Import/export HS code 5204: Cotton sewing thread
All types of cotton sewing thread, sold in bulk or packaged for retail
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 | 1,470,643 |
| Germany | 422,810 |
| India | 263,163 |
| Italy | 173,580 |
| Pakistan | 112,157 |
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 | 794,680 | 675,963 | -118,717 |
| Germany | 193,971 | 228,839 | +34,868 |
| India | 113,745 | 149,418 | +35,673 |
| Italy | 97,348 | 76,232 | -21,116 |
| Pakistan | 62,526 | 49,631 | -12,895 |
| Ireland | 36,518 | 60,952 | +24,434 |
| United States | 42,039 | 54,823 | +12,784 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,065 | 71,057 | +69,992 |
| Netherlands | 33,682 | 36,054 | +2,372 |
| Peru | 68,704 | 0 | -68,704 |
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 | 1,492,942 |
| India | 274,236 |
| Italy | 203,235 |
| Turkey | 203,202 |
| Greece | 175,503 |
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 | 798,499 | 694,443 | -104,056 |
| India | 113,745 | 160,491 | +46,746 |
| Italy | 127,645 | 75,590 | -52,055 |
| Turkey | 0 | 203,202 | +203,202 |
| Greece | 149,423 | 26,080 | -123,343 |
| Pakistan | 66,733 | 49,631 | -17,102 |
| United States | 35,664 | 50,092 | +14,428 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,065 | 71,057 | +69,992 |
| Peru | 68,704 | 0 | -68,704 |
| Netherlands | 24,341 | 21,865 | -2,476 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 9 |
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 |
| West Midlands | 8 |
| Inner London - East | 6 |
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 | 7 | 3 | -4 |
| Greater Manchester | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 6 | 5 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 4 | 8 | +4 |
| Inner London - East | 6 | 4 | -2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
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) | 1,527,362 |
| Air transport | 930,875 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 463,664 |
| Other | 189,670 |
| Road transport | 3,938 |
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) | 816,927 | 710,435 | -106,492 |
| Air transport | 431,507 | 499,368 | +67,861 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 216,432 | 247,232 | +30,800 |
| Other | 127,916 | 61,754 | -66,162 |
| Road transport | 2,709 | 1,229 | -1,480 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Birmingham Airport | 399,275 |
| Felixstowe | 375,382 |
| Southampton | 372,832 |
| Liverpool Docks | 336,545 |
| Dover | 331,056 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Airport | 175,762 | 223,513 | +47,751 |
| Felixstowe | 148,967 | 226,415 | +77,448 |
| Southampton | 240,229 | 132,603 | -107,626 |
| Liverpool Docks | 117,389 | 219,156 | +101,767 |
| Dover | 140,672 | 190,384 | +49,712 |
| London Gateway Port | 159,907 | 43,018 | -116,889 |
| 000 | 127,916 | 61,754 | -66,162 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 88,507 | 78,084 | -10,423 |
| Thamesport | 93,575 | 22,912 | -70,663 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 48,210 | 50,120 | +1,910 |
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 | 41 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 38 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 8 |
| Other manufacturing | 5 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 12 |
| 2025-11 | 12 |
| 2025-10 | 21 |
| 2025-09 | 10 |
| 2025-08 | 10 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 73 |
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 57 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 45 |
| WOOL AND THE GANG LTD | 41 |
| TINYYO LIMITED | 36 |
| HACHETTE PARTWORKS LIMITED | 35 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 31 |
| EUROPEAN QUILTING SUPPLIES LIMITED | 29 |
| THE WORKS STORES LIMITED | 27 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 26 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 45 |
| 0-1m | 24 |
| 54m+ | 14 |
| 15m-54m | 13 |
| Other | 7 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Morocco | 263,853 |
| United Arab Emirates | 197,557 |
| Italy | 94,890 |
| United States | 78,296 |
| Ireland | 66,448 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 262,253 | 1,600 | -260,653 |
| United Arab Emirates | 8,509 | 189,048 | +180,539 |
| Italy | 54,888 | 40,002 | -14,886 |
| United States | 53,875 | 24,421 | -29,454 |
| Ireland | 27,036 | 39,412 | +12,376 |
| France | 28,073 | 28,348 | +275 |
| Germany | 27,292 | 6,272 | -21,020 |
| Poland | 17,175 | 10,338 | -6,837 |
| North Macedonia | 0 | 23,925 | +23,925 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 5,040 | 18,263 | +13,223 |
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 | 10,974 |
| XI | 4,895 |
| Nicaragua | 157 |
| India | 94 |
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 | 2,107 | 8,867 | +6,760 |
| XI | 4,661 | 234 | -4,427 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 157 | +157 |
| India | 94 | 0 | -94 |
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) | 543,698 |
| Air transport | 302,078 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 171,825 |
| Other | 16,475 |
| Road transport | 15,167 |
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) | 391,438 | 152,260 | -239,178 |
| Air transport | 155,414 | 146,664 | -8,750 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 8,589 | 163,236 | +154,647 |
| Other | 7,016 | 9,459 | +2,443 |
| Road transport | 15,167 | 0 | -15,167 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 358,533 |
| London Gateway Port | 145,486 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 138,563 |
| East Midlands Airport | 90,967 |
| Dover | 90,862 |
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 | 288,808 | 69,725 | -219,083 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 145,486 | +145,486 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 75,712 | 62,851 | -12,861 |
| East Midlands Airport | 53,279 | 37,688 | -15,591 |
| Dover | 34,110 | 56,752 | +22,642 |
| Portsmouth | 62,297 | 3,287 | -59,010 |
| ZLC | 26,629 | 21,666 | -4,963 |
| London Stansted Airport | 14,026 | 12,819 | -1,207 |
| 000 | 7,016 | 9,459 | +2,443 |
| Holyhead | 8,741 | 5,829 | -2,912 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 5204
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: All types of cotton sewing thread, sold in bulk or packaged for retail