Import/export HS code 540120: Sewing thread from artificial filaments
Sewing thread made from artificial materials like rayon or acetate
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 | 3,759,169 |
| China | 196,285 |
| South Korea | 119,435 |
| France | 48,113 |
| Thailand | 38,783 |
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 | 1,958,154 | 1,801,015 | -157,139 |
| China | 148,813 | 47,472 | -101,341 |
| South Korea | 70,474 | 48,961 | -21,513 |
| France | 36,922 | 11,191 | -25,731 |
| Thailand | 38,783 | 0 | -38,783 |
| United States | 9,616 | 8,174 | -1,442 |
| Spain | 14,429 | 0 | -14,429 |
| Turkey | 4,126 | 9,222 | +5,096 |
| Pakistan | 12,340 | 0 | -12,340 |
| Romania | 10,728 | 1,183 | -9,545 |
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 | 3,335,472 |
| China | 629,644 |
| South Korea | 119,435 |
| Italy | 66,719 |
| Turkey | 25,259 |
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 | 1,809,948 | 1,525,524 | -284,424 |
| China | 308,738 | 320,906 | +12,168 |
| South Korea | 70,474 | 48,961 | -21,513 |
| Italy | 56,481 | 10,238 | -46,243 |
| Turkey | 14,854 | 10,405 | -4,449 |
| United States | 9,616 | 7,185 | -2,431 |
| Spain | 14,429 | 0 | -14,429 |
| Japan | 6,444 | 6,126 | -318 |
| Pakistan | 12,340 | 0 | -12,340 |
| Romania | 0 | 6,206 | +6,206 |
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 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2 |
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 | 3 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
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) | 3,759,636 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 360,864 |
| Air transport | 137,156 |
| Road transport | 3,103 |
| Other | 1 |
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) | 1,970,814 | 1,788,822 | -181,992 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 269,980 | 90,884 | -179,096 |
| Air transport | 73,992 | 63,164 | -10,828 |
| Road transport | 0 | 3,103 | +3,103 |
| Other | 0 | 1 | +1 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 2,899,726 |
| Eurotunnel | 726,000 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 153,770 |
| Felixstowe | 139,609 |
| Southampton | 107,959 |
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 | 1,238,336 | 1,661,390 | +423,054 |
| Eurotunnel | 602,953 | 123,047 | -479,906 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 145,998 | 7,772 | -138,226 |
| Felixstowe | 112,397 | 27,212 | -85,185 |
| Southampton | 83,084 | 24,875 | -58,209 |
| London | 36,015 | 27,716 | -8,299 |
| Birmingham Airport | 22,971 | 31,982 | +9,011 |
| East Midlands Airport | 20,572 | 16,593 | -3,979 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 15,505 | 10,030 | -5,475 |
| Liverpool Docks | 12,340 | 0 | -12,340 |
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 | 13 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 4 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 3 |
| Manufacture of food products | 2 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 6 |
| 2025-09 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 3 |
| 2025-07 | 7 |
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 | 18 |
| 0-1m | 5 |
| 15m-54m | 3 |
| 54m+ | 2 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Czechia | 173,882 |
| United Arab Emirates | 151,768 |
| Indonesia | 148,295 |
| Kenya | 37,728 |
| United States | 30,897 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czechia | 81,584 | 92,298 | +10,714 |
| United Arab Emirates | 110,274 | 41,494 | -68,780 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 148,295 | +148,295 |
| Kenya | 17,373 | 20,355 | +2,982 |
| United States | 5,218 | 25,679 | +20,461 |
| Netherlands | 22,123 | 1,977 | -20,146 |
| Ireland | 2,575 | 8,157 | +5,582 |
| India | 6,399 | 0 | -6,399 |
| Philippines | 0 | 6,372 | +6,372 |
| France | 3,555 | 2,420 | -1,135 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 396,282 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 214,152 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,689 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 149,560 | 246,722 | +97,162 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 103,323 | 110,829 | +7,506 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,189 | 1,500 | -3,689 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 264,828 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 196,705 |
| London Stansted Airport | 95,661 |
| East Midlands Airport | 21,528 |
| ZLC | 11,433 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 131,304 | 133,524 | +2,220 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 98,227 | 98,478 | +251 |
| London Stansted Airport | 4,266 | 91,395 | +87,129 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,929 | 12,599 | +3,670 |
| ZLC | 5,061 | 6,372 | +1,311 |
| Holyhead | 2,575 | 6,596 | +4,021 |
| Dover | 2,689 | 2,217 | -472 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,521 | 1,977 | -544 |
| Birmingham Airport | 0 | 2,832 | +2,832 |
| Felixstowe | 2,500 | 0 | -2,500 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 540120
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Sewing thread made from artificial materials like rayon or acetate