Import/export HS code 52: Cotton products
All types of cotton, including raw cotton, cotton fibers, and cotton-based materials
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 | 58,588,763 |
| Pakistan | 54,863,811 |
| Austria | 53,554,077 |
| India | 29,614,970 |
| China | 22,051,823 |
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 | 32,840,417 | 25,748,346 | -7,092,071 |
| Pakistan | 30,632,779 | 24,231,032 | -6,401,747 |
| Austria | 25,864,969 | 27,689,108 | +1,824,139 |
| India | 15,788,051 | 13,826,919 | -1,961,132 |
| China | 13,500,671 | 8,551,152 | -4,949,519 |
| Turkey | 10,438,772 | 8,379,129 | -2,059,643 |
| Netherlands | 9,018,981 | 8,107,729 | -911,252 |
| Germany | 9,391,749 | 6,992,862 | -2,398,887 |
| Spain | 7,620,246 | 6,493,288 | -1,126,958 |
| France | 6,455,743 | 5,253,548 | -1,202,195 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | 57,477,889 |
| Austria | 54,542,942 |
| Italy | 43,908,967 |
| India | 38,128,466 |
| China | 25,761,619 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 32,337,864 | 25,140,025 | -7,197,839 |
| Austria | 26,626,715 | 27,916,227 | +1,289,512 |
| Italy | 23,936,608 | 19,972,359 | -3,964,249 |
| India | 20,960,554 | 17,167,912 | -3,792,642 |
| China | 15,194,508 | 10,567,111 | -4,627,397 |
| Turkey | 12,491,162 | 9,849,554 | -2,641,608 |
| Spain | 7,902,236 | 6,781,984 | -1,120,252 |
| Germany | 7,648,464 | 5,656,015 | -1,992,449 |
| Egypt | 5,964,461 | 6,696,908 | +732,447 |
| Netherlands | 5,673,158 | 6,721,460 | +1,048,302 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 248 |
| Greater Manchester | 117 |
| Inner London - East | 96 |
| West Yorkshire | 92 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 83 |
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 | 195 | 148 | -47 |
| Greater Manchester | 82 | 74 | -8 |
| Inner London - East | 78 | 54 | -24 |
| West Yorkshire | 77 | 58 | -19 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 52 | 53 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 47 | 33 | -14 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 47 | 28 | -19 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 40 | 34 | -6 |
| West Midlands | 33 | 31 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 35 | 31 | -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) | 147,539,235 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 133,363,856 |
| Air transport | 52,743,044 |
| Other | 5,674,913 |
| Road transport | 3,935,187 |
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) | 80,873,004 | 66,666,231 | -14,206,773 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 70,992,478 | 62,371,378 | -8,621,100 |
| Air transport | 29,308,409 | 23,434,635 | -5,873,774 |
| Other | 4,040,120 | 1,634,793 | -2,405,327 |
| Road transport | 1,937,389 | 1,997,798 | +60,409 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 52,066,755 |
| London | 40,564,352 |
| Dover | 36,506,991 |
| Felixstowe | 35,363,596 |
| Thamesport | 25,974,482 |
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 | 31,385,677 | 20,681,078 | -10,704,599 |
| London | 20,974,839 | 19,589,513 | -1,385,326 |
| Dover | 19,350,979 | 17,156,012 | -2,194,967 |
| Felixstowe | 22,139,282 | 13,224,314 | -8,914,968 |
| Thamesport | 12,793,909 | 13,180,573 | +386,664 |
| Eurotunnel | 13,384,802 | 12,309,141 | -1,075,661 |
| London Gateway Port | 6,975,481 | 11,630,968 | +4,655,487 |
| Birmingham Airport | 6,134,911 | 9,555,278 | +3,420,367 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 7,665,296 | 5,568,605 | -2,096,691 |
| East Midlands Airport | 9,043,012 | 3,979,671 | -5,063,341 |
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 | 469 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 455 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 158 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 103 |
| Other manufacturing | 71 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 251 |
| 2025-11 | 272 |
| 2025-10 | 304 |
| 2025-09 | 257 |
| 2025-08 | 240 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ROMO LIMITED | 120 |
| ROBERT SCOTT & SONS LIMITED | 120 |
| COLEFAX GROUP PLC | 120 |
| SANDERSON DESIGN GROUP PLC | 119 |
| JOHN COTTON GROUP LIMITED | 119 |
| ASHLEY WILDE GROUP LIMITED | 119 |
| DESIGNERS GUILD LIMITED | 119 |
| PREMIER TEXTILES LIMITED | 119 |
| PRESTIGIOUS TEXTILES LIMITED | 119 |
| FRYETT'S FABRICS 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 | 658 |
| 0-1m | 359 |
| 54m+ | 247 |
| 15m-54m | 145 |
| Other | 83 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 67,110,419 |
| United States | 23,109,920 |
| France | 22,951,402 |
| Netherlands | 13,278,200 |
| Germany | 11,791,589 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 33,967,108 | 33,143,311 | -823,797 |
| United States | 14,385,893 | 8,724,027 | -5,661,866 |
| France | 13,255,692 | 9,695,710 | -3,559,982 |
| Netherlands | 7,544,123 | 5,734,077 | -1,810,046 |
| Germany | 6,400,023 | 5,391,566 | -1,008,457 |
| Italy | 5,490,337 | 4,728,940 | -761,397 |
| Senegal | 3,935,766 | 4,085,490 | +149,724 |
| United Arab Emirates | 3,180,290 | 3,324,727 | +144,437 |
| Morocco | 2,690,730 | 2,257,266 | -433,464 |
| Romania | 1,722,327 | 2,133,330 | +411,003 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Turkey | 329,598 |
| China | 51,230 |
| Portugal | 48,997 |
| India | 46,405 |
| XI | 36,807 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 328,714 | 884 | -327,830 |
| China | 26,082 | 25,148 | -934 |
| Portugal | 0 | 48,997 | +48,997 |
| India | 28,590 | 17,815 | -10,775 |
| XI | 19,205 | 17,602 | -1,603 |
| Spain | 16,974 | 9,472 | -7,502 |
| Panama | 3,496 | 3,426 | -70 |
| United States | 2,443 | 2,129 | -314 |
| Italy | 2,035 | 1,341 | -694 |
| Ireland | 232 | 112 | -120 |
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 | 133,992,687 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 71,560,875 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 22,478,182 |
| Other | 639,017 |
| Road transport | 438,477 |
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 | 72,736,655 | 61,256,032 | -11,480,623 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 39,967,586 | 31,593,289 | -8,374,297 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,680,520 | 9,797,662 | -2,882,858 |
| Other | 485,363 | 153,654 | -331,709 |
| Road transport | 438,477 | 0 | -438,477 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 84,066,131 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 47,131,106 |
| London Stansted Airport | 16,384,455 |
| ZLC | 14,553,431 |
| East Midlands Airport | 14,319,835 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 43,249,414 | 40,816,717 | -2,432,697 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 27,942,316 | 19,188,790 | -8,753,526 |
| London Stansted Airport | 7,921,271 | 8,463,184 | +541,913 |
| ZLC | 11,392,995 | 3,160,436 | -8,232,559 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,552,254 | 5,767,581 | -2,784,673 |
| Dover | 6,852,811 | 6,503,127 | -349,684 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,421,078 | 4,991,908 | -429,170 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,513,536 | 3,284,661 | -228,875 |
| London | 2,811,130 | 3,412,138 | +601,008 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,332,513 | 2,542,128 | +1,209,615 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 5201 – Raw cotton
- 5202 – Cotton waste
- 5203 – Carded or combed cotton
- 5204 – Cotton sewing thread
- 5205 – Cotton yarn (85%+ cotton)
- 5206 – Cotton yarn (not sewing thread), less than 85% cotton, not for retail sale
- 5207 – Cotton yarn for retail sale
- 5208 – Lightweight woven cotton fabrics
- 5209 – Heavy cotton woven fabrics
- 5210 – Light cotton woven fabrics
- 5211 – Cotton fabrics mixed with man-made fibers
- 5212 – Various cotton woven fabrics
Quick facts
HS code: 52
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: All types of cotton, including raw cotton, cotton fibers, and cotton-based materials