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 | 194,056,501 |
| Belgium | 40,914,231 |
| Netherlands | 18,369,224 |
| France | 10,945,862 |
| Germany | 8,020,635 |
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 | 103,008,844 | 91,047,657 | -11,961,187 |
| Belgium | 23,127,235 | 17,786,996 | -5,340,239 |
| Netherlands | 9,059,548 | 9,309,676 | +250,128 |
| France | 5,685,546 | 5,260,316 | -425,230 |
| Germany | 3,636,237 | 4,384,398 | +748,161 |
| Italy | 3,632,920 | 2,773,382 | -859,538 |
| Czechia | 2,034,755 | 1,408,673 | -626,082 |
| United States | 1,353,888 | 1,866,145 | +512,257 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 2,063,591 | 514,475 | -1,549,116 |
| India | 1,083,667 | 1,002,889 | -80,778 |
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 | 224,676,241 |
| Germany | 12,870,405 |
| India | 12,552,954 |
| Czechia | 10,186,522 |
| United States | 9,166,121 |
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 | 120,275,735 | 104,400,506 | -15,875,229 |
| Germany | 5,513,884 | 7,356,521 | +1,842,637 |
| India | 7,761,878 | 4,791,076 | -2,970,802 |
| Czechia | 4,978,915 | 5,207,607 | +228,692 |
| United States | 4,857,766 | 4,308,355 | -549,411 |
| Italy | 3,280,968 | 2,706,129 | -574,839 |
| Belgium | 2,780,260 | 2,538,590 | -241,670 |
| Indonesia | 1,982,483 | 2,225,885 | +243,402 |
| Thailand | 1,322,500 | 844,235 | -478,265 |
| Hungary | 1,497,367 | 521,236 | -976,131 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 53 |
| Greater Manchester | 36 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 34 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 31 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 31 |
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 | 36 | 40 | +4 |
| Greater Manchester | 23 | 27 | +4 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 21 | 24 | +3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 16 | 21 | +5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 21 | 24 | +3 |
| West Midlands | 15 | 12 | -3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 15 | 11 | -4 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 12 | 17 | +5 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 10 | 15 | +5 |
| Essex | 11 | 13 | +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) | 191,033,671 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 93,449,881 |
| Other | 9,604,569 |
| Air transport | 5,526,047 |
| Road transport | 116,715 |
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) | 103,840,605 | 87,193,066 | -16,647,539 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 50,536,403 | 42,913,478 | -7,622,925 |
| Other | 2,411,606 | 7,192,963 | +4,781,357 |
| Air transport | 3,080,157 | 2,445,890 | -634,267 |
| Road transport | 9,092 | 107,623 | +98,531 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 93,356,875 |
| Southampton | 62,491,418 |
| London Gateway Port | 27,023,201 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 23,745,562 |
| Dover | 20,188,233 |
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 | 58,523,129 | 34,833,746 | -23,689,383 |
| Southampton | 38,976,349 | 23,515,069 | -15,461,280 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,147,675 | 23,875,526 | +20,727,851 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 12,043,710 | 11,701,852 | -341,858 |
| Dover | 10,506,485 | 9,681,748 | -824,737 |
| London | 9,116,224 | 3,240,624 | -5,875,600 |
| 000 | 2,411,606 | 7,192,963 | +4,781,357 |
| Middlesbrough | 5,360,865 | 3,315,753 | -2,045,112 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,958,263 | 5,154,802 | +2,196,539 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,953,639 | 3,264,503 | -689,136 |
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 | 168 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 154 |
| Other manufacturing | 36 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 29 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 27 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 121 |
| 2025-10 | 91 |
| 2025-09 | 82 |
| 2025-08 | 91 |
| 2025-07 | 108 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SPORTSDIRECT.COM RETAIL LIMITED | 114 |
| TJX UK | 113 |
| ARGOS LIMITED | 110 |
| PRIMARK STORES LIMITED | 106 |
| MATALAN RETAIL LTD. | 95 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 88 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 88 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 86 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 78 |
| DUNELM (SOFT FURNISHINGS) LTD | 76 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 195 |
| 1m-15m | 186 |
| 0-1m | 64 |
| 15m-54m | 56 |
| Other | 45 |
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 | 3,276,728 |
| Ireland | 2,950,967 |
| France | 2,563,735 |
| United States | 2,265,336 |
| Poland | 1,997,368 |
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 | 1,971,930 | 1,304,798 | -667,132 |
| Ireland | 1,748,272 | 1,202,695 | -545,577 |
| France | 1,493,682 | 1,070,053 | -423,629 |
| United States | 1,059,145 | 1,206,191 | +147,046 |
| Poland | 1,052,703 | 944,665 | -108,038 |
| Spain | 971,917 | 570,813 | -401,104 |
| Belgium | 688,271 | 551,406 | -136,865 |
| Netherlands | 652,684 | 537,643 | -115,041 |
| Iceland | 320,969 | 646,774 | +325,805 |
| Czechia | 405,752 | 408,125 | +2,373 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XU | 71,764 |
| China | 34,836 |
| Ireland | 7,926 |
| XI | 5,005 |
| Israel | 3,600 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XU | 44,498 | 27,266 | -17,232 |
| China | 11,636 | 23,200 | +11,564 |
| Ireland | 1,245 | 6,681 | +5,436 |
| XI | 578 | 4,427 | +3,849 |
| Israel | 1,002 | 2,598 | +1,596 |
| 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) | 16,209,592 |
| Air transport | 5,808,819 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,973,585 |
| Other | 126,287 |
| Road transport | 28,370 |
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) | 9,049,894 | 7,159,698 | -1,890,196 |
| Air transport | 3,079,540 | 2,729,279 | -350,261 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,338,230 | 1,635,355 | +297,125 |
| Other | 60,756 | 65,531 | +4,775 |
| Road transport | 25,373 | 2,997 | -22,376 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 10,377,012 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,294,509 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,233,569 |
| Holyhead | 2,160,081 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,874,021 |
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 | 6,007,273 | 4,369,739 | -1,637,534 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,089,796 | 1,204,713 | +114,917 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,392,067 | 841,502 | -550,565 |
| Holyhead | 1,419,472 | 740,609 | -678,863 |
| Immingham Docks | 998,828 | 875,193 | -123,635 |
| Liverpool Docks | 218,706 | 799,509 | +580,803 |
| Dover | 422,533 | 542,632 | +120,099 |
| ZLC | 296,519 | 372,179 | +75,660 |
| Middlesbrough | 177,520 | 431,617 | +254,097 |
| London Gateway Port | 320,415 | 222,203 | -98,212 |
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