Import/export HS code 5205: Cotton yarn (85%+ cotton)
Yarn made mostly from cotton (85% or more by weight), not for sewing
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 | 13,441,742 |
| Egypt | 4,871,358 |
| Pakistan | 3,620,855 |
| Germany | 3,359,881 |
| Portugal | 1,957,937 |
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 | 7,775,953 | 5,665,789 | -2,110,164 |
| Egypt | 1,986,309 | 2,885,049 | +898,740 |
| Pakistan | 1,906,163 | 1,714,692 | -191,471 |
| Germany | 2,507,607 | 852,274 | -1,655,333 |
| Portugal | 1,233,277 | 724,660 | -508,617 |
| India | 790,270 | 798,016 | +7,746 |
| Belgium | 837,039 | 617,447 | -219,592 |
| Czechia | 798,304 | 551,417 | -246,887 |
| Turkey | 495,146 | 809,820 | +314,674 |
| France | 714,269 | 469,335 | -244,934 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Egypt | 10,864,011 |
| India | 8,649,463 |
| Pakistan | 4,092,829 |
| Turkey | 3,533,972 |
| Germany | 1,782,979 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 5,616,639 | 5,247,372 | -369,267 |
| India | 5,242,703 | 3,406,760 | -1,835,943 |
| Pakistan | 2,111,296 | 1,981,533 | -129,763 |
| Turkey | 1,807,038 | 1,726,934 | -80,104 |
| Germany | 969,820 | 813,159 | -156,661 |
| Czechia | 791,341 | 545,558 | -245,783 |
| Italy | 934,248 | 399,437 | -534,811 |
| Belgium | 582,658 | 495,299 | -87,359 |
| Portugal | 454,892 | 352,617 | -102,275 |
| Spain | 319,924 | 314,405 | -5,519 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Yorkshire | 20 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 12 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 11 |
| Inner London - West | 9 |
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Yorkshire | 15 | 15 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 9 | 8 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 9 | 9 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 7 | 5 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 7 | 5 | -2 |
| Lancashire | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Southern Scotland | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Highlands and Islands | 1 | 3 | +2 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 23,489,990 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 8,924,117 |
| Air transport | 3,008,376 |
| Road transport | 159,384 |
| Other | 49,853 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 12,724,825 | 10,765,165 | -1,959,660 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,126,979 | 3,797,138 | -1,329,841 |
| Air transport | 1,644,058 | 1,364,318 | -279,740 |
| Road transport | 95,317 | 64,067 | -31,250 |
| Other | 31,943 | 17,910 | -14,033 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Eurotunnel | 7,827,381 |
| Middlesbrough | 5,629,531 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,804,443 |
| Dover | 4,646,739 |
| Felixstowe | 2,394,701 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eurotunnel | 4,727,067 | 3,100,314 | -1,626,753 |
| Middlesbrough | 3,374,409 | 2,255,122 | -1,119,287 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,981,420 | 2,823,023 | +841,603 |
| Dover | 2,972,699 | 1,674,040 | -1,298,659 |
| Felixstowe | 1,346,503 | 1,048,198 | -298,305 |
| Southampton | 1,006,739 | 975,086 | -31,653 |
| London Gateway Port | 633,447 | 1,142,263 | +508,816 |
| Birmingham Airport | 1,105,189 | 558,486 | -546,703 |
| Newhaven | 459,669 | 287,502 | -172,167 |
| London | 184,105 | 415,869 | +231,764 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of textiles | 50 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 22 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 21 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 16 |
| Manufacture of food products | 7 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 25 |
| 2025-10 | 29 |
| 2025-09 | 23 |
| 2025-08 | 13 |
| 2025-07 | 25 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| REX H. PERKINS LIMITED | 84 |
| LINTON TWEEDS LIMITED | 53 |
| HOWORTHS TEXTILES LIMITED | 52 |
| BURBERRY LIMITED | 47 |
| CAMIRA GROUP LTD | 47 |
| ROBERT SCOTT & SONS LIMITED | 46 |
| LAPPET MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED | 46 |
| JOHN SPENCER (TEXTILES) LIMITED | 44 |
| S. DAWES WEAVING LIMITED | 43 |
| ARISTO FABRICS LIMITED | 41 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 51 |
| 54m+ | 23 |
| 0-1m | 21 |
| 15m-54m | 12 |
| Other | 4 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Lithuania | 2,754,907 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,414,251 |
| Ireland | 380,326 |
| China | 222,681 |
| Germany | 170,164 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | 1,498,293 | 1,256,614 | -241,679 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,023,165 | 391,086 | -632,079 |
| Ireland | 330,196 | 50,130 | -280,066 |
| China | 135,634 | 87,047 | -48,587 |
| Germany | 151,572 | 18,592 | -132,980 |
| Nigeria | 70,671 | 37,153 | -33,518 |
| XS | 0 | 24,618 | +24,618 |
| Italy | 8,426 | 14,408 | +5,982 |
| Poland | 22,123 | 0 | -22,123 |
| Belgium | 0 | 12,753 | +12,753 |
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 | 327,244 |
| Portugal | 46,275 |
| XI | 4,374 |
| XU | 213 |
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 | 327,244 | 0 | -327,244 |
| Portugal | 0 | 46,275 | +46,275 |
| XI | 0 | 4,374 | +4,374 |
| XU | 0 | 213 | +213 |
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) | 2,773,197 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,767,783 |
| Other | 378,106 |
| Air transport | 302,301 |
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) | 1,449,858 | 1,323,339 | -126,519 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,336,139 | 431,644 | -904,495 |
| Other | 327,244 | 50,862 | -276,382 |
| Air transport | 162,323 | 139,978 | -22,345 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,543,461 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,323,972 |
| Liverpool Docks | 921,924 |
| London Gateway Port | 490,414 |
| 000 | 378,106 |
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 | 909,354 | 634,107 | -275,247 |
| Immingham Docks | 648,942 | 675,030 | +26,088 |
| Liverpool Docks | 921,924 | 0 | -921,924 |
| London Gateway Port | 60,696 | 429,718 | +369,022 |
| 000 | 327,244 | 50,862 | -276,382 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 49,559 | 85,916 | +36,357 |
| Felixstowe | 101,557 | 1,926 | -99,631 |
| Dover | 92,356 | 9,159 | -83,197 |
| Glasgow Airport | 84,588 | 0 | -84,588 |
| East Midlands Airport | 14,737 | 47,147 | +32,410 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 520511 – Thick cotton yarn
- 520512 – Medium-thick cotton yarn
- 520513 – Medium cotton yarn
- 520514 – Medium-fine cotton yarn
- 520515 – Fine cotton yarn
- 520521 – Thick cotton yarn (single strand)
- 520522 – Medium-thick cotton yarn (single strand)
- 520523 – Medium cotton yarn (single strand)
- 520524 – Medium-fine cotton yarn (single strand)
- 520526 – Fine cotton yarn (single strand)
- 520527 – Very fine cotton yarn (single strand)
- 520528 – Extra-fine cotton yarn (single strand)
- 520531 – Thick cotton yarn (single yarn)
- 520532 – Medium-thick cotton yarn (single yarn)
- 520533 – Medium cotton yarn (single yarn)
- 520534 – Medium-fine cotton yarn (single yarn)
- 520535 – Fine cotton yarn (single yarn)
- 520541 – Thick cotton yarn (single yarn, alternate)
- 520542 – Medium-thick cotton yarn (single yarn, alternate)
- 520543 – Medium cotton yarn (single yarn, alternate)
- 520544 – Medium-fine cotton yarn (single yarn, alternate)
- 520546 – Fine cotton yarn (single yarn, alternate)
- 520547 – Very fine cotton yarn (single yarn, alternate)
- 520548 – Extra-fine cotton yarn (single yarn, alternate)
Quick facts
HS code: 5205
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Yarn made mostly from cotton (85% or more by weight), not for sewing