Import/export HS code 8523: Storage media for sound and data recording
Includes discs, tapes, smart cards, and other devices for recording sound or data, whether recorded or not. Also includes master discs for production
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 | 250,712,778 |
| Ireland | 245,603,639 |
| United States | 176,659,318 |
| Netherlands | 168,886,940 |
| Germany | 154,776,244 |
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 | 111,227,435 | 139,485,343 | +28,257,908 |
| Ireland | 138,574,861 | 107,028,778 | -31,546,083 |
| United States | 80,075,190 | 96,584,128 | +16,508,938 |
| Netherlands | 74,421,328 | 94,465,612 | +20,044,284 |
| Germany | 81,305,368 | 73,470,876 | -7,834,492 |
| France | 84,883,534 | 69,204,177 | -15,679,357 |
| Austria | 65,333,563 | 44,133,775 | -21,199,788 |
| Czechia | 45,532,651 | 57,499,474 | +11,966,823 |
| Taiwan | 44,054,067 | 53,801,827 | +9,747,760 |
| Poland | 43,191,025 | 31,780,758 | -11,410,267 |
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 | 349,141,625 |
| Taiwan | 266,952,901 |
| United States | 192,850,295 |
| Austria | 184,536,313 |
| Germany | 143,387,758 |
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 | 159,945,362 | 189,196,263 | +29,250,901 |
| Taiwan | 103,283,361 | 163,669,540 | +60,386,179 |
| United States | 100,907,796 | 91,942,499 | -8,965,297 |
| Austria | 100,910,255 | 83,626,058 | -17,284,197 |
| Germany | 71,937,616 | 71,450,142 | -487,474 |
| Malaysia | 60,541,799 | 58,357,772 | -2,184,027 |
| Singapore | 36,352,026 | 50,960,227 | +14,608,201 |
| Poland | 45,314,065 | 31,514,178 | -13,799,887 |
| Japan | 38,445,112 | 36,899,875 | -1,545,237 |
| Viet Nam | 34,648,105 | 39,667,239 | +5,019,134 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 467 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 390 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 253 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 207 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 196 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 309 | 336 | +27 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 290 | 261 | -29 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 174 | 172 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 156 | 141 | -15 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 139 | 124 | -15 |
| Greater Manchester | 145 | 130 | -15 |
| Inner London - East | 126 | 136 | +10 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 130 | 131 | +1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 120 | 112 | -8 |
| West Midlands | 102 | 98 | -4 |
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 | 1,029,569,119 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 816,613,150 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 155,423,389 |
| Other | 15,381,929 |
| Road transport | 6,293,457 |
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 | 448,354,680 | 581,214,439 | +132,859,759 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 445,197,218 | 371,415,932 | -73,781,286 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 70,065,841 | 85,357,548 | +15,291,707 |
| Other | 8,670,553 | 6,711,376 | -1,959,177 |
| Road transport | 4,840,084 | 1,453,373 | -3,386,711 |
| Rail transport | 238,442 | 14,014 | -224,428 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 471,786,684 |
| East Midlands Airport | 258,133,610 |
| Eurotunnel | 223,519,466 |
| London Stansted Airport | 215,376,564 |
| Holyhead | 209,006,770 |
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 | 219,409,967 | 252,376,717 | +32,966,750 |
| East Midlands Airport | 101,202,485 | 156,931,125 | +55,728,640 |
| Eurotunnel | 120,227,017 | 103,292,449 | -16,934,568 |
| London Stansted Airport | 88,621,165 | 126,755,399 | +38,134,234 |
| Holyhead | 112,201,914 | 96,804,856 | -15,397,058 |
| Dover | 98,980,508 | 91,834,652 | -7,145,856 |
| Harwich | 52,806,298 | 43,559,631 | -9,246,667 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 32,229,414 | 23,419,756 | -8,809,658 |
| Birmingham Airport | 22,468,891 | 28,441,701 | +5,972,810 |
| Felixstowe | 15,638,290 | 32,182,372 | +16,544,082 |
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
|
828 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
495 |
|
Computer programming, consultancy and related activities
|
388 |
|
Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products
|
284 |
|
Office administrative, office support and other business support activities
|
275 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 809 |
| 2026-04 | 848 |
| 2026-03 | 873 |
| 2026-02 | 804 |
| 2026-01 | 799 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| GE MEDICAL SYSTEMS LIMITED | 125 |
| THERMO ELECTRON MANUFACTURING LIMITED | 125 |
| LASGO CHRYSALIS LIMITED | 125 |
| RICOH UK PRODUCTS LIMITED | 125 |
| PLASTIC HEAD MUSIC DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 125 |
| MICRON EUROPE LIMITED | 125 |
| INTEGRAL MEMORY PLC | 125 |
| HAMMER DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 125 |
| GARMIN (EUROPE) LIMITED | 125 |
| PROPER MUSIC DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 125 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 1579 |
| 54m+ | 1478 |
| 0-1m | 620 |
| 15m-54m | 390 |
| Other | 355 |
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 | 176,451,056 |
| Netherlands | 145,269,686 |
| Germany | 135,314,179 |
| United Arab Emirates | 109,659,065 |
| Ireland | 59,623,539 |
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 | 80,746,382 | 95,704,674 | +14,958,292 |
| Netherlands | 66,196,536 | 79,073,150 | +12,876,614 |
| Germany | 62,879,553 | 72,434,626 | +9,555,073 |
| United Arab Emirates | 56,229,367 | 53,429,698 | -2,799,669 |
| Ireland | 29,636,821 | 29,986,718 | +349,897 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 22,157,613 | 34,868,470 | +12,710,857 |
| France | 28,542,937 | 28,106,421 | -436,516 |
| Japan | 14,306,918 | 13,122,505 | -1,184,413 |
| China | 11,200,110 | 12,359,136 | +1,159,026 |
| Czechia | 10,097,547 | 10,259,087 | +161,540 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| South Korea | 4,643,734 |
| Ireland | 1,300,023 |
| XI | 169,968 |
| China | 113,754 |
| United States | 16,939 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 1,920,496 | 2,723,238 | +802,742 |
| Ireland | 527,059 | 772,964 | +245,905 |
| XI | 68,006 | 101,962 | +33,956 |
| China | 48,461 | 65,293 | +16,832 |
| United States | 16,888 | 51 | -16,837 |
| Afghanistan | 2,010 | 4,021 | +2,011 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 5,702 | +5,702 |
| Taiwan | 3,929 | 745 | -3,184 |
| Switzerland | 1,364 | 467 | -897 |
| Czechia | 0 | 1,509 | +1,509 |
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 | 818,446,579 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 230,889,631 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 25,892,104 |
| Other | 6,484,461 |
| Road transport | 352,574 |
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 | 386,647,558 | 431,799,021 | +45,151,463 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 113,053,201 | 117,836,430 | +4,783,229 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,690,266 | 12,201,838 | -1,488,428 |
| Other | 2,689,437 | 3,795,024 | +1,105,587 |
| Road transport | 312,157 | 40,417 | -271,740 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 303,644,036 |
| London Stansted Airport | 170,298,474 |
| East Midlands Airport | 168,365,367 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 115,528,106 |
| ZLC | 85,106,847 |
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 | 137,736,638 | 165,907,398 | +28,170,760 |
| London Stansted Airport | 73,237,666 | 97,060,808 | +23,823,142 |
| East Midlands Airport | 89,870,076 | 78,495,291 | -11,374,785 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 55,097,233 | 60,430,873 | +5,333,640 |
| ZLC | 39,758,639 | 45,348,208 | +5,589,569 |
| Dover | 30,674,385 | 29,384,190 | -1,290,195 |
| Birmingham Airport | 29,974,896 | 29,569,209 | -405,687 |
| Holyhead | 17,250,030 | 20,329,038 | +3,079,008 |
| Manchester Airport | 8,790,167 | 6,327,341 | -2,462,826 |
| Liverpool Docks | 5,529,687 | 4,860,646 | -669,041 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8523
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes discs, tapes, smart cards, and other devices for recording sound or data, whether recorded or not. Also includes master discs for production