Import/export HS code 520411: Cotton sewing thread (85%+ cotton)
Sewing thread made mostly from cotton (85% or more by weight)
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 | 541,026 |
| Italy | 163,909 |
| India | 109,011 |
| Peru | 91,990 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
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 | 327,988 | 213,038 | -114,950 |
| Italy | 95,248 | 68,661 | -26,587 |
| India | 41,209 | 67,802 | +26,593 |
| Peru | 91,990 | 0 | -91,990 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 71,057 | +71,057 |
| United States | 7,877 | 18,473 | +10,596 |
| Japan | 7,063 | 9,360 | +2,297 |
| France | 4,997 | 7,846 | +2,849 |
| Turkey | 0 | 11,918 | +11,918 |
| Australia | 0 | 10,566 | +10,566 |
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 | 552,772 |
| Italy | 165,063 |
| India | 109,035 |
| Peru | 91,990 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
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 | 330,733 | 222,039 | -108,694 |
| Italy | 96,402 | 68,661 | -27,741 |
| India | 41,209 | 67,826 | +26,617 |
| Peru | 91,990 | 0 | -91,990 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 71,057 | +71,057 |
| United States | 6,478 | 16,677 | +10,199 |
| Japan | 7,063 | 9,360 | +2,297 |
| Turkey | 0 | 11,918 | +11,918 |
| Australia | 0 | 10,566 | +10,566 |
| Pakistan | 3,071 | 5,301 | +2,230 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 |
| Inner London - East | 3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 3 |
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 | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| North Yorkshire | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
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) | 734,601 |
| Air transport | 327,209 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 38,730 |
| Other | 3,447 |
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) | 508,931 | 225,670 | -283,261 |
| Air transport | 80,168 | 247,041 | +166,873 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 13,305 | 25,425 | +12,120 |
| Other | 1,626 | 1,821 | +195 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 207,957 |
| Southampton | 187,130 |
| London Gateway Port | 179,353 |
| Birmingham Airport | 138,673 |
| Thamesport | 73,526 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 126,459 | 81,498 | -44,961 |
| Southampton | 118,077 | 69,053 | -49,024 |
| London Gateway Port | 174,950 | 4,403 | -170,547 |
| Birmingham Airport | 27,820 | 110,853 | +83,033 |
| Thamesport | 66,324 | 7,202 | -59,122 |
| Felixstowe | 23,907 | 48,483 | +24,576 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 11,946 | 54,817 | +42,871 |
| London Stansted Airport | 8,200 | 28,474 | +20,274 |
| Manchester Airport | 0 | 30,359 | +30,359 |
| East Midlands Airport | 14,683 | 13,255 | -1,428 |
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 | 17 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 14 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 3 |
| Other manufacturing | 2 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 5 |
| 2025-10 | 6 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 3 |
| 2025-07 | 3 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 12 |
| 0-1m | 10 |
| 15m-54m | 7 |
| 54m+ | 3 |
| Other | 3 |
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 | 143,722 |
| Italy | 38,213 |
| United States | 22,385 |
| France | 20,850 |
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 | 0 | 143,722 | +143,722 |
| Italy | 37,979 | 234 | -37,745 |
| United States | 3,434 | 18,951 | +15,517 |
| France | 8,465 | 12,385 | +3,920 |
| Ireland | 7,535 | 2,384 | -5,151 |
| China | 0 | 9,200 | +9,200 |
| Uganda | 0 | 7,284 | +7,284 |
| Germany | 5,236 | 880 | -4,356 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 0 | 2,190 | +2,190 |
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 | 1,363 |
| XI | 476 |
| Nicaragua | 157 |
| XU | 99 |
| 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 | 0 | 1,363 | +1,363 |
| XI | 242 | 234 | -8 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 157 | +157 |
| XU | 51 | 48 | -3 |
| 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) | 291,283 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 151,909 |
| Air transport | 78,035 |
| Road transport | 6,543 |
| Other | 2,189 |
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) | 233,315 | 57,968 | -175,347 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,373 | 149,536 | +147,163 |
| Air transport | 37,327 | 40,708 | +3,381 |
| Road transport | 6,543 | 0 | -6,543 |
| Other | 338 | 1,851 | +1,513 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 208,335 |
| London Gateway Port | 143,722 |
| Portsmouth | 63,897 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 47,295 |
| ZLC | 10,718 |
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 | 161,317 | 47,018 | -114,299 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 143,722 | +143,722 |
| Portsmouth | 62,297 | 1,600 | -60,697 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 31,385 | 15,910 | -15,475 |
| ZLC | 6,543 | 4,175 | -2,368 |
| Edinburgh Airport | 0 | 9,200 | +9,200 |
| East Midlands Airport | 0 | 8,739 | +8,739 |
| Holyhead | 7,490 | 0 | -7,490 |
| Southampton | 0 | 5,814 | +5,814 |
| Eurotunnel | 0 | 5,474 | +5,474 |
Quick facts
HS code: 520411
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Sewing thread made mostly from cotton (85% or more by weight)