Import/export HS code 481820: Facial tissues, handkerchiefs, and towels
Includes facial tissues, handkerchiefs, and paper towels used for personal care or cleaning
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 85,049,303 |
| Netherlands | 52,440,679 |
| France | 47,470,145 |
| Germany | 45,107,667 |
| Poland | 32,115,158 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 44,635,703 | 40,413,600 | -4,222,103 |
| Netherlands | 28,205,213 | 24,235,466 | -3,969,747 |
| France | 26,065,824 | 21,404,321 | -4,661,503 |
| Germany | 21,300,155 | 23,807,512 | +2,507,357 |
| Poland | 17,121,218 | 14,993,940 | -2,127,278 |
| China | 10,103,743 | 11,361,097 | +1,257,354 |
| Belgium | 9,534,231 | 9,461,032 | -73,199 |
| Sweden | 5,266,451 | 6,354,749 | +1,088,298 |
| Turkey | 5,161,372 | 4,947,000 | -214,372 |
| Finland | 4,578,836 | 3,801,998 | -776,838 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 94,123,366 |
| Germany | 55,769,044 |
| France | 43,004,855 |
| Netherlands | 38,875,211 |
| Poland | 33,694,868 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 48,811,924 | 45,311,442 | -3,500,482 |
| Germany | 23,774,839 | 31,994,205 | +8,219,366 |
| France | 23,980,541 | 19,024,314 | -4,956,227 |
| Netherlands | 23,725,324 | 15,149,887 | -8,575,437 |
| Poland | 17,829,545 | 15,865,323 | -1,964,222 |
| China | 10,566,573 | 11,616,120 | +1,049,547 |
| Sweden | 5,924,567 | 6,358,607 | +434,040 |
| Belgium | 6,608,892 | 5,616,677 | -992,215 |
| Turkey | 5,196,787 | 4,946,852 | -249,935 |
| Finland | 4,599,936 | 3,824,798 | -775,138 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Outer London - West and North West | 45 |
| Inner London - West | 40 |
| Greater Manchester | 31 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 30 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer London - West and North West | 31 | 27 | -4 |
| Inner London - West | 27 | 31 | +4 |
| Greater Manchester | 20 | 20 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 24 | 21 | -3 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 20 | 22 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 16 | 22 | +6 |
| Inner London - East | 23 | 18 | -5 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 17 | 12 | -5 |
| West Yorkshire | 14 | 15 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 12 | 10 | -2 |
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) | 216,701,433 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 134,169,789 |
| Other | 5,145,541 |
| Air transport | 1,205,222 |
| Road transport | 578,357 |
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) | 115,295,645 | 101,405,788 | -13,889,857 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 66,597,792 | 67,571,997 | +974,205 |
| Other | 2,951,913 | 2,193,628 | -758,285 |
| Air transport | 637,773 | 567,449 | -70,324 |
| Road transport | 16,645 | 561,712 | +545,067 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London | 89,968,683 |
| Dover | 46,757,335 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 38,014,529 |
| Immingham Docks | 34,653,150 |
| Felixstowe | 25,191,150 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 46,656,621 | 43,312,062 | -3,344,559 |
| Dover | 23,266,011 | 23,491,324 | +225,313 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 19,782,321 | 18,232,208 | -1,550,113 |
| Immingham Docks | 14,579,093 | 20,074,057 | +5,494,964 |
| Felixstowe | 14,753,404 | 10,437,746 | -4,315,658 |
| Killingholme | 12,986,236 | 9,554,326 | -3,431,910 |
| Purfleet | 10,979,968 | 11,350,273 | +370,305 |
| Hull | 12,101,009 | 9,623,108 | -2,477,901 |
| Harwich | 6,172,104 | 5,321,410 | -850,694 |
| Eurotunnel | 6,231,500 | 3,199,530 | -3,031,970 |
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 | 248 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 111 |
| Manufacture of paper and paper products | 33 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 24 |
| Other personal service activities | 19 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 112 |
| 2025-11 | 125 |
| 2025-10 | 131 |
| 2025-09 | 131 |
| 2025-08 | 112 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| KIMBERLY-CLARK EUROPE LIMITED | 120 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 101 |
| GOMPELS HEALTHCARE LIMITED | 96 |
| DRAMMOCK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 96 |
| ROKA FOODS LTD | 90 |
| PAPERLINE LIMITED | 81 |
| NAVSON LTD | 72 |
| THE CHEEKY PANDA LIMITED | 70 |
| TAZAKI FOODS LIMITED | 69 |
| WEPA PROFESSIONAL UK LTD | 67 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 181 |
| 0-1m | 97 |
| 54m+ | 94 |
| Other | 63 |
| 15m-54m | 50 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 112,837,218 |
| Netherlands | 12,285,529 |
| France | 9,549,808 |
| Germany | 4,278,018 |
| Nigeria | 2,650,238 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 57,700,635 | 55,136,583 | -2,564,052 |
| Netherlands | 6,688,307 | 5,597,222 | -1,091,085 |
| France | 5,407,648 | 4,142,160 | -1,265,488 |
| Germany | 2,324,695 | 1,953,323 | -371,372 |
| Nigeria | 1,200,394 | 1,449,844 | +249,450 |
| Spain | 1,414,465 | 1,182,481 | -231,984 |
| Iceland | 1,080,568 | 1,060,654 | -19,914 |
| United Arab Emirates | 866,824 | 1,273,238 | +406,414 |
| Belgium | 913,891 | 971,194 | +57,303 |
| United States | 943,441 | 558,161 | -385,280 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 13,581,889 |
| Switzerland | 1,646,085 |
| Ireland | 404,283 |
| Germany | 227,950 |
| Italy | 176,208 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 6,907,047 | 6,674,842 | -232,205 |
| Switzerland | 852,883 | 793,202 | -59,681 |
| Ireland | 235,145 | 169,138 | -66,007 |
| Germany | 177,235 | 50,715 | -126,520 |
| Italy | 108,688 | 67,520 | -41,168 |
| China | 46,879 | 21,787 | -25,092 |
| Poland | 6,538 | 24,655 | +18,117 |
| France | 19,262 | 10,533 | -8,729 |
| Netherlands | 3,912 | 4,040 | +128 |
| Turkey | 1,417 | 3,287 | +1,870 |
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) | 131,849,904 |
| Other | 17,519,996 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,731,387 |
| Air transport | 547,140 |
| Road transport | 26,370 |
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) | 68,127,260 | 63,722,644 | -4,404,616 |
| Other | 9,016,864 | 8,503,132 | -513,732 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,574,745 | 6,156,642 | -418,103 |
| Air transport | 324,004 | 223,136 | -100,868 |
| Road transport | 26,370 | 0 | -26,370 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 47,571,362 |
| Fishguard | 21,675,301 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 19,084,295 |
| 000 | 17,519,996 |
| Milford | 12,612,842 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 24,111,895 | 23,459,467 | -652,428 |
| Fishguard | 10,830,121 | 10,845,180 | +15,059 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 10,491,186 | 8,593,109 | -1,898,077 |
| 000 | 9,016,864 | 8,503,132 | -513,732 |
| Milford | 7,764,638 | 4,848,204 | -2,916,434 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,134,290 | 5,426,882 | -707,408 |
| Holyhead | 4,239,517 | 3,989,798 | -249,719 |
| Heysham | 2,674,879 | 5,021,719 | +2,346,840 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,449,699 | 2,881,102 | +1,431,403 |
| London | 1,152,526 | 1,276,613 | +124,087 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 481820
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes facial tissues, handkerchiefs, and paper towels used for personal care or cleaning