Import/export HS code 4502: Natural cork, prepared or shaped
Natural cork that has been processed, such as debacked, roughly squared, or cut into blocks, plates, sheets, or strips. Includes sharp-edged blanks for making corks or stoppers
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 | 639,575 |
| India | 37,921 |
| Portugal | 30,089 |
| Italy | 8,945 |
| Germany | 4,395 |
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 | 293,466 | 346,109 | +52,643 |
| India | 33,310 | 4,611 | -28,699 |
| Portugal | 4,006 | 26,083 | +22,077 |
| Italy | 5,613 | 3,332 | -2,281 |
| Germany | 3,210 | 1,185 | -2,025 |
| United States | 0 | 3,366 | +3,366 |
| France | 2,433 | 0 | -2,433 |
| Poland | 0 | 2,244 | +2,244 |
| Ireland | 242 | 1 | -241 |
| Spain | 12 | 0 | -12 |
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 | 641,058 |
| India | 37,921 |
| Portugal | 26,723 |
| Italy | 14,744 |
| Germany | 4,381 |
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 | 293,466 | 347,592 | +54,126 |
| India | 33,310 | 4,611 | -28,699 |
| Portugal | 6,439 | 20,284 | +13,845 |
| Italy | 5,613 | 9,131 | +3,518 |
| Germany | 3,210 | 1,171 | -2,039 |
| Poland | 0 | 2,244 | +2,244 |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 1,883 | +1,883 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 3 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 2 |
| Lincolnshire | 2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2 |
| West Midlands | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Lincolnshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| West Midlands | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| East Central Scotland | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 0 | 1 | +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) | 665,680 |
| Air transport | 35,301 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 27,973 |
| Other | 269 |
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) | 329,525 | 336,155 | +6,630 |
| Air transport | 6,074 | 29,227 | +23,153 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 6,439 | 21,534 | +15,095 |
| Other | 254 | 15 | -239 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 279,916 |
| Southampton | 204,420 |
| London Gateway Port | 176,165 |
| Newhaven | 22,174 |
| London Stansted Airport | 20,863 |
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 | 196,018 | 83,898 | -112,120 |
| Southampton | 116,535 | 87,885 | -28,650 |
| London Gateway Port | 13,336 | 162,829 | +149,493 |
| Newhaven | 6,439 | 15,735 | +9,296 |
| London Stansted Airport | 0 | 20,863 | +20,863 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,844 | 5,795 | +951 |
| Dover | 0 | 5,799 | +5,799 |
| London | 3,636 | 0 | -3,636 |
| Liverpool Docks | 0 | 1,543 | +1,543 |
| 499 | 0 | 1,398 | +1,398 |
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 | 8 |
| Other manufacturing | 4 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 4 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 2 |
| Advertising and market research | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 2 |
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-10 | 5 |
| 2025-09 | 4 |
| 2025-08 | 2 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| Q.E.P. CO. U.K. LIMITED | 33 |
| TG JONES HIGH STREET LIMITED | 32 |
| BOULDER DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED | 22 |
| RODO LIMITED | 18 |
| BAKER ROSS LIMITED | 17 |
| DESIGN OBJECTIVES LIMITED | 12 |
| SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC LIMITED | 11 |
| TOOLSTREAM LIMITED | 10 |
| SWELL UK LIMITED | 9 |
| IDX CORPORATION LONDON LIMITED | 9 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 11 |
| 54m+ | 7 |
| 0-1m | 2 |
| 15m-54m | 2 |
| Other | 1 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Canada | 206,390 |
| United States | 51,513 |
| Austria | 37,577 |
| Netherlands | 24,104 |
| Germany | 10,080 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 202,665 | 3,725 | -198,940 |
| United States | 35,009 | 16,504 | -18,505 |
| Austria | 37,577 | 0 | -37,577 |
| Netherlands | 11,093 | 13,011 | +1,918 |
| Germany | 10,080 | 0 | -10,080 |
| Poland | 0 | 8,157 | +8,157 |
| Italy | 3,691 | 3,007 | -684 |
| India | 4,822 | 1,687 | -3,135 |
| United Arab Emirates | 6,003 | 0 | -6,003 |
| Philippines | 0 | 3,350 | +3,350 |
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 | 27 |
| XI | 18 |
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 | 21 | 6 | -15 |
| XI | 14 | 4 | -10 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 298,378 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 71,577 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,705 |
| Other | 45 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 267,186 | 31,192 | -235,994 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 49,065 | 22,512 | -26,553 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,583 | 1,122 | -2,461 |
| Other | 35 | 10 | -25 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| ZLC | 238,236 |
| East Midlands Airport | 39,177 |
| Eurotunnel | 37,577 |
| Felixstowe | 24,104 |
| London Stansted Airport | 13,403 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZLC | 226,298 | 11,938 | -214,360 |
| East Midlands Airport | 36,583 | 2,594 | -33,989 |
| Eurotunnel | 37,577 | 0 | -37,577 |
| Felixstowe | 11,093 | 13,011 | +1,918 |
| London Stansted Airport | 1,660 | 11,743 | +10,083 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,978 | 8,381 | +4,403 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 952 | 4,917 | +3,965 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,693 | 0 | -1,693 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 1,122 | +1,122 |
| Dover | 0 | 1,120 | +1,120 |
Quick facts
HS code: 4502
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Natural cork that has been processed, such as debacked, roughly squared, or cut into blocks, plates, sheets, or strips. Includes sharp-edged blanks for making corks or stoppers