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 | 1,472,475 |
| Germany | 423,498 |
| India | 256,157 |
| Italy | 170,507 |
| 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 | 848,252 | 624,223 | -224,029 |
| Germany | 184,077 | 239,421 | +55,344 |
| India | 94,719 | 161,438 | +66,719 |
| Italy | 101,842 | 68,665 | -33,177 |
| Pakistan | 55,042 | 57,115 | +2,073 |
| United States | 37,177 | 57,739 | +20,562 |
| Ireland | 35,252 | 58,616 | +23,364 |
| Peru | 91,990 | 0 | -91,990 |
| Turkey | 72,008 | 14,300 | -57,708 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2,715 | 71,057 | +68,342 |
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 | 1,494,774 |
| India | 267,230 |
| Turkey | 263,297 |
| Italy | 205,906 |
| Greece | 187,129 |
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 | 852,071 | 642,703 | -209,368 |
| India | 94,719 | 172,511 | +77,792 |
| Turkey | 72,008 | 191,289 | +119,281 |
| Italy | 122,750 | 83,156 | -39,594 |
| Greece | 150,684 | 36,445 | -114,239 |
| Pakistan | 59,249 | 57,115 | -2,134 |
| Peru | 91,990 | 0 | -91,990 |
| United States | 30,802 | 53,008 | +22,206 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,065 | 71,057 | +69,992 |
| Netherlands | 23,849 | 22,041 | -1,808 |
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 |
| West Midlands | 9 |
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 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 |
| West Midlands | 5 | 8 | +3 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 | 6 | +3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 6 | 6 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| 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) | 1,609,448 |
| Air transport | 939,598 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 454,743 |
| Other | 186,068 |
| Road transport | 5,523 |
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) | 953,904 | 655,544 | -298,360 |
| Air transport | 421,105 | 518,493 | +97,388 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 198,777 | 255,966 | +57,189 |
| Other | 126,650 | 59,418 | -67,232 |
| Road transport | 4,294 | 1,229 | -3,065 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 403,613 |
| Birmingham Airport | 398,474 |
| Southampton | 380,890 |
| Liverpool Docks | 356,516 |
| Dover | 321,118 |
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 | 196,897 | 206,716 | +9,819 |
| Birmingham Airport | 180,061 | 218,413 | +38,352 |
| Southampton | 256,718 | 124,172 | -132,546 |
| Liverpool Docks | 153,609 | 202,907 | +49,298 |
| Dover | 130,487 | 190,631 | +60,144 |
| London Gateway Port | 182,066 | 41,118 | -140,948 |
| 000 | 126,650 | 59,418 | -67,232 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 73,413 | 95,985 | +22,572 |
| Thamesport | 100,270 | 22,912 | -77,358 |
| 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 | 43 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 38 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 7 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 12 |
| 2025-10 | 21 |
| 2025-09 | 10 |
| 2025-08 | 10 |
| 2025-07 | 13 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 72 |
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 56 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 44 |
| WOOL AND THE GANG LTD | 41 |
| TINYYO LIMITED | 36 |
| HACHETTE PARTWORKS LIMITED | 35 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 30 |
| EUROPEAN QUILTING SUPPLIES LIMITED | 29 |
| THE WORKS STORES LIMITED | 27 |
| HAIR ORNAMENTS UK 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 |
| 15m-54m | 14 |
| 54m+ | 14 |
| Other | 6 |
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 | 193,404 |
| Italy | 96,115 |
| United States | 80,672 |
| Ireland | 66,731 |
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 | 215,235 | 48,618 | -166,617 |
| United Arab Emirates | 5,813 | 187,591 | +181,778 |
| Italy | 56,113 | 40,002 | -16,111 |
| United States | 45,798 | 34,874 | -10,924 |
| Ireland | 28,325 | 38,406 | +10,081 |
| France | 25,103 | 31,318 | +6,215 |
| Germany | 24,353 | 11,868 | -12,485 |
| Poland | 10,141 | 18,722 | +8,581 |
| North Macedonia | 0 | 23,925 | +23,925 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 5,040 | 17,084 | +12,044 |
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 | 10,522 |
| XI | 6,665 |
| XU | 374 |
| 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 | 1,656 | 8,866 | +7,210 |
| XI | 6,431 | 234 | -6,197 |
| XU | 173 | 201 | +28 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 157 | +157 |
| India | 45 | 49 | +4 |
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) | 541,258 |
| Air transport | 302,637 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 173,961 |
| Other | 17,812 |
| 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) | 331,040 | 210,218 | -120,822 |
| Air transport | 146,240 | 156,397 | +10,157 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,725 | 163,236 | +152,511 |
| Other | 8,305 | 9,507 | +1,202 |
| 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 | 359,883 |
| London Gateway Port | 145,486 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 134,662 |
| East Midlands Airport | 92,770 |
| Dover | 92,087 |
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 | 227,185 | 132,698 | -94,487 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 145,486 | +145,486 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 65,821 | 68,841 | +3,020 |
| East Midlands Airport | 51,339 | 41,431 | -9,908 |
| Dover | 35,335 | 56,752 | +21,417 |
| Portsmouth | 62,297 | 3,287 | -59,010 |
| ZLC | 26,629 | 21,666 | -4,963 |
| London Stansted Airport | 14,026 | 12,819 | -1,207 |
| 000 | 8,305 | 9,507 | +1,202 |
| 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