Import/export HS code 8609: Special transport containers
Containers designed for transporting goods by road, rail, sea, or air. Includes containers for liquids and other materials, made for easy transport across different methods
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 | 48,274,312 |
| Germany | 27,566,275 |
| United States | 22,920,597 |
| Netherlands | 22,004,736 |
| Mexico | 13,803,152 |
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 | 23,655,366 | 24,618,946 | +963,580 |
| Germany | 9,708,320 | 17,857,955 | +8,149,635 |
| United States | 14,161,916 | 8,758,681 | -5,403,235 |
| Netherlands | 10,230,210 | 11,774,526 | +1,544,316 |
| Mexico | 189,631 | 13,613,521 | +13,423,890 |
| Canada | 5,708,049 | 7,899,186 | +2,191,137 |
| France | 7,078,808 | 5,201,780 | -1,877,028 |
| Norway | 7,958,705 | 3,853,426 | -4,105,279 |
| Spain | 6,739,376 | 2,116,875 | -4,622,501 |
| Poland | 1,920,369 | 6,660,359 | +4,739,990 |
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 | 59,590,248 |
| United States | 52,506,101 |
| Germany | 25,493,678 |
| United Kingdom | 21,932,406 |
| Poland | 8,919,753 |
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 | 30,695,314 | 28,894,934 | -1,800,380 |
| United States | 22,548,623 | 29,957,478 | +7,408,855 |
| Germany | 7,910,387 | 17,583,291 | +9,672,904 |
| United Kingdom | 13,440,821 | 8,491,585 | -4,949,236 |
| Poland | 1,638,933 | 7,280,820 | +5,641,887 |
| Netherlands | 4,083,635 | 4,711,888 | +628,253 |
| Spain | 6,735,319 | 1,965,179 | -4,770,140 |
| France | 5,275,215 | 2,991,569 | -2,283,646 |
| Norway | 6,020,218 | 1,785,567 | -4,234,651 |
| Canada | 3,354,077 | 3,593,459 | +239,382 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| North Eastern Scotland | 51 |
| Inner London - West | 44 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 27 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 23 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Eastern Scotland | 32 | 37 | +5 |
| Inner London - West | 26 | 31 | +5 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 19 | 14 | -5 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 14 | 16 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 16 | 13 | -3 |
| Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | 10 | 21 | +11 |
| Inner London - East | 12 | 14 | +2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 10 | 13 | +3 |
| West Central Scotland | 8 | 9 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 9 | 10 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 113,516,450 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 95,930,564 |
| Air transport | 30,768,601 |
| Other | 4,444,007 |
| Road transport | 189,388 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 60,727,924 | 52,788,526 | -7,939,398 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 41,746,167 | 54,184,397 | +12,438,230 |
| Air transport | 10,869,361 | 19,899,240 | +9,029,879 |
| Other | 1,681,007 | 2,763,000 | +1,081,993 |
| Road transport | 157,803 | 31,585 | -126,218 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 31,572,645 |
| Southampton | 30,745,050 |
| Dover | 27,274,964 |
| Felixstowe | 21,285,062 |
| Immingham Docks | 18,367,865 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 16,072,230 | 15,500,415 | -571,815 |
| Southampton | 18,625,718 | 12,119,332 | -6,506,386 |
| Dover | 10,619,602 | 16,655,362 | +6,035,760 |
| Felixstowe | 6,853,130 | 14,431,932 | +7,578,802 |
| Immingham Docks | 9,716,776 | 8,651,089 | -1,065,687 |
| Prestwick Airport | 2,446,875 | 15,760,887 | +13,314,012 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 7,874,841 | 4,524,319 | -3,350,522 |
| Eurotunnel | 6,509,682 | 4,905,090 | -1,604,592 |
| Hull | 4,733,169 | 5,347,050 | +613,881 |
| Harwich | 2,094,911 | 7,002,063 | +4,907,152 |
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 | 49 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 39 |
| Rental and leasing activities | 33 |
| Mining support service activities | 32 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 25 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 81 |
| 2025-11 | 85 |
| 2025-10 | 84 |
| 2025-09 | 72 |
| 2025-08 | 98 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 229 |
| 1m-15m | 155 |
| Other | 46 |
| 15m-54m | 44 |
| 0-1m | 40 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 55,223,675 |
| Japan | 23,724,741 |
| Canada | 21,536,558 |
| France | 21,272,020 |
| United States | 20,792,995 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 12,102,294 | 43,121,381 | +31,019,087 |
| Japan | 13,356,093 | 10,368,648 | -2,987,445 |
| Canada | 12,439,011 | 9,097,547 | -3,341,464 |
| France | 5,522,996 | 15,749,024 | +10,226,028 |
| United States | 8,519,972 | 12,273,023 | +3,753,051 |
| Netherlands | 9,991,792 | 10,112,529 | +120,737 |
| Singapore | 18,205,332 | 241,394 | -17,963,938 |
| South Korea | 1,314,493 | 12,410,261 | +11,095,768 |
| Germany | 9,207,027 | 4,207,559 | -4,999,468 |
| Spain | 6,897,002 | 6,467,645 | -429,357 |
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 | 2,221,440 |
| China | 13,870 |
| Ireland | 3,942 |
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 | 848,439 | 1,373,001 | +524,562 |
| China | 13,870 | 0 | -13,870 |
| Ireland | 3,670 | 272 | -3,398 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 169,126,677 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 103,643,553 |
| Air transport | 27,556,232 |
| Other | 2,263,322 |
| Road transport | 4,900 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 81,771,886 | 87,354,791 | +5,582,905 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 58,558,370 | 45,085,183 | -13,473,187 |
| Air transport | 9,596,791 | 17,959,441 | +8,362,650 |
| Other | 890,013 | 1,373,309 | +483,296 |
| Road transport | 0 | 4,900 | +4,900 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 65,291,048 |
| Southampton | 39,428,124 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 36,751,139 |
| Liverpool Docks | 27,770,172 |
| Immingham Docks | 22,677,362 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 20,798,638 | 44,492,410 | +23,693,772 |
| Southampton | 18,867,423 | 20,560,701 | +1,693,278 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 13,960,500 | 22,790,639 | +8,830,139 |
| Liverpool Docks | 16,942,004 | 10,828,168 | -6,113,836 |
| Immingham Docks | 15,860,296 | 6,817,066 | -9,043,230 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,642,369 | 15,628,537 | +9,986,168 |
| Harwich | 13,167,502 | 3,544,525 | -9,622,977 |
| London Gateway Port | 11,910,088 | 4,466,674 | -7,443,414 |
| Tyne | 5,868,873 | 4,863,487 | -1,005,386 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 7,320,496 | 3,024,918 | -4,295,578 |
Quick facts
HS code: 8609
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Containers designed for transporting goods by road, rail, sea, or air. Includes containers for liquids and other materials, made for easy transport across different methods