Import/export HS code 9608: Writing tools and accessories
Includes ballpoint pens, felt-tipped pens, fountain pens, pencils, and their parts like caps and clips. Perfect for everyday writing and professional use
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 | 155,946,971 |
| Germany | 61,841,692 |
| France | 57,112,169 |
| Italy | 17,240,187 |
| Japan | 15,912,884 |
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 | 77,387,458 | 78,559,513 | +1,172,055 |
| Germany | 31,137,911 | 30,703,781 | -434,130 |
| France | 32,125,333 | 24,986,836 | -7,138,497 |
| Italy | 8,337,336 | 8,902,851 | +565,515 |
| Japan | 9,995,703 | 5,917,181 | -4,078,522 |
| Czechia | 9,817,523 | 6,083,245 | -3,734,278 |
| United States | 5,301,472 | 5,645,275 | +343,803 |
| Netherlands | 4,244,353 | 4,449,234 | +204,881 |
| India | 4,156,050 | 3,387,568 | -768,482 |
| South Korea | 1,954,215 | 1,958,876 | +4,661 |
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 | 196,608,759 |
| Germany | 42,338,776 |
| Japan | 32,652,233 |
| France | 24,655,617 |
| United States | 16,617,267 |
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 | 97,537,033 | 99,071,726 | +1,534,693 |
| Germany | 21,983,936 | 20,354,840 | -1,629,096 |
| Japan | 18,686,301 | 13,965,932 | -4,720,369 |
| France | 11,424,251 | 13,231,366 | +1,807,115 |
| United States | 9,340,725 | 7,276,542 | -2,064,183 |
| India | 5,805,290 | 4,859,144 | -946,146 |
| Italy | 4,307,636 | 5,593,993 | +1,286,357 |
| Czechia | 3,864,764 | 3,836,449 | -28,315 |
| Mexico | 3,086,715 | 3,274,637 | +187,922 |
| Viet Nam | 2,055,603 | 1,696,741 | -358,862 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 250 |
| Greater Manchester | 109 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 107 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 99 |
| Inner London - East | 89 |
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 | 173 | 165 | -8 |
| Greater Manchester | 83 | 66 | -17 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 77 | 74 | -3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 74 | 66 | -8 |
| Inner London - East | 59 | 62 | +3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 52 | 56 | +4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 51 | 48 | -3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 45 | 43 | -2 |
| West Midlands | 44 | 47 | +3 |
| West Yorkshire | 33 | 33 | +0 |
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) | 194,867,518 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 116,361,673 |
| Air transport | 53,709,878 |
| Other | 15,239,766 |
| Road transport | 747,536 |
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) | 97,925,814 | 96,941,704 | -984,110 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 60,774,834 | 55,586,839 | -5,187,995 |
| Air transport | 25,300,811 | 28,409,067 | +3,108,256 |
| Other | 13,677,924 | 1,561,842 | -12,116,082 |
| Road transport | 338,811 | 408,725 | +69,914 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 79,048,713 |
| Southampton | 60,213,447 |
| Dover | 52,129,094 |
| London Gateway Port | 39,816,293 |
| Eurotunnel | 38,894,605 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 44,060,015 | 34,988,698 | -9,071,317 |
| Southampton | 35,628,897 | 24,584,550 | -11,044,347 |
| Dover | 28,598,199 | 23,530,895 | -5,067,304 |
| London Gateway Port | 12,414,293 | 27,402,000 | +14,987,707 |
| Eurotunnel | 19,260,034 | 19,634,571 | +374,537 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 8,332,342 | 7,443,884 | -888,458 |
| 000 | 13,677,924 | 1,561,842 | -12,116,082 |
| East Midlands Airport | 7,610,795 | 7,319,200 | -291,595 |
| Birmingham Airport | 3,769,029 | 6,009,917 | +2,240,888 |
| Liverpool Docks | 3,900,812 | 3,763,825 | -136,987 |
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 | 587 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 449 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 137 |
| Other manufacturing | 82 |
| Other professional, scientific and technical activities | 39 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 267 |
| 2026-03 | 295 |
| 2026-02 | 314 |
| 2026-01 | 259 |
| 2025-12 | 248 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| PENTEL (STATIONERY) LIMITED | 124 |
| HAINENKO LIMITED | 124 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 124 |
| MITSUBISHI PENCIL CO. U.K. LTD. | 124 |
| STONE MARKETING LIMITED | 124 |
| NISSHA MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES LTD | 123 |
| RMS INTERNATIONAL UK LTD | 122 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 122 |
| HOBBYCRAFT TRADING LIMITED | 120 |
| TG JONES HIGH STREET LIMITED | 120 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 654 |
| 54m+ | 436 |
| 0-1m | 340 |
| 15m-54m | 168 |
| Other | 163 |
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 | 13,352,708 |
| Ireland | 11,227,994 |
| France | 10,998,306 |
| Germany | 8,852,483 |
| Poland | 3,488,192 |
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 | 7,565,787 | 5,786,921 | -1,778,866 |
| Ireland | 5,756,601 | 5,471,393 | -285,208 |
| France | 5,154,748 | 5,843,558 | +688,810 |
| Germany | 4,880,415 | 3,972,068 | -908,347 |
| Poland | 1,804,463 | 1,683,729 | -120,734 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,967,008 | 1,458,853 | -508,155 |
| Netherlands | 1,799,172 | 1,554,598 | -244,574 |
| Sweden | 1,287,954 | 1,153,270 | -134,684 |
| Switzerland | 752,719 | 608,141 | -144,578 |
| Italy | 624,190 | 678,134 | +53,944 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 312,225 |
| XI | 18,971 |
| South Korea | 11,245 |
| France | 6,450 |
| Switzerland | 4,969 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 92,861 | 219,364 | +126,503 |
| XI | 16,368 | 2,603 | -13,765 |
| South Korea | 6,612 | 4,633 | -1,979 |
| France | 4,331 | 2,119 | -2,212 |
| Switzerland | 22 | 4,947 | +4,925 |
| Ireland | 3,820 | 639 | -3,181 |
| United States | 1,478 | 1,215 | -263 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 693 | +693 |
| Italy | 433 | 115 | -318 |
| Japan | 373 | 24 | -349 |
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) | 42,685,391 |
| Air transport | 23,552,481 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,363,818 |
| Other | 380,657 |
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) | 21,451,978 | 21,233,413 | -218,565 |
| Air transport | 13,639,448 | 9,913,033 | -3,726,415 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,915,067 | 6,448,751 | +533,684 |
| Other | 138,120 | 242,537 | +104,417 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 21,207,030 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 10,372,861 |
| East Midlands Airport | 9,730,471 |
| Liverpool Docks | 6,652,560 |
| Dover | 5,527,627 |
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 | 10,113,755 | 11,093,275 | +979,520 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,652,949 | 4,719,912 | -933,037 |
| East Midlands Airport | 6,039,423 | 3,691,048 | -2,348,375 |
| Liverpool Docks | 3,188,348 | 3,464,212 | +275,864 |
| Dover | 2,642,513 | 2,885,114 | +242,601 |
| Holyhead | 2,623,145 | 2,553,399 | -69,746 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,441,886 | 2,085,617 | -356,269 |
| Southampton | 1,305,156 | 1,932,575 | +627,419 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,109,871 | 726,455 | -1,383,416 |
| ZLC | 739,777 | 678,832 | -60,945 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 9608
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes ballpoint pens, felt-tipped pens, fountain pens, pencils, and their parts like caps and clips. Perfect for everyday writing and professional use