Import/export HS code 5401: Sewing thread made from man-made filaments
Sewing thread created from synthetic or artificial fibers, available for retail or bulk sale
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 13,120,302 |
| France | 2,147,324 |
| China | 1,611,549 |
| India | 898,539 |
| United States | 779,069 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 6,975,465 | 6,144,837 | -830,628 |
| France | 1,011,196 | 1,136,128 | +124,932 |
| China | 975,826 | 635,723 | -340,103 |
| India | 448,164 | 450,375 | +2,211 |
| United States | 394,379 | 384,690 | -9,689 |
| Romania | 383,814 | 354,300 | -29,514 |
| Netherlands | 501,184 | 179,780 | -321,404 |
| Turkey | 158,850 | 214,364 | +55,514 |
| Spain | 193,902 | 141,496 | -52,406 |
| South Korea | 118,138 | 135,662 | +17,524 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 8,118,533 |
| China | 6,228,787 |
| Egypt | 2,426,154 |
| India | 1,085,697 |
| Turkey | 867,449 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 5,446,355 | 2,672,178 | -2,774,177 |
| China | 3,465,493 | 2,763,294 | -702,199 |
| Egypt | 0 | 2,426,154 | +2,426,154 |
| India | 548,488 | 537,209 | -11,279 |
| Turkey | 428,869 | 438,580 | +9,711 |
| United States | 446,991 | 389,168 | -57,823 |
| Netherlands | 356,501 | 105,605 | -250,896 |
| Viet Nam | 143,169 | 227,277 | +84,108 |
| South Korea | 135,988 | 105,102 | -30,886 |
| Spain | 75,862 | 70,968 | -4,894 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 21 |
| Inner London - West | 15 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 13 |
| West Yorkshire | 12 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 10 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 14 | 18 | +4 |
| Inner London - West | 10 | 10 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 11 | 10 | -1 |
| West Yorkshire | 11 | 7 | -4 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 7 | 7 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Lancashire | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 8 | +4 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 | 5 | -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) | 13,799,098 |
| Air transport | 4,034,142 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,709,038 |
| Road transport | 125,588 |
| Other | 17,676 |
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) | 7,328,047 | 6,471,051 | -856,996 |
| Air transport | 2,073,180 | 1,960,962 | -112,218 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,171,326 | 1,537,712 | -633,614 |
| Road transport | 46,693 | 78,895 | +32,202 |
| Other | 12,808 | 4,868 | -7,940 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 9,679,800 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,460,360 |
| Felixstowe | 1,421,386 |
| Birmingham Airport | 1,391,405 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 775,600 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 4,623,962 | 5,055,838 | +431,876 |
| Eurotunnel | 2,267,523 | 1,192,837 | -1,074,686 |
| Felixstowe | 840,899 | 580,487 | -260,412 |
| Birmingham Airport | 661,883 | 729,522 | +67,639 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 393,307 | 382,293 | -11,014 |
| Manchester Airport | 452,359 | 320,316 | -132,043 |
| London Gateway Port | 429,373 | 333,083 | -96,290 |
| East Midlands Airport | 359,536 | 282,251 | -77,285 |
| Thamesport | 297,930 | 259,693 | -38,237 |
| Southampton | 358,919 | 154,602 | -204,317 |
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 | 62 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 38 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 25 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 11 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 9 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 33 |
| 2025-10 | 38 |
| 2025-09 | 37 |
| 2025-08 | 36 |
| 2025-07 | 38 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SOMAC THREADS LIMITED | 111 |
| BAINBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 97 |
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 94 |
| CLOCKWORK COMPONENTS LIMITED | 68 |
| MARATHON THREADS (NOTTINGHAM) LTD | 62 |
| KAYOSPRUCE LIMITED | 62 |
| GEM IMPORTS LIMITED | 52 |
| R.J. BINNIE LIMITED | 51 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 49 |
| AMANN THREADS UK LIMITED | 47 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 82 |
| 54m+ | 34 |
| 0-1m | 26 |
| 15m-54m | 17 |
| Other | 13 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 9,708,076 |
| China | 9,101,086 |
| Romania | 8,015,038 |
| United States | 6,850,682 |
| Portugal | 4,181,792 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 3,629,908 | 6,078,168 | +2,448,260 |
| China | 4,727,334 | 4,373,752 | -353,582 |
| Romania | 4,478,053 | 3,536,985 | -941,068 |
| United States | 4,036,647 | 2,814,035 | -1,222,612 |
| Portugal | 2,188,905 | 1,992,887 | -196,018 |
| Mexico | 2,414,811 | 1,152,188 | -1,262,623 |
| Viet Nam | 1,857,773 | 1,402,626 | -455,147 |
| North Macedonia | 1,048,826 | 832,174 | -216,652 |
| Poland | 784,994 | 663,826 | -121,168 |
| India | 592,964 | 517,544 | -75,420 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XU | 18,667 |
| Germany | 14,627 |
| India | 13,075 |
| Denmark | 9,113 |
| France | 1,902 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XU | 4,692 | 13,975 | +9,283 |
| Germany | 2,442 | 12,185 | +9,743 |
| India | 7,413 | 5,662 | -1,751 |
| Denmark | 4,819 | 4,294 | -525 |
| France | 1,714 | 188 | -1,526 |
| Romania | 2 | 1,087 | +1,085 |
| Ireland | 1,060 | 0 | -1,060 |
| XI | 1,010 | 0 | -1,010 |
| United States | 338 | 346 | +8 |
| Belgium | 0 | 369 | +369 |
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) | 27,225,875 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 21,570,911 |
| Air transport | 8,006,218 |
| Other | 61,932 |
| Road transport | 12,090 |
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) | 13,311,443 | 13,914,432 | +602,989 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,870,252 | 9,700,659 | -2,169,593 |
| Air transport | 4,730,111 | 3,276,107 | -1,454,004 |
| Other | 23,618 | 38,314 | +14,696 |
| Road transport | 12,090 | 0 | -12,090 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 22,162,076 |
| London Gateway Port | 7,577,851 |
| Southampton | 6,693,214 |
| Felixstowe | 4,793,754 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 4,158,261 |
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 | 10,410,425 | 11,751,651 | +1,341,226 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,811,661 | 3,766,190 | -45,471 |
| Southampton | 3,548,667 | 3,144,547 | -404,120 |
| Felixstowe | 3,151,018 | 1,642,736 | -1,508,282 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,411,767 | 1,746,494 | -665,273 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,010,711 | 903,825 | -106,886 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,215,109 | 596,229 | -618,880 |
| Harwich | 903,811 | 891,015 | -12,796 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,384,712 | 235,209 | -1,149,503 |
| Liverpool Docks | 171,259 | 1,055,387 | +884,128 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 5401
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Sewing thread created from synthetic or artificial fibers, available for retail or bulk sale