Import/export HS code 960860: Ballpoint pen refills
Replaceable ink cartridges for ballpoint pens, including the ball tip and ink reservoir. Keeps your pens working longer
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 1,497,714 |
| France | 1,160,229 |
| India | 548,134 |
| China | 539,605 |
| Italy | 315,215 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 857,638 | 640,076 | -217,562 |
| France | 571,473 | 588,756 | +17,283 |
| India | 293,310 | 254,824 | -38,486 |
| China | 299,744 | 239,861 | -59,883 |
| Italy | 186,041 | 129,174 | -56,867 |
| Japan | 97,751 | 120,570 | +22,819 |
| United States | 112,318 | 48,744 | -63,574 |
| Switzerland | 59,894 | 92,113 | +32,219 |
| South Korea | 18,653 | 31,894 | +13,241 |
| Netherlands | 8,049 | 33,508 | +25,459 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 1,557,157 |
| China | 941,239 |
| Japan | 830,025 |
| India | 513,313 |
| France | 511,701 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 807,073 | 750,084 | -56,989 |
| China | 534,587 | 406,652 | -127,935 |
| Japan | 454,976 | 375,049 | -79,927 |
| India | 264,588 | 248,725 | -15,863 |
| France | 249,963 | 261,738 | +11,775 |
| Switzerland | 117,536 | 96,252 | -21,284 |
| United States | 112,949 | 46,056 | -66,893 |
| Austria | 0 | 27,023 | +27,023 |
| Taiwan | 6,170 | 5,639 | -531 |
| Italy | 5,878 | 5,501 | -377 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 12 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 5 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 |
| Essex | 3 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 3 |
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 | 9 | 7 | -2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Essex | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| Inner London - East | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 3 | 0 | -3 |
| West Yorkshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,839,768 |
| Air transport | 1,775,206 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,176,747 |
| Other | 21,896 |
| Road transport | 13,117 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 913,799 | 925,969 | +12,170 |
| Air transport | 1,121,271 | 653,935 | -467,336 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 527,585 | 649,162 | +121,577 |
| Other | 13,700 | 8,196 | -5,504 |
| Road transport | 1,604 | 11,513 | +9,909 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 923,036 |
| East Midlands Airport | 649,627 |
| Southampton | 501,642 |
| Birmingham Airport | 393,819 |
| Felixstowe | 380,326 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 484,022 | 439,014 | -45,008 |
| East Midlands Airport | 427,586 | 222,041 | -205,545 |
| Southampton | 245,128 | 256,514 | +11,386 |
| Birmingham Airport | 188,030 | 205,789 | +17,759 |
| Felixstowe | 141,664 | 238,662 | +96,998 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 235,841 | 124,432 | -111,409 |
| Portsmouth | 147,421 | 117,048 | -30,373 |
| Thamesport | 69,006 | 139,658 | +70,652 |
| Leeds Bradford Airport | 144,681 | 41,197 | -103,484 |
| Eurotunnel | 75,480 | 96,144 | +20,664 |
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 | 30 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 21 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 3 |
| Other manufacturing | 3 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 12 |
| 2025-11 | 14 |
| 2025-10 | 11 |
| 2025-09 | 13 |
| 2025-08 | 16 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| DETECTAMET LTD | 97 |
| PENTEL (STATIONERY) LIMITED | 88 |
| GBA PEN COMPANY LIMITED | 71 |
| TG JONES HIGH STREET LIMITED | 62 |
| GERBER TECHNOLOGY LIMITED | 42 |
| STONE MARKETING LIMITED | 41 |
| RICHEMONT UK LIMITED | 41 |
| B.S. TEASDALE & SON LIMITED | 37 |
| KLIPSPRINGER LIMITED | 36 |
| STUDIO PENS LTD | 34 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 27 |
| 54m+ | 18 |
| 0-1m | 8 |
| Other | 6 |
| 15m-54m | 5 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 143,440 |
| Poland | 105,548 |
| United States | 99,353 |
| Germany | 74,801 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 74,302 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 89,654 | 53,786 | -35,868 |
| Poland | 88,969 | 16,579 | -72,390 |
| United States | 88,231 | 11,122 | -77,109 |
| Germany | 52,937 | 21,864 | -31,073 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 27,419 | 46,883 | +19,464 |
| Russia | 0 | 65,247 | +65,247 |
| Ireland | 35,315 | 8,380 | -26,935 |
| Bulgaria | 8,247 | 16,506 | +8,259 |
| China | 0 | 18,083 | +18,083 |
| Nigeria | 8,041 | 3,195 | -4,846 |
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) | 398,048 |
| Air transport | 312,442 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,616 |
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) | 235,321 | 162,727 | -72,594 |
| Air transport | 190,862 | 121,580 | -69,282 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 9,956 | 1,660 | -8,296 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 219,010 |
| East Midlands Airport | 187,329 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 102,812 |
| Dover | 80,758 |
| Immingham Docks | 35,693 |
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 | 104,058 | 114,952 | +10,894 |
| East Midlands Airport | 134,569 | 52,760 | -81,809 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 37,706 | 65,106 | +27,400 |
| Dover | 56,000 | 24,758 | -31,242 |
| Immingham Docks | 35,693 | 0 | -35,693 |
| Holyhead | 19,502 | 6,342 | -13,160 |
| Liverpool Docks | 15,126 | 0 | -15,126 |
| Eurotunnel | 0 | 13,572 | +13,572 |
| Harwich | 10,179 | 0 | -10,179 |
| ZLC | 6,167 | 2,752 | -3,415 |
Quick facts
HS code: 960860
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Replaceable ink cartridges for ballpoint pens, including the ball tip and ink reservoir. Keeps your pens working longer