Import/export HS code 5508: Sewing thread made from man-made fibers
Sewing thread made from synthetic or artificial fibers, available in retail or bulk packaging
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 966,836 |
| Netherlands | 677,276 |
| Romania | 529,028 |
| Germany | 407,813 |
| Thailand | 405,488 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 658,462 | 308,374 | -350,088 |
| Netherlands | 350,433 | 326,843 | -23,590 |
| Romania | 327,045 | 201,983 | -125,062 |
| Germany | 219,644 | 188,169 | -31,475 |
| Thailand | 207,629 | 197,859 | -9,770 |
| Belgium | 233,479 | 155,101 | -78,378 |
| Turkey | 111,080 | 77,252 | -33,828 |
| Spain | 80,917 | 91,035 | +10,118 |
| France | 50,326 | 65,453 | +15,127 |
| Malaysia | 0 | 80,756 | +80,756 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 2,132,650 |
| Turkey | 539,534 |
| Indonesia | 393,694 |
| Thailand | 239,516 |
| Spain | 194,833 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,291,981 | 840,669 | -451,312 |
| Turkey | 325,194 | 214,340 | -110,854 |
| Indonesia | 216,212 | 177,482 | -38,730 |
| Thailand | 106,183 | 133,333 | +27,150 |
| Spain | 88,283 | 106,550 | +18,267 |
| Germany | 93,050 | 79,628 | -13,422 |
| Slovenia | 49,177 | 35,376 | -13,801 |
| Malaysia | 0 | 80,756 | +80,756 |
| India | 41,895 | 36,735 | -5,160 |
| Netherlands | 59,404 | 2,782 | -56,622 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 5 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 |
| Cheshire | 4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 |
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 | 6 | 6 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Cheshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| North Wales | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
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) | 2,699,201 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 866,779 |
| Air transport | 574,113 |
| Other | 48,463 |
| Road transport | 3,254 |
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) | 1,596,257 | 1,102,944 | -493,313 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 480,680 | 386,099 | -94,581 |
| Air transport | 276,466 | 297,647 | +21,181 |
| Other | 21,422 | 27,041 | +5,619 |
| Road transport | 0 | 3,254 | +3,254 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 952,003 |
| Southampton | 696,473 |
| Dover | 434,581 |
| Birmingham Airport | 366,761 |
| Killingholme | 339,861 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 606,414 | 345,589 | -260,825 |
| Southampton | 403,988 | 292,485 | -111,503 |
| Dover | 202,339 | 232,242 | +29,903 |
| Birmingham Airport | 147,832 | 218,929 | +71,097 |
| Killingholme | 222,258 | 117,603 | -104,655 |
| Thamesport | 219,769 | 96,808 | -122,961 |
| London Gateway Port | 91,259 | 122,696 | +31,437 |
| Eurotunnel | 120,117 | 55,472 | -64,645 |
| Immingham Docks | 57,061 | 81,613 | +24,552 |
| London | 30,409 | 47,025 | +16,616 |
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 | 24 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 13 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 10 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 5 |
| Manufacture of wearing apparel | 4 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 12 |
| 2025-10 | 21 |
| 2025-09 | 16 |
| 2025-08 | 17 |
| 2025-07 | 16 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 91 |
| DEE SET LOGISTICS LIMITED | 71 |
| MADEIRA UK LLP | 55 |
| SOMAC THREADS LIMITED | 48 |
| WOOL WAREHOUSE DIRECT LIMITED | 47 |
| COATS TRADING (UK) LIMITED | 46 |
| MARATHON THREADS (NOTTINGHAM) LTD | 39 |
| IMMI LTD | 37 |
| FISCHBEIN-SAXON LTD | 35 |
| AMANN THREADS UK LIMITED | 35 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 38 |
| 15m-54m | 9 |
| 0-1m | 8 |
| 54m+ | 8 |
| Other | 4 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 403,030 |
| Viet Nam | 169,457 |
| Ireland | 131,455 |
| Morocco | 121,395 |
| Madagascar | 72,650 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 108,295 | 294,735 | +186,440 |
| Viet Nam | 159,989 | 9,468 | -150,521 |
| Ireland | 73,289 | 58,166 | -15,123 |
| Morocco | 47,007 | 74,388 | +27,381 |
| Madagascar | 53,641 | 19,009 | -34,632 |
| Tunisia | 8,001 | 31,832 | +23,831 |
| Czechia | 15,635 | 7,976 | -7,659 |
| Mexico | 14,982 | 3,776 | -11,206 |
| Sweden | 10,626 | 6,136 | -4,490 |
| Germany | 10,349 | 3,300 | -7,049 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 2,333 |
| Nicaragua | 15 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 1,149 | 1,184 | +35 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 15 | +15 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 416,889 |
| Air transport | 404,037 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 317,013 |
| Other | 2,348 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 116,221 | 300,668 | +184,447 |
| Air transport | 329,045 | 74,992 | -254,053 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 156,664 | 160,349 | +3,685 |
| Other | 1,149 | 1,199 | +50 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 309,820 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 254,127 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 154,472 |
| Heysham | 90,580 |
| East Midlands Airport | 83,993 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Docks | 91,406 | 218,414 | +127,008 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 216,985 | 37,142 | -179,843 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 76,788 | 77,684 | +896 |
| Heysham | 43,839 | 46,741 | +2,902 |
| East Midlands Airport | 73,626 | 10,367 | -63,259 |
| Southampton | 0 | 63,814 | +63,814 |
| London Gateway Port | 14,982 | 20,485 | +5,503 |
| Portsmouth | 6,224 | 21,780 | +15,556 |
| London Stansted Airport | 13,507 | 12,914 | -593 |
| Holyhead | 21,395 | 949 | -20,446 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 5508
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Sewing thread made from synthetic or artificial fibers, available in retail or bulk packaging