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 | 532,322 |
| Italy | 166,982 |
| India | 114,337 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
| Peru | 68,704 |
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 | 284,130 | 248,192 | -35,938 |
| Italy | 90,754 | 76,228 | -14,526 |
| India | 61,420 | 52,917 | -8,503 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 71,057 | +71,057 |
| Peru | 68,704 | 0 | -68,704 |
| United States | 7,877 | 19,588 | +11,711 |
| Japan | 7,063 | 9,360 | +2,297 |
| France | 4,997 | 9,696 | +4,699 |
| 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 | 544,068 |
| Italy | 162,392 |
| India | 114,361 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71,057 |
| Peru | 68,704 |
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 | 286,875 | 257,193 | -29,682 |
| Italy | 91,908 | 70,484 | -21,424 |
| India | 61,420 | 52,941 | -8,479 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 71,057 | +71,057 |
| Peru | 68,704 | 0 | -68,704 |
| United States | 6,478 | 17,792 | +11,314 |
| 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) | 701,476 |
| Air transport | 333,111 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 46,324 |
| Other | 3,035 |
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) | 437,719 | 263,757 | -173,962 |
| Air transport | 99,953 | 233,158 | +133,205 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 13,305 | 33,019 | +19,714 |
| Other | 1,214 | 1,821 | +607 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 181,360 |
| Liverpool Docks | 176,507 |
| London Gateway Port | 156,067 |
| Birmingham Airport | 143,031 |
| Felixstowe | 105,148 |
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 | 106,978 | 74,382 | -32,596 |
| Liverpool Docks | 95,009 | 81,498 | -13,511 |
| London Gateway Port | 151,664 | 4,403 | -147,261 |
| Birmingham Airport | 30,355 | 112,676 | +82,321 |
| Felixstowe | 23,907 | 81,241 | +57,334 |
| Thamesport | 60,947 | 7,202 | -53,745 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 30,848 | 36,916 | +6,068 |
| London Stansted Airport | 8,200 | 28,474 | +20,274 |
| Manchester Airport | 0 | 30,359 | +30,359 |
| East Midlands Airport | 13,031 | 14,370 | +1,339 |
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 | 13 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 4 |
| Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding | 2 |
| Other manufacturing | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 2 |
| 2025-11 | 5 |
| 2025-10 | 6 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 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 |
|---|---|
| 0-1m | 11 |
| 1m-15m | 11 |
| 15m-54m | 7 |
| Other | 4 |
| 54m+ | 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 | 21,301 |
| 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 | 262,253 | 1,600 | -260,653 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 143,722 | +143,722 |
| Italy | 37,979 | 234 | -37,745 |
| United States | 12,803 | 8,498 | -4,305 |
| France | 11,435 | 9,415 | -2,020 |
| Ireland | 7,584 | 3,389 | -4,195 |
| China | 0 | 9,200 | +9,200 |
| Uganda | 0 | 7,284 | +7,284 |
| Germany | 2,579 | 880 | -1,699 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 0 | 3,369 | +3,369 |
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 |
| 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 |
| 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) | 291,283 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 150,825 |
| Air transport | 77,611 |
| 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) | 280,333 | 10,950 | -269,383 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,289 | 149,536 | +148,247 |
| Air transport | 48,093 | 29,518 | -18,575 |
| Road transport | 6,543 | 0 | -6,543 |
| Other | 387 | 1,802 | +1,415 |
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 | 48,474 |
| 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 | 208,335 | 0 | -208,335 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 143,722 | +143,722 |
| Portsmouth | 62,297 | 1,600 | -60,697 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 40,011 | 8,463 | -31,548 |
| ZLC | 6,543 | 4,175 | -2,368 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,797 | 4,996 | +199 |
| Edinburgh Airport | 0 | 9,200 | +9,200 |
| 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)