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 | 137,825,281 |
| Germany | 73,066,935 |
| Italy | 46,830,956 |
| Luxembourg | 35,958,687 |
| France | 31,841,894 |
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 | 66,539,920 | 71,285,361 | +4,745,441 |
| Germany | 32,694,127 | 40,372,808 | +7,678,681 |
| Italy | 27,538,321 | 19,292,635 | -8,245,686 |
| Luxembourg | 16,973,308 | 18,985,379 | +2,012,071 |
| France | 21,656,727 | 10,185,167 | -11,471,560 |
| Portugal | 12,288,817 | 8,075,968 | -4,212,849 |
| Denmark | 2,138,871 | 17,020,148 | +14,881,277 |
| United States | 9,315,613 | 8,368,203 | -947,410 |
| Ireland | 11,494,431 | 4,617,018 | -6,877,413 |
| Croatia | 8,834,685 | 4,966,759 | -3,867,926 |
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 | 148,002,205 |
| Italy | 88,384,488 |
| Germany | 67,346,727 |
| Portugal | 20,543,429 |
| Denmark | 18,781,341 |
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 | 70,221,641 | 77,780,564 | +7,558,923 |
| Italy | 50,617,146 | 37,767,342 | -12,849,804 |
| Germany | 32,232,773 | 35,113,954 | +2,881,181 |
| Portugal | 12,632,528 | 7,910,901 | -4,721,627 |
| Denmark | 1,666,966 | 17,114,375 | +15,447,409 |
| United Kingdom | 8,393,151 | 9,225,875 | +832,724 |
| United States | 8,304,702 | 7,659,533 | -645,169 |
| France | 9,811,767 | 4,947,977 | -4,863,790 |
| Croatia | 8,804,621 | 4,894,970 | -3,909,651 |
| Ireland | 8,929,048 | 3,571,572 | -5,357,476 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 86 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 76 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 67 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 66 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 63 |
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 | 56 | 64 | +8 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 59 | 48 | -11 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 51 | 46 | -5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 52 | 46 | -6 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 49 | 42 | -7 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 44 | 34 | -10 |
| Greater Manchester | 34 | 38 | +4 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 38 | 36 | -2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 31 | 32 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 32 | 28 | -4 |
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) | 268,886,142 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 125,282,610 |
| Air transport | 107,692,260 |
| Other | 6,397,864 |
| Road transport | 1,604,858 |
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) | 147,081,194 | 121,804,948 | -25,276,246 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 57,629,161 | 67,653,449 | +10,024,288 |
| Air transport | 50,896,035 | 56,796,225 | +5,900,190 |
| Other | 3,757,721 | 2,640,143 | -1,117,578 |
| Road transport | 1,029,406 | 575,452 | -453,954 |
| 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 | 142,983,246 |
| Felixstowe | 75,275,537 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 63,774,067 |
| Eurotunnel | 46,982,348 |
| Hull | 18,347,291 |
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 | 77,939,379 | 65,043,867 | -12,895,512 |
| Felixstowe | 36,043,766 | 39,231,771 | +3,188,005 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 29,591,917 | 34,182,150 | +4,590,233 |
| Eurotunnel | 28,099,137 | 18,883,211 | -9,215,926 |
| Hull | 1,144,351 | 17,202,940 | +16,058,589 |
| Southampton | 9,786,362 | 7,077,227 | -2,709,135 |
| East Midlands Airport | 9,008,280 | 7,466,270 | -1,542,010 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,554,074 | 8,528,780 | +2,974,706 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,524,459 | 4,983,361 | -2,541,098 |
| Holyhead | 8,185,966 | 3,102,402 | -5,083,564 |
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 | 311 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 152 |
| Other manufacturing | 127 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 107 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 107 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 217 |
| 2025-11 | 239 |
| 2025-10 | 261 |
| 2025-09 | 233 |
| 2025-08 | 233 |
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 | 118 |
| NIFCO UK LIMITED | 113 |
| ENCIRC LIMITED | 111 |
| TRP POLYMER SOLUTIONS LIMITED | 101 |
| GEORGE UTZ LIMITED | 96 |
| BEATSON CLARK LIMITED | 95 |
| BECTON DICKINSON INFUSION THERAPY UK | 95 |
| MORGAN TECHNICAL CERAMICS LIMITED | 94 |
| O-I GLASS LIMITED | 94 |
| LOGOPLASTE UK LIMITED | 86 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 503 |
| 54m+ | 441 |
| 15m-54m | 162 |
| 0-1m | 97 |
| Other | 79 |
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 | 42,617,042 |
| Germany | 37,746,881 |
| Luxembourg | 36,976,503 |
| France | 22,862,963 |
| Ireland | 18,487,075 |
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 | 21,922,723 | 20,694,319 | -1,228,404 |
| Germany | 20,448,834 | 17,298,047 | -3,150,787 |
| Luxembourg | 17,995,075 | 18,981,428 | +986,353 |
| France | 13,701,248 | 9,161,715 | -4,539,533 |
| Ireland | 13,072,966 | 5,414,109 | -7,658,857 |
| Poland | 5,227,829 | 7,902,894 | +2,675,065 |
| Italy | 6,382,178 | 3,055,885 | -3,326,293 |
| Netherlands | 3,743,788 | 4,683,345 | +939,557 |
| Czechia | 4,121,392 | 3,627,848 | -493,544 |
| Spain | 3,672,380 | 3,536,345 | -136,035 |
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 | 1,020,776 |
| XI | 157,701 |
| Ireland | 99,009 |
| Switzerland | 126 |
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 | 313,937 | 706,839 | +392,902 |
| XI | 135,010 | 22,691 | -112,319 |
| Ireland | 74,431 | 24,578 | -49,853 |
| Switzerland | 126 | 0 | -126 |
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) | 178,169,569 |
| Air transport | 80,716,431 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 17,765,339 |
| Other | 1,278,311 |
| Road transport | 78,305 |
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) | 95,887,771 | 82,281,798 | -13,605,973 |
| Air transport | 40,712,937 | 40,003,494 | -709,443 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,571,479 | 7,193,860 | -3,377,619 |
| Other | 523,709 | 754,602 | +230,893 |
| Road transport | 60,956 | 17,349 | -43,607 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 137,941,758 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 48,358,039 |
| East Midlands Airport | 15,912,107 |
| Holyhead | 13,744,042 |
| Immingham Docks | 8,797,915 |
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 | 72,785,254 | 65,156,504 | -7,628,750 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 24,637,652 | 23,720,387 | -917,265 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,115,646 | 7,796,461 | -319,185 |
| Holyhead | 10,146,023 | 3,598,019 | -6,548,004 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,055,936 | 5,741,979 | +2,686,043 |
| Felixstowe | 5,088,606 | 2,118,446 | -2,970,160 |
| London Stansted Airport | 3,379,057 | 3,334,042 | -45,015 |
| Southampton | 2,572,832 | 3,221,988 | +649,156 |
| Dover | 3,800,897 | 1,069,206 | -2,731,691 |
| ZLC | 2,083,142 | 2,155,476 | +72,334 |
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