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 | 10,642,549 |
| Portugal | 5,014,180 |
| Germany | 3,132,422 |
| United States | 2,505,158 |
| France | 2,264,336 |
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 | 3,878,700 | 6,763,849 | +2,885,149 |
| Portugal | 2,673,554 | 2,340,626 | -332,928 |
| Germany | 1,599,673 | 1,532,749 | -66,924 |
| United States | 1,258,470 | 1,246,688 | -11,782 |
| France | 1,201,859 | 1,062,477 | -139,382 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 790,535 | 99,937 | -690,598 |
| Turkey | 271,475 | 196,046 | -75,429 |
| China | 213,952 | 226,122 | +12,170 |
| Canada | 95,562 | 215,516 | +119,954 |
| 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 | 10,648,647 |
| Portugal | 5,388,275 |
| United States | 4,952,110 |
| France | 2,266,781 |
| China | 1,240,681 |
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 | 3,882,731 | 6,765,916 | +2,883,185 |
| Portugal | 2,673,554 | 2,714,721 | +41,167 |
| United States | 2,627,472 | 2,324,638 | -302,834 |
| France | 1,201,859 | 1,064,922 | -136,937 |
| China | 914,622 | 326,059 | -588,563 |
| Germany | 151,265 | 331,260 | +179,995 |
| Turkey | 271,475 | 196,046 | -75,429 |
| 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) | 20,053,587 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,581,324 |
| Air transport | 560,626 |
| 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) | 8,826,422 | 11,227,165 | +2,400,743 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,881,819 | 2,699,505 | -182,314 |
| Air transport | 407,015 | 153,611 | -253,404 |
| Other | 0 | 118 | +118 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Grangemouth Docks | 10,420,220 |
| Southampton | 3,709,586 |
| Greenock | 3,627,114 |
| Felixstowe | 3,190,794 |
| Dover | 2,053,907 |
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 | 3,679,466 | 6,740,754 | +3,061,288 |
| Southampton | 1,907,215 | 1,802,371 | -104,844 |
| Greenock | 1,926,495 | 1,700,619 | -225,876 |
| Felixstowe | 1,842,452 | 1,348,342 | -494,110 |
| Dover | 1,081,361 | 972,546 | -108,815 |
| Liverpool Docks | 630,331 | 594,653 | -35,678 |
| Immingham Docks | 102,490 | 324,420 | +221,930 |
| London Gateway Port | 117,767 | 89,849 | -27,918 |
| Middlesbrough | 91,328 | 93,751 | +2,423 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 179,445 | 0 | -179,445 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 1 |
| 2025-08 | 5 |
| 2025-07 | 3 |
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 | 2,465,591 |
| Japan | 1,065,567 |
| United States | 215,959 |
| Germany | 163,246 |
| China | 145,192 |
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 | 1,441,840 | 1,023,751 | -418,089 |
| Japan | 831,094 | 234,473 | -596,621 |
| United States | 170,828 | 45,131 | -125,697 |
| Germany | 7,706 | 155,540 | +147,834 |
| China | 16,118 | 129,074 | +112,956 |
| Hungary | 0 | 140,638 | +140,638 |
| Algeria | 0 | 110,880 | +110,880 |
| Turkey | 0 | 65,853 | +65,853 |
| Spain | 48,250 | 1,093 | -47,157 |
| Thailand | 43,595 | 1,093 | -42,502 |
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) | 2,885,682 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,412,553 |
| Air transport | 458,431 |
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) | 1,545,684 | 1,339,998 | -205,686 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 984,163 | 428,390 | -555,773 |
| Air transport | 230,455 | 227,976 | -2,479 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,684,439 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,135,857 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 197,148 |
| 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 | 1,508,693 | 1,175,746 | -332,947 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 846,251 | 289,606 | -556,645 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 65,512 | 131,636 | +66,124 |
| Immingham Docks | 36,928 | 156,752 | +119,824 |
| Southampton | 43,595 | 56,407 | +12,812 |
| East Midlands Airport | 46,968 | 36,696 | -10,272 |
| Glasgow Airport | 76,059 | 0 | -76,059 |
| London Gateway Port | 9,076 | 64,843 | +55,767 |
| London Stansted Airport | 30,337 | 31,869 | +1,532 |
| Liverpool Docks | 40,056 | 989 | -39,067 |
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