
| Dover | 3,222,971 | 2,957,581 | -265,390 |
| Southampton | 2,774,593 | 3,300,299 | +525,706 |
| Felixstowe | 2,894,602 | 2,304,894 | -589,708 |
| ZLC | 1,922,625 | 2,450,631 | +528,006 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8480
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Moulding boxes, bases, patterns, and moulds for metal, glass, rubber, or plastics