Import/export HS code 42021250: Moulded plastic containers
Containers made from moulded plastic, such as cases for tools or sports equipment
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 | 195,294,512 |
| Belgium | 40,555,268 |
| Netherlands | 18,560,275 |
| France | 10,797,848 |
| Germany | 8,008,373 |
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 | 102,437,846 | 92,856,666 | -9,581,180 |
| Belgium | 23,059,961 | 17,495,307 | -5,564,654 |
| Netherlands | 9,149,427 | 9,410,848 | +261,421 |
| France | 5,666,567 | 5,131,281 | -535,286 |
| Germany | 3,645,274 | 4,363,099 | +717,825 |
| Italy | 3,596,154 | 2,836,225 | -759,929 |
| Czechia | 2,080,356 | 1,661,767 | -418,589 |
| United States | 1,315,722 | 1,873,053 | +557,331 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 1,930,317 | 486,260 | -1,444,057 |
| India | 1,060,171 | 1,004,552 | -55,619 |
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 | 225,892,557 |
| Germany | 13,099,523 |
| India | 12,152,530 |
| Czechia | 10,403,724 |
| United States | 9,088,563 |
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 | 119,655,360 | 106,237,197 | -13,418,163 |
| Germany | 6,025,264 | 7,074,259 | +1,048,995 |
| India | 7,550,992 | 4,601,538 | -2,949,454 |
| Czechia | 5,006,368 | 5,397,356 | +390,988 |
| United States | 4,809,978 | 4,278,585 | -531,393 |
| Italy | 3,295,034 | 2,681,266 | -613,768 |
| Belgium | 2,798,280 | 2,499,889 | -298,391 |
| Indonesia | 1,954,445 | 2,248,514 | +294,069 |
| Thailand | 1,429,326 | 719,865 | -709,461 |
| Taiwan | 1,110,443 | 907,197 | -203,246 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 52 |
| Greater Manchester | 36 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 34 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 31 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 30 |
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 | 39 | 36 | -3 |
| Greater Manchester | 23 | 26 | +3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 22 | 23 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 17 | 21 | +4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 21 | 23 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 14 | 12 | -2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 11 | 15 | +4 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 10 | 15 | +5 |
| Essex | 12 | 13 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 13 | 11 | -2 |
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) | 192,707,633 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 93,212,779 |
| Other | 9,301,911 |
| Air transport | 5,436,693 |
| Road transport | 117,599 |
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) | 103,224,394 | 89,483,239 | -13,741,155 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 50,688,965 | 42,523,814 | -8,165,151 |
| Other | 2,460,513 | 6,841,398 | +4,380,885 |
| Air transport | 3,077,431 | 2,359,262 | -718,169 |
| Road transport | 9,092 | 108,507 | +99,415 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 90,116,508 |
| Southampton | 63,488,819 |
| London Gateway Port | 29,441,407 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 23,812,225 |
| Dover | 20,483,402 |
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 | 57,179,114 | 32,937,394 | -24,241,720 |
| Southampton | 39,264,108 | 24,224,711 | -15,039,397 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,155,870 | 26,285,537 | +23,129,667 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 12,638,572 | 11,173,653 | -1,464,919 |
| Dover | 10,293,106 | 10,190,296 | -102,810 |
| London | 8,607,553 | 3,089,480 | -5,518,073 |
| 000 | 2,460,513 | 6,841,398 | +4,380,885 |
| Middlesbrough | 5,415,138 | 3,091,749 | -2,323,389 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,721,062 | 5,235,114 | +2,514,052 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,885,833 | 3,279,699 | -606,134 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 170 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 156 |
| Other manufacturing | 36 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 28 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 26 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 82 |
| 2025-11 | 122 |
| 2025-10 | 92 |
| 2025-09 | 82 |
| 2025-08 | 91 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| FRASERS GROUP TRADING LIMITED | 115 |
| TJX UK | 114 |
| ARGOS LIMITED | 111 |
| PRIMARK STORES LIMITED | 107 |
| MATALAN RETAIL LTD. | 96 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 89 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 89 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 87 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 79 |
| DUNELM (SOFT FURNISHINGS) LTD | 77 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 191 |
| 1m-15m | 187 |
| 0-1m | 63 |
| 15m-54m | 57 |
| Other | 46 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 3,385,312 |
| Ireland | 2,892,725 |
| France | 2,484,101 |
| United States | 2,257,160 |
| Poland | 1,942,336 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1,948,643 | 1,436,669 | -511,974 |
| Ireland | 1,725,356 | 1,167,369 | -557,987 |
| France | 1,414,679 | 1,069,422 | -345,257 |
| United States | 1,051,340 | 1,205,820 | +154,480 |
| Poland | 1,028,536 | 913,800 | -114,736 |
| Belgium | 701,270 | 550,960 | -150,310 |
| Netherlands | 637,371 | 548,419 | -88,952 |
| Spain | 612,947 | 507,298 | -105,649 |
| Iceland | 304,911 | 703,119 | +398,208 |
| Czechia | 376,395 | 389,105 | +12,710 |
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 | 36,091 |
| Ireland | 7,926 |
| XI | 5,128 |
| Israel | 3,630 |
| United States | 1,499 |
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 | 12,895 | 23,196 | +10,301 |
| Ireland | 1,245 | 6,681 | +5,436 |
| XI | 606 | 4,522 | +3,916 |
| Israel | 1,345 | 2,285 | +940 |
| United States | 326 | 1,173 | +847 |
| Germany | 1,233 | 0 | -1,233 |
| Spain | 214 | 165 | -49 |
| Switzerland | 24 | 0 | -24 |
| Taiwan | 0 | 21 | +21 |
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) | 15,837,505 |
| Air transport | 5,880,465 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,857,315 |
| Other | 125,214 |
| Road transport | 22,037 |
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) | 8,625,862 | 7,211,643 | -1,414,219 |
| Air transport | 3,015,577 | 2,864,888 | -150,689 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,341,085 | 1,516,230 | +175,145 |
| Other | 61,195 | 64,019 | +2,824 |
| Road transport | 19,040 | 2,997 | -16,043 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 10,002,497 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,320,973 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,170,560 |
| Holyhead | 2,054,997 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,860,333 |
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 | 5,539,935 | 4,462,562 | -1,077,373 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,086,306 | 1,234,667 | +148,361 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,307,042 | 863,518 | -443,524 |
| Holyhead | 1,297,438 | 757,559 | -539,879 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,055,690 | 804,643 | -251,047 |
| Liverpool Docks | 353,156 | 663,972 | +310,816 |
| Dover | 401,288 | 538,680 | +137,392 |
| ZLC | 312,923 | 453,721 | +140,798 |
| Middlesbrough | 201,452 | 480,010 | +278,558 |
| London Gateway Port | 346,474 | 184,519 | -161,955 |
Quick facts
HS code: 42021250
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Containers made from moulded plastic, such as cases for tools or sports equipment