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 | 13,076,822 |
| France | 2,171,308 |
| China | 1,670,979 |
| India | 899,094 |
| United States | 737,935 |
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 | 6,854,347 | 6,222,475 | -631,872 |
| France | 998,610 | 1,172,698 | +174,088 |
| China | 1,024,481 | 646,498 | -377,983 |
| India | 464,873 | 434,221 | -30,652 |
| United States | 398,420 | 339,515 | -58,905 |
| Romania | 402,503 | 311,289 | -91,214 |
| Netherlands | 431,979 | 209,090 | -222,889 |
| Turkey | 140,945 | 218,827 | +77,882 |
| Spain | 183,601 | 143,397 | -40,204 |
| South Korea | 135,163 | 122,180 | -12,983 |
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 | 7,951,640 |
| China | 6,213,669 |
| Egypt | 2,667,857 |
| India | 1,089,228 |
| Turkey | 838,231 |
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 | 5,269,361 | 2,682,279 | -2,587,082 |
| China | 3,390,345 | 2,823,324 | -567,021 |
| Egypt | 173,367 | 2,494,490 | +2,321,123 |
| India | 605,268 | 483,960 | -121,308 |
| Turkey | 404,397 | 433,834 | +29,437 |
| United States | 460,457 | 343,748 | -116,709 |
| Netherlands | 288,477 | 133,998 | -154,479 |
| Viet Nam | 136,143 | 226,982 | +90,839 |
| South Korea | 153,013 | 90,528 | -62,485 |
| Spain | 75,373 | 69,275 | -6,098 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 20 |
| Inner London - West | 15 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 13 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 10 |
| West Yorkshire | 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 | 13 | 18 | +5 |
| Inner London - West | 11 | 9 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 11 | 10 | -1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 9 | 5 | -4 |
| West Yorkshire | 9 | 7 | -2 |
| Inner London - East | 5 | 5 | +0 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 8 | +4 |
| Lancashire | 3 | 5 | +2 |
| Essex | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 4 | 4 | +0 |
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) | 13,677,147 |
| Air transport | 4,047,121 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,725,342 |
| Road transport | 116,703 |
| Other | 17,571 |
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) | 7,091,932 | 6,585,215 | -506,717 |
| Air transport | 2,159,644 | 1,887,477 | -272,167 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,184,649 | 1,540,693 | -643,956 |
| Road transport | 36,615 | 80,088 | +43,473 |
| Other | 13,018 | 4,553 | -8,465 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 9,861,826 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,156,223 |
| Felixstowe | 1,437,241 |
| Birmingham Airport | 1,398,250 |
| Manchester Airport | 775,406 |
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 | 4,793,029 | 5,068,797 | +275,768 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,876,916 | 1,279,307 | -597,609 |
| Felixstowe | 912,703 | 524,538 | -388,165 |
| Birmingham Airport | 700,063 | 698,187 | -1,876 |
| Manchester Airport | 484,132 | 291,274 | -192,858 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 412,446 | 351,321 | -61,125 |
| London Gateway Port | 379,324 | 334,319 | -45,005 |
| East Midlands Airport | 365,082 | 285,638 | -79,444 |
| Thamesport | 294,263 | 265,516 | -28,747 |
| Southampton | 342,510 | 158,330 | -184,180 |
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 | 61 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 36 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 24 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 11 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 8 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 25 |
| 2025-11 | 33 |
| 2025-10 | 38 |
| 2025-09 | 37 |
| 2025-08 | 36 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SOMAC THREADS LIMITED | 112 |
| BAINBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 98 |
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 95 |
| CLOCKWORK COMPONENTS LIMITED | 68 |
| MARATHON THREADS (NOTTINGHAM) LTD | 62 |
| KAYOSPRUCE LIMITED | 62 |
| GEM IMPORTS LIMITED | 53 |
| R.J. BINNIE LIMITED | 52 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 50 |
| AMANN THREADS UK LIMITED | 48 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 81 |
| 54m+ | 32 |
| 0-1m | 25 |
| 15m-54m | 16 |
| Other | 14 |
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 | 9,985,545 |
| China | 8,775,618 |
| Romania | 7,759,504 |
| United States | 6,622,341 |
| Portugal | 4,117,707 |
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 | 3,926,697 | 6,058,848 | +2,132,151 |
| China | 4,502,410 | 4,273,208 | -229,202 |
| Romania | 4,279,530 | 3,479,974 | -799,556 |
| United States | 3,903,183 | 2,719,158 | -1,184,025 |
| Portugal | 2,166,141 | 1,951,566 | -214,575 |
| Mexico | 2,339,472 | 1,136,396 | -1,203,076 |
| Viet Nam | 1,776,058 | 1,250,643 | -525,415 |
| North Macedonia | 945,798 | 830,587 | -115,211 |
| Poland | 777,821 | 678,379 | -99,442 |
| India | 552,806 | 579,907 | +27,101 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 14,627 |
| India | 13,251 |
| Denmark | 9,444 |
| France | 1,902 |
| Romania | 1,089 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2,442 | 12,185 | +9,743 |
| India | 7,534 | 5,717 | -1,817 |
| Denmark | 4,815 | 4,629 | -186 |
| France | 1,714 | 188 | -1,526 |
| Romania | 2 | 1,087 | +1,085 |
| Ireland | 1,057 | 0 | -1,057 |
| XI | 435 | 0 | -435 |
| Belgium | 0 | 369 | +369 |
| United States | 0 | 346 | +346 |
| Italy | 128 | 177 | +49 |
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) | 27,060,351 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 20,865,740 |
| Air transport | 7,633,659 |
| Other | 64,987 |
| Road transport | 10,305 |
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) | 13,343,084 | 13,717,267 | +374,183 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,393,020 | 9,472,720 | -1,920,300 |
| Air transport | 4,551,384 | 3,082,275 | -1,469,109 |
| Other | 22,546 | 42,441 | +19,895 |
| Road transport | 10,305 | 0 | -10,305 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 22,038,349 |
| London Gateway Port | 7,444,302 |
| Southampton | 6,531,242 |
| Felixstowe | 4,587,893 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,900,389 |
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 | 10,303,839 | 11,734,510 | +1,430,671 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,733,789 | 3,710,513 | -23,276 |
| Southampton | 3,296,370 | 3,234,872 | -61,498 |
| Felixstowe | 3,261,905 | 1,325,988 | -1,935,917 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,329,798 | 1,570,591 | -759,207 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,008,669 | 974,917 | -33,752 |
| Harwich | 1,100,339 | 650,111 | -450,228 |
| East Midlands Airport | 1,186,465 | 558,154 | -628,311 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,252,109 | 235,209 | -1,016,900 |
| Liverpool Docks | 50,594 | 1,117,671 | +1,067,077 |
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