Import/export HS code 49: Printed materials like books, newspapers, and pictures
Includes all types of printed items such as books, newspapers, pictures, and other products from the printing industry. Also covers manuscripts, typescripts, and plans
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 570,606,183 |
| China | 441,460,578 |
| Germany | 199,978,755 |
| Netherlands | 173,929,467 |
| Italy | 143,622,723 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 303,127,089 | 267,479,094 | -35,647,995 |
| China | 237,984,370 | 203,476,208 | -34,508,162 |
| Germany | 101,117,035 | 98,861,720 | -2,255,315 |
| Netherlands | 79,614,221 | 94,315,246 | +14,701,025 |
| Italy | 75,876,790 | 67,745,933 | -8,130,857 |
| Poland | 61,031,917 | 76,039,050 | +15,007,133 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 73,558,920 | 50,094,434 | -23,464,486 |
| France | 57,463,516 | 39,487,198 | -17,976,318 |
| Belgium | 58,611,805 | 21,645,310 | -36,966,495 |
| Ireland | 36,713,497 | 26,864,878 | -9,848,619 |
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 | 595,389,360 |
| United States | 505,951,655 |
| Germany | 232,309,445 |
| Italy | 160,393,604 |
| United Kingdom | 150,895,003 |
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 | 324,789,203 | 270,600,157 | -54,189,046 |
| United States | 275,779,573 | 230,172,082 | -45,607,491 |
| Germany | 114,328,928 | 117,980,517 | +3,651,589 |
| Italy | 83,481,915 | 76,911,689 | -6,570,226 |
| United Kingdom | 80,224,863 | 70,670,140 | -9,554,723 |
| Poland | 46,029,172 | 56,137,138 | +10,107,966 |
| Netherlands | 46,007,317 | 41,568,246 | -4,439,071 |
| France | 36,656,338 | 24,001,338 | -12,655,000 |
| India | 34,602,331 | 25,155,598 | -9,446,733 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 26,108,760 | 13,388,693 | -12,720,067 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 780 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 379 |
| Inner London - East | 294 |
| Greater Manchester | 270 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 258 |
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 | 572 | 543 | -29 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 283 | 260 | -23 |
| Inner London - East | 209 | 198 | -11 |
| Greater Manchester | 185 | 186 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 197 | 157 | -40 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 168 | 161 | -7 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 158 | 146 | -12 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 158 | 128 | -30 |
| West Midlands | 146 | 118 | -28 |
| West Yorkshire | 112 | 108 | -4 |
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) | 907,511,094 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 818,175,484 |
| Air transport | 667,011,430 |
| Other | 68,095,924 |
| Road transport | 16,020,673 |
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) | 496,405,000 | 411,106,094 | -85,298,906 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 423,654,736 | 394,520,748 | -29,133,988 |
| Air transport | 364,403,443 | 302,607,987 | -61,795,456 |
| Other | 42,454,758 | 25,641,166 | -16,813,592 |
| Road transport | 7,744,012 | 8,276,661 | +532,649 |
| Rail transport | 436,599 | 62,393 | -374,206 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 347,880,162 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 338,652,871 |
| Felixstowe | 337,440,212 |
| Dover | 322,923,274 |
| Eurotunnel | 226,315,909 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 191,048,607 | 156,831,555 | -34,217,052 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 187,018,383 | 151,634,488 | -35,383,895 |
| Felixstowe | 206,494,555 | 130,945,657 | -75,548,898 |
| Dover | 158,773,191 | 164,150,083 | +5,376,892 |
| Eurotunnel | 115,961,072 | 110,354,837 | -5,606,235 |
| London Stansted Airport | 62,613,682 | 51,710,443 | -10,903,239 |
| London Gateway Port | 32,477,739 | 80,849,460 | +48,371,721 |
| East Midlands Airport | 51,572,057 | 50,009,246 | -1,562,811 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 45,335,224 | 35,853,270 | -9,481,954 |
| 000 | 42,437,239 | 25,301,946 | -17,135,293 |
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 | 1499 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 1169 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 332 |
| Other manufacturing | 277 |
| Publishing activities | 248 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 797 |
| 2025-11 | 972 |
| 2025-10 | 1073 |
| 2025-09 | 1033 |
| 2025-08 | 880 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TALLON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 120 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 120 |
| DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS | 120 |
| PUBLISHERS GROUP UK LIMITED | 120 |
| IG DESIGN GROUP UK LIMITED | 120 |
| BRISTOL LABORATORIES LIMITED | 120 |
| UK GREETINGS LIMITED | 120 |
| ABRAMS & CHRONICLE BOOKS LIMITED | 120 |
| GAMES WORKSHOP LIMITED | 120 |
| B & M RETAIL LIMITED | 119 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 2042 |
| 54m+ | 1685 |
| 0-1m | 799 |
| 15m-54m | 547 |
| Other | 445 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 792,695,390 |
| Ireland | 351,564,918 |
| France | 345,844,888 |
| Germany | 286,838,421 |
| Australia | 252,131,552 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 447,993,199 | 344,702,191 | -103,291,008 |
| Ireland | 191,563,431 | 160,001,487 | -31,561,944 |
| France | 186,847,108 | 158,997,780 | -27,849,328 |
| Germany | 153,333,395 | 133,505,026 | -19,828,369 |
| Australia | 151,102,580 | 101,028,972 | -50,073,608 |
| Netherlands | 131,540,321 | 112,620,215 | -18,920,106 |
| Italy | 78,142,948 | 71,442,889 | -6,700,059 |
| United Arab Emirates | 50,431,908 | 45,027,863 | -5,404,045 |
| Spain | 44,629,947 | 40,877,029 | -3,752,918 |
| Sweden | 41,001,229 | 44,039,966 | +3,038,737 |
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 | 39,421,170 |
| Ireland | 4,347,359 |
| China | 813,843 |
| Nicaragua | 423,825 |
| Italy | 169,971 |
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 | 19,688,467 | 19,732,703 | +44,236 |
| Ireland | 2,369,667 | 1,977,692 | -391,975 |
| China | 384,914 | 428,929 | +44,015 |
| Nicaragua | 232,904 | 190,921 | -41,983 |
| Italy | 105,049 | 64,922 | -40,127 |
| Portugal | 68,732 | 48,438 | -20,294 |
| France | 20,220 | 22,824 | +2,604 |
| United States | 16,350 | 13,129 | -3,221 |
| Viet Nam | 14,278 | 6,269 | -8,009 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 10,995 | 7,484 | -3,511 |
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) | 1,744,226,477 |
| Air transport | 1,234,418,002 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,077,122,468 |
| Other | 66,021,009 |
| Road transport | 650,657 |
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) | 942,988,606 | 801,237,871 | -141,750,735 |
| Air transport | 707,123,017 | 527,294,985 | -179,828,032 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 600,593,647 | 476,528,821 | -124,064,826 |
| Other | 34,082,812 | 31,938,197 | -2,144,615 |
| Road transport | 614,836 | 35,821 | -579,015 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,274,440,361 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 878,033,265 |
| London Gateway Port | 419,183,118 |
| Southampton | 328,939,541 |
| East Midlands Airport | 194,659,905 |
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 | 685,223,437 | 589,216,924 | -96,006,513 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 510,302,492 | 367,730,773 | -142,571,719 |
| London Gateway Port | 261,530,803 | 157,652,315 | -103,878,488 |
| Southampton | 155,190,805 | 173,748,736 | +18,557,931 |
| East Midlands Airport | 111,195,771 | 83,464,134 | -27,731,637 |
| Liverpool Docks | 112,006,644 | 78,874,934 | -33,131,710 |
| Holyhead | 98,063,238 | 84,766,612 | -13,296,626 |
| Felixstowe | 65,332,456 | 60,278,340 | -5,054,116 |
| Immingham Docks | 41,925,689 | 49,276,503 | +7,350,814 |
| Dover | 51,357,783 | 29,187,922 | -22,169,861 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 4901 – Printed books, brochures, and leaflets
- 4902 – Printed newspapers, magazines, and journals
- 4903 – Children’s picture or coloring books
- 4904 – Printed or handwritten music, with or without pictures or binding
- 4905 – Maps and charts, including atlases, wall maps, and globes
- 4906 – Architectural and engineering plans
- 4907 – Unused stamps and financial documents
- 4908 – Decals (stickers for surfaces)
- 4909 – Greeting cards and postcards
- 4910 – Printed Calendars
- 4911 – Printed Materials
Quick facts
HS code: 49
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes all types of printed items such as books, newspapers, pictures, and other products from the printing industry. Also covers manuscripts, typescripts, and plans