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 | 34,296,626 |
| Netherlands | 19,051,792 |
| France | 14,967,075 |
| Japan | 11,434,436 |
| China | 9,395,540 |
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 | 19,134,453 | 15,162,173 | -3,972,280 |
| Netherlands | 6,031,154 | 13,020,638 | +6,989,484 |
| France | 7,519,077 | 7,447,998 | -71,079 |
| Japan | 6,814,555 | 4,619,881 | -2,194,674 |
| China | 4,639,082 | 4,756,458 | +117,376 |
| Germany | 2,786,785 | 2,826,829 | +40,044 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,022,554 | 1,702,766 | +680,212 |
| South Korea | 1,868,069 | 788,969 | -1,079,100 |
| Italy | 500,714 | 1,529,652 | +1,028,938 |
| Belgium | 691,693 | 714,596 | +22,903 |
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 | 29,476,357 |
| France | 18,692,303 |
| United Kingdom | 15,203,345 |
| Japan | 12,206,912 |
| China | 10,898,444 |
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 | 16,174,188 | 13,302,169 | -2,872,019 |
| France | 8,605,981 | 10,086,322 | +1,480,341 |
| United Kingdom | 7,886,444 | 7,316,901 | -569,543 |
| Japan | 7,152,955 | 5,053,957 | -2,098,998 |
| China | 5,730,071 | 5,168,373 | -561,698 |
| Netherlands | 2,761,094 | 7,489,702 | +4,728,608 |
| Italy | 1,096,617 | 3,092,126 | +1,995,509 |
| Germany | 1,564,843 | 1,546,293 | -18,550 |
| Thailand | 543,075 | 828,354 | +285,279 |
| Slovakia | 616,447 | 466,576 | -149,871 |
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 | 36 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 30 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 27 |
| Inner London - West | 27 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 22 |
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 | 22 | -8 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 26 | 17 | -9 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 15 | 18 | +3 |
| Inner London - West | 21 | 19 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 17 | 15 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 9 | 12 | +3 |
| Essex | 15 | 7 | -8 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 10 | 8 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 10 | 9 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 8 | 6 | -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 | 91,072,690 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,490,392 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 7,206,547 |
| Other | 101,075 |
| Road transport | 12,679 |
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 | 45,609,441 | 45,463,249 | -146,192 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,338,216 | 5,152,176 | -186,040 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,495,413 | 4,711,134 | +2,215,721 |
| Other | 62,136 | 38,939 | -23,197 |
| Road transport | 8,247 | 4,432 | -3,815 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 39,729,393 |
| London Stansted Airport | 23,227,188 |
| East Midlands Airport | 20,247,574 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,444,854 |
| Southampton | 3,368,778 |
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 | 20,529,090 | 19,200,303 | -1,328,787 |
| London Stansted Airport | 10,539,601 | 12,687,587 | +2,147,986 |
| East Midlands Airport | 10,811,914 | 9,435,660 | -1,376,254 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,146,379 | 2,298,475 | +1,152,096 |
| Southampton | 2,603,779 | 764,999 | -1,838,780 |
| London Gateway Port | 913,240 | 2,157,511 | +1,244,271 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,615,620 | 1,142,799 | -472,821 |
| Warton Aerodrome | 1,022,554 | 1,697,762 | +675,208 |
| Dover | 1,114,723 | 1,054,671 | -60,052 |
| Felixstowe | 751,376 | 1,189,689 | +438,313 |
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 | 74 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 52 |
| Repair and installation of machinery and equipment | 28 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 25 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 24 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 56 |
| 2025-11 | 69 |
| 2025-10 | 72 |
| 2025-09 | 57 |
| 2025-08 | 67 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| CPI TMD TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 120 |
| HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS UK LIMITED | 120 |
| TELEDYNE UK LIMITED | 118 |
| ET ENTERPRISES LIMITED | 117 |
| RICHARDSON ELECTRONICS LIMITED | 107 |
| PANASONIC MANUFACTURING U.K. LTD. | 106 |
| PHOTEK LIMITED | 102 |
| ITRON (U.K.) LIMITED | 93 |
| AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE LIMITED | 87 |
| 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+ | 161 |
| 1m-15m | 124 |
| 0-1m | 35 |
| 15m-54m | 30 |
| Other | 22 |
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 | 78,477,707 |
| Netherlands | 49,365,833 |
| China | 22,865,352 |
| Japan | 16,920,597 |
| South Korea | 15,637,584 |
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 | 35,469,632 | 43,008,075 | +7,538,443 |
| Netherlands | 27,331,474 | 22,034,359 | -5,297,115 |
| China | 11,909,118 | 10,956,234 | -952,884 |
| Japan | 11,076,572 | 5,844,025 | -5,232,547 |
| South Korea | 8,990,425 | 6,647,159 | -2,343,266 |
| Germany | 5,054,320 | 2,769,734 | -2,284,586 |
| Poland | 2,087,126 | 4,368,892 | +2,281,766 |
| Italy | 2,120,175 | 3,561,319 | +1,441,144 |
| India | 2,318,627 | 2,584,939 | +266,312 |
| France | 2,234,056 | 2,257,891 | +23,835 |
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 | 192,434,864 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 40,024,351 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 8,306,944 |
| Road transport | 521,420 |
| 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 | 98,515,857 | 93,919,007 | -4,596,850 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 19,328,058 | 20,696,293 | +1,368,235 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,315,755 | 1,991,189 | -4,324,566 |
| Road transport | 521,420 | 0 | -521,420 |
| 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 | 75,173,890 |
| London Stansted Airport | 73,493,754 |
| ZLC | 26,678,099 |
| Harwich | 24,721,742 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 11,029,284 |
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 | 43,190,414 | 31,983,476 | -11,206,938 |
| London Stansted Airport | 31,060,926 | 42,432,828 | +11,371,902 |
| ZLC | 15,987,571 | 10,690,528 | -5,297,043 |
| Harwich | 13,349,491 | 11,372,251 | -1,977,240 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,319,336 | 7,709,948 | +4,390,612 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,880,758 | 4,332,985 | -547,773 |
| Manchester Airport | 2,488,666 | 2,319,675 | -168,991 |
| Dover | 3,384,914 | 1,146,031 | -2,238,883 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,092,632 | 397,362 | -2,695,270 |
| Warton Aerodrome | 814,000 | 1,959,677 | +1,145,677 |
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