Import/export HS code 481960: Office storage items
Paper-based office supplies like box files, letter trays, and storage boxes
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 | 10,748,265 |
| Ireland | 5,275,354 |
| Turkey | 4,679,646 |
| Germany | 3,202,686 |
| United States | 2,347,800 |
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 | 5,725,963 | 5,022,302 | -703,661 |
| Ireland | 2,683,844 | 2,591,510 | -92,334 |
| Turkey | 2,380,170 | 2,299,476 | -80,694 |
| Germany | 1,578,605 | 1,624,081 | +45,476 |
| United States | 345,165 | 2,002,635 | +1,657,470 |
| Netherlands | 834,551 | 1,339,832 | +505,281 |
| Lithuania | 1,088,033 | 803,158 | -284,875 |
| France | 516,186 | 824,246 | +308,060 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 380,316 | 380,806 | +490 |
| Poland | 317,844 | 269,249 | -48,595 |
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 | 12,439,019 |
| Turkey | 4,679,904 |
| Germany | 3,050,659 |
| United States | 2,353,982 |
| Lithuania | 2,186,953 |
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 | 6,429,626 | 6,009,393 | -420,233 |
| Turkey | 2,382,075 | 2,297,829 | -84,246 |
| Germany | 1,551,647 | 1,499,012 | -52,635 |
| United States | 376,530 | 1,977,452 | +1,600,922 |
| Lithuania | 1,144,864 | 1,042,089 | -102,775 |
| Ireland | 1,048,090 | 1,131,027 | +82,937 |
| Netherlands | 609,453 | 675,484 | +66,031 |
| Poland | 404,766 | 743,796 | +339,030 |
| Italy | 249,602 | 712,494 | +462,892 |
| France | 501,981 | 237,869 | -264,112 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 93 |
| Greater Manchester | 74 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 47 |
| Inner London - East | 41 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 36 |
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 | 55 | 54 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 52 | 36 | -16 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 27 | 28 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 27 | 23 | -4 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 25 | 21 | -4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 21 | 20 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 21 | 10 | -11 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 15 | 14 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 16 | 10 | -6 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 14 | 8 | -6 |
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) | 14,004,787 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 11,626,898 |
| Air transport | 6,554,197 |
| Other | 3,901,483 |
| Road transport | 711,499 |
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) | 6,548,951 | 7,455,836 | +906,885 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,582,756 | 6,044,142 | +461,386 |
| Air transport | 3,284,431 | 3,269,766 | -14,665 |
| Other | 2,155,197 | 1,746,286 | -408,911 |
| Road transport | 417,960 | 293,539 | -124,421 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 7,464,556 |
| Dover | 3,954,758 |
| 000 | 3,901,483 |
| ZLC | 3,138,873 |
| Southampton | 3,052,404 |
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 | 4,095,448 | 3,369,108 | -726,340 |
| Dover | 1,916,062 | 2,038,696 | +122,634 |
| 000 | 2,155,197 | 1,746,286 | -408,911 |
| ZLC | 1,599,130 | 1,539,743 | -59,387 |
| Southampton | 1,018,143 | 2,034,261 | +1,016,118 |
| Liverpool John Lennon Airport - Speke | 941,799 | 1,022,844 | +81,045 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 720,241 | 1,224,535 | +504,294 |
| Eurotunnel | 603,561 | 969,756 | +366,195 |
| Middlesbrough | 713,708 | 579,697 | -134,011 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 648,290 | 581,219 | -67,071 |
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 | 229 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 218 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 45 |
| Other manufacturing | 31 |
| Manufacture of paper and paper products | 25 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 73 |
| 2025-11 | 95 |
| 2025-10 | 106 |
| 2025-09 | 79 |
| 2025-08 | 81 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT LIMITED | 103 |
| MATALAN RETAIL LTD. | 102 |
| TG JONES HIGH STREET LIMITED | 101 |
| ACCO UK LIMITED | 99 |
| ROCABA PACKAGING LIMITED | 81 |
| COCHLEAR EUROPE LIMITED | 78 |
| TJX UK | 74 |
| DUNELM (SOFT FURNISHINGS) LTD | 70 |
| PRECIOUS PACKAGING LTD | 66 |
| ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS LIMITED | 63 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 255 |
| 54m+ | 185 |
| 0-1m | 136 |
| 15m-54m | 71 |
| 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 2,067,788 |
| France | 1,989,226 |
| Netherlands | 848,335 |
| Belgium | 572,671 |
| Germany | 464,438 |
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 | 961,585 | 1,106,203 | +144,618 |
| France | 1,007,088 | 982,138 | -24,950 |
| Netherlands | 439,470 | 408,865 | -30,605 |
| Belgium | 379,764 | 192,907 | -186,857 |
| Germany | 357,587 | 106,851 | -250,736 |
| United States | 157,152 | 167,990 | +10,838 |
| Italy | 178,498 | 23,030 | -155,468 |
| Norway | 33,320 | 71,530 | +38,210 |
| Qatar | 79,932 | 10,531 | -69,401 |
| Saudi Arabia | 6,458 | 77,407 | +70,949 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 4,388 |
| China | 1,838 |
| Belgium | 284 |
| Sri Lanka | 104 |
| Netherlands | 52 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 2,187 | 2,201 | +14 |
| China | 1,022 | 816 | -206 |
| Belgium | 106 | 178 | +72 |
| Sri Lanka | 103 | 1 | -102 |
| Netherlands | 36 | 16 | -20 |
| Italy | 48 | 3 | -45 |
| India | 0 | 18 | +18 |
| Germany | 11 | 0 | -11 |
| Switzerland | 8 | 0 | -8 |
| XI | 0 | 3 | +3 |
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) | 5,928,890 |
| Air transport | 1,020,198 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 844,762 |
| Other | 65,582 |
| Road transport | 1,180 |
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) | 2,975,146 | 2,953,744 | -21,402 |
| Air transport | 600,011 | 420,187 | -179,824 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 675,315 | 169,447 | -505,868 |
| Other | 60,233 | 5,349 | -54,884 |
| Road transport | 1,180 | 0 | -1,180 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,883,898 |
| Holyhead | 873,436 |
| Liverpool Docks | 851,182 |
| East Midlands Airport | 542,004 |
| Immingham Docks | 483,884 |
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 | 1,630,896 | 1,253,002 | -377,894 |
| Holyhead | 311,655 | 561,781 | +250,126 |
| Liverpool Docks | 410,204 | 440,978 | +30,774 |
| East Midlands Airport | 344,377 | 197,627 | -146,750 |
| Immingham Docks | 306,194 | 177,690 | -128,504 |
| Portsmouth | 103,248 | 209,210 | +105,962 |
| Felixstowe | 265,189 | 26,790 | -238,399 |
| Heysham | 91,450 | 123,001 | +31,551 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 67,862 | 141,657 | +73,795 |
| Dover | 90,371 | 96,853 | +6,482 |
Quick facts
HS code: 481960
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Paper-based office supplies like box files, letter trays, and storage boxes