Import/export HS code 5501: Synthetic filament tow
Thin strands of synthetic fibers, often used to make yarn or fabric
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Japan | 10,450,961 |
| Portugal | 5,993,260 |
| Germany | 3,325,915 |
| France | 2,262,268 |
| United States | 2,202,414 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2,664,795 | 7,786,166 | +5,121,371 |
| Portugal | 3,561,306 | 2,431,954 | -1,129,352 |
| Germany | 1,838,250 | 1,487,665 | -350,585 |
| France | 1,151,422 | 1,110,846 | -40,576 |
| United States | 1,295,631 | 906,783 | -388,848 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 843,846 | 99,937 | -743,909 |
| China | 273,311 | 226,585 | -46,726 |
| Turkey | 266,095 | 198,195 | -67,900 |
| Canada | 95,562 | 161,451 | +65,889 |
| South Korea | 0 | 246,119 | +246,119 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Japan | 10,457,059 |
| Portugal | 6,105,265 |
| United States | 4,731,410 |
| France | 2,264,713 |
| China | 1,353,814 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2,668,826 | 7,788,233 | +5,119,407 |
| Portugal | 3,561,306 | 2,543,959 | -1,017,347 |
| United States | 2,537,070 | 2,194,340 | -342,730 |
| France | 1,151,422 | 1,113,291 | -38,131 |
| China | 1,027,292 | 326,522 | -700,770 |
| Germany | 515,087 | 284,594 | -230,493 |
| Turkey | 266,095 | 198,195 | -67,900 |
| South Korea | 6,695 | 207,132 | +200,437 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 116,402 | 0 | -116,402 |
| Canada | 95,562 | 0 | -95,562 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 |
| Inner London - West | 3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 |
| West Central Scotland | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| West Central Scotland | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Cumbria | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 20,594,808 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,722,770 |
| Air transport | 598,884 |
| Other | 118 |
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) | 8,730,263 | 11,864,545 | +3,134,282 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,951,808 | 2,770,962 | -180,846 |
| Air transport | 451,694 | 147,190 | -304,504 |
| Other | 0 | 118 | +118 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Grangemouth Docks | 10,228,632 |
| Greenock | 4,606,194 |
| Southampton | 3,456,739 |
| Felixstowe | 3,424,543 |
| Dover | 2,051,839 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grangemouth Docks | 2,490,937 | 7,737,695 | +5,246,758 |
| Greenock | 2,905,575 | 1,700,619 | -1,204,956 |
| Southampton | 2,015,614 | 1,441,125 | -574,489 |
| Felixstowe | 2,072,934 | 1,351,609 | -721,325 |
| Dover | 1,030,924 | 1,020,915 | -10,009 |
| Liverpool Docks | 630,331 | 594,653 | -35,678 |
| Immingham Docks | 107,866 | 280,994 | +173,128 |
| London Gateway Port | 117,767 | 89,849 | -27,918 |
| Middlesbrough | 0 | 185,079 | +185,079 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 106,506 | 73,687 | -32,819 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 7 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 6 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 5 |
| Other manufacturing | 4 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 3 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 1 |
| 2025-08 | 5 |
| 2025-07 | 3 |
| 2025-06 | 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 | 16 |
| 54m+ | 8 |
| 15m-54m | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
| 0-1m | 1 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 2,489,526 |
| Japan | 1,065,567 |
| United States | 228,593 |
| China | 164,610 |
| Germany | 163,246 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1,491,345 | 998,181 | -493,164 |
| Japan | 831,094 | 234,473 | -596,621 |
| United States | 197,832 | 30,761 | -167,071 |
| China | 35,536 | 129,074 | +93,538 |
| Germany | 7,706 | 155,540 | +147,834 |
| Algeria | 45,280 | 110,880 | +65,600 |
| Hungary | 0 | 140,638 | +140,638 |
| Spain | 65,970 | 1,093 | -64,877 |
| Turkey | 0 | 65,853 | +65,853 |
| Belgium | 19,784 | 26,363 | +6,579 |
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) | 2,969,379 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,435,326 |
| Air transport | 521,360 |
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) | 1,636,146 | 1,333,233 | -302,913 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,006,936 | 428,390 | -578,546 |
| Air transport | 307,381 | 213,979 | -93,402 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,764,863 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,135,857 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 239,352 |
| Immingham Docks | 193,680 |
| Southampton | 100,002 |
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 | 1,600,502 | 1,164,361 | -436,141 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 846,251 | 289,606 | -556,645 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 113,998 | 125,354 | +11,356 |
| Immingham Docks | 32,308 | 161,372 | +129,064 |
| Southampton | 43,595 | 56,407 | +12,812 |
| East Midlands Airport | 52,530 | 35,078 | -17,452 |
| London Stansted Airport | 58,793 | 20,194 | -38,599 |
| Glasgow Airport | 70,481 | 5,578 | -64,903 |
| London Gateway Port | 9,076 | 64,843 | +55,767 |
| Liverpool Docks | 41,642 | 989 | -40,653 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 5501
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Thin strands of synthetic fibers, often used to make yarn or fabric