Import/export HS code 8540: Vacuum tubes and valves
Includes vacuum tubes, cathode ray tubes, and other electronic valves
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 39,730,335 |
| Netherlands | 22,909,648 |
| France | 17,905,226 |
| Japan | 12,587,618 |
| China | 10,210,660 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 19,930,584 | 19,799,751 | -130,833 |
| Netherlands | 7,259,197 | 15,650,451 | +8,391,254 |
| France | 8,519,798 | 9,385,428 | +865,630 |
| Japan | 6,878,520 | 5,709,098 | -1,169,422 |
| China | 4,665,630 | 5,545,030 | +879,400 |
| Germany | 3,092,420 | 3,011,440 | -80,980 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,278,837 | 1,873,182 | +594,345 |
| South Korea | 1,979,605 | 988,064 | -991,541 |
| Italy | 885,846 | 1,697,952 | +812,106 |
| Belgium | 755,942 | 768,527 | +12,585 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 34,240,328 |
| France | 23,781,653 |
| United Kingdom | 17,462,296 |
| Japan | 13,228,523 |
| Netherlands | 11,818,295 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 16,609,114 | 17,631,214 | +1,022,100 |
| France | 10,083,074 | 13,698,579 | +3,615,505 |
| United Kingdom | 8,964,634 | 8,497,662 | -466,972 |
| Japan | 7,126,188 | 6,102,335 | -1,023,853 |
| Netherlands | 3,001,087 | 8,817,208 | +5,816,121 |
| China | 5,838,095 | 5,898,464 | +60,369 |
| Italy | 1,862,725 | 3,537,737 | +1,675,012 |
| Germany | 1,712,432 | 1,476,692 | -235,740 |
| Thailand | 543,717 | 1,162,084 | +618,367 |
| Slovakia | 693,192 | 615,653 | -77,539 |
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 | 37 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 31 |
| Inner London - West | 29 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 27 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 23 |
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 | 30 | 24 | -6 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 25 | 20 | -5 |
| Inner London - West | 21 | 20 | -1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 15 | 19 | +4 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 16 | 16 | +0 |
| Essex | 15 | 12 | -3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 | 13 | +6 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 11 | 9 | -2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 7 | 9 | +2 |
| Greater Manchester | 11 | 8 | -3 |
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 | 105,701,497 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,479,108 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,252,670 |
| Other | 140,137 |
| Road transport | 9,202 |
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 | 49,327,598 | 56,373,899 | +7,046,301 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,020,796 | 6,458,312 | +1,437,516 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 3,303,057 | 5,949,613 | +2,646,556 |
| Other | 64,724 | 75,413 | +10,689 |
| Road transport | 9,202 | 0 | -9,202 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 47,349,133 |
| London Stansted Airport | 26,863,345 |
| East Midlands Airport | 21,780,619 |
| Eurotunnel | 4,601,682 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,376,680 |
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 | 22,032,277 | 25,316,856 | +3,284,579 |
| London Stansted Airport | 10,634,559 | 16,228,786 | +5,594,227 |
| East Midlands Airport | 12,139,358 | 9,641,261 | -2,498,097 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,471,778 | 3,129,904 | +1,658,126 |
| London Gateway Port | 987,799 | 2,388,881 | +1,401,082 |
| Manchester Airport | 2,145,151 | 1,217,007 | -928,144 |
| Warton Aerodrome | 1,278,837 | 1,868,178 | +589,341 |
| Southampton | 2,236,232 | 695,760 | -1,540,472 |
| Felixstowe | 682,940 | 2,193,328 | +1,510,388 |
| Dover | 1,131,585 | 1,316,001 | +184,416 |
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 | 71 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 56 |
| Repair and installation of machinery and equipment | 29 |
| Manufacture of electrical equipment | 27 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 25 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 70 |
| 2026-03 | 67 |
| 2026-02 | 75 |
| 2026-01 | 56 |
| 2025-12 | 66 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| CPI TMD TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 124 |
| HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS UK LIMITED | 124 |
| TELEDYNE UK LIMITED | 122 |
| ET ENTERPRISES LIMITED | 121 |
| RICHARDSON ELECTRONICS LIMITED | 111 |
| PANASONIC MANUFACTURING U.K. LTD. | 110 |
| PHOTEK LIMITED | 106 |
| ITRON (U.K.) LIMITED | 96 |
| AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE LIMITED | 88 |
| ARQIVA LIMITED | 87 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 163 |
| 1m-15m | 132 |
| 0-1m | 39 |
| 15m-54m | 27 |
| Other | 24 |
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 | 87,107,490 |
| Netherlands | 55,196,230 |
| China | 26,802,865 |
| Japan | 18,177,048 |
| South Korea | 15,561,706 |
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 | 36,328,969 | 50,778,521 | +14,449,552 |
| Netherlands | 27,931,680 | 27,264,550 | -667,130 |
| China | 11,498,771 | 15,304,094 | +3,805,323 |
| Japan | 10,623,682 | 7,553,366 | -3,070,316 |
| South Korea | 10,396,403 | 5,165,303 | -5,231,100 |
| Germany | 5,038,385 | 3,750,159 | -1,288,226 |
| Italy | 2,793,978 | 4,143,410 | +1,349,432 |
| Poland | 3,090,716 | 3,493,146 | +402,430 |
| India | 2,120,920 | 3,211,782 | +1,090,862 |
| France | 2,326,819 | 2,573,750 | +246,931 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 668 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 668 | 0 | -668 |
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 | 210,094,901 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 46,923,238 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,975,652 |
| Road transport | 464,972 |
| Other | 882 |
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 | 100,787,266 | 109,307,635 | +8,520,369 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 21,931,398 | 24,991,840 | +3,060,442 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,241,441 | 2,734,211 | -1,507,230 |
| Road transport | 464,972 | 0 | -464,972 |
| Other | 882 | 0 | -882 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 81,772,715 |
| London Stansted Airport | 79,999,262 |
| ZLC | 29,595,332 |
| Harwich | 28,098,165 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 13,241,971 |
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 | 42,678,783 | 39,093,932 | -3,584,851 |
| London Stansted Airport | 33,006,807 | 46,992,455 | +13,985,648 |
| ZLC | 16,254,974 | 13,340,358 | -2,914,616 |
| Harwich | 13,710,979 | 14,387,186 | +676,207 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,722,141 | 8,519,830 | +3,797,689 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,540,740 | 5,921,812 | +1,381,072 |
| Manchester Airport | 3,305,198 | 1,785,370 | -1,519,828 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,838,234 | 412,395 | -2,425,839 |
| Dover | 2,107,299 | 954,312 | -1,152,987 |
| Warton Aerodrome | 816,000 | 2,003,677 | +1,187,677 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 854011 – Colour cathode ray tubes
- 854012 – Monochrome cathode ray tubes
- 854020 – TV camera tubes and image converters
- 854040 – Display tubes for data or graphics
- 854060 – Various cathode ray tubes
- 854071 – Magnetrons
- 854079 – Various microwave tubes
- 854081 – Receiver or amplifier tubes
- 854089 – Various electronic tubes
- 854091 – Parts for cathode ray tubes
- 854099 – Various electronic tube parts
Quick facts
HS code: 8540
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes vacuum tubes, cathode ray tubes, and other electronic valves