Import/export HS code 7218: Stainless steel in primary forms
Stainless steel in basic shapes like ingots, blocks, or semi-finished products
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 26,435,297 |
| Italy | 16,217,863 |
| Spain | 7,758,094 |
| United States | 4,967,054 |
| Germany | 4,146,793 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 12,141,405 | 14,293,892 | +2,152,487 |
| Italy | 10,884,811 | 5,333,052 | -5,551,759 |
| Spain | 6,228,957 | 1,529,137 | -4,699,820 |
| United States | 3,732,290 | 1,234,764 | -2,497,526 |
| Germany | 1,429,973 | 2,716,820 | +1,286,847 |
| China | 1,534,417 | 970,134 | -564,283 |
| Taiwan | 1,254,606 | 1,089,762 | -164,844 |
| Netherlands | 428,466 | 1,146,762 | +718,296 |
| France | 450,732 | 444,941 | -5,791 |
| Malaysia | 661,575 | 55,850 | -605,725 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 27,514,807 |
| Italy | 16,234,977 |
| Spain | 5,837,127 |
| United States | 4,461,066 |
| China | 2,944,277 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 13,517,606 | 13,997,201 | +479,595 |
| Italy | 10,853,530 | 5,381,447 | -5,472,083 |
| Spain | 4,811,095 | 1,026,032 | -3,785,063 |
| United States | 3,439,264 | 1,021,802 | -2,417,462 |
| China | 1,795,048 | 1,149,229 | -645,819 |
| United Kingdom | 138,965 | 2,777,886 | +2,638,921 |
| Germany | 1,874,264 | 896,055 | -978,209 |
| Taiwan | 1,254,606 | 1,089,762 | -164,844 |
| Netherlands | 407,694 | 1,226,412 | +818,718 |
| Malaysia | 666,813 | 92,115 | -574,698 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 11 |
| West Midlands | 9 |
| Inner London - East | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 7 | 7 | +0 |
| West Midlands | 9 | 3 | -6 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 7 | +4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 3 | 5 | +2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 6 | 0 | -6 |
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) | 39,139,252 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 25,829,880 |
| Air transport | 4,383,274 |
| Other | 1,431,252 |
| Road transport | 8,931 |
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) | 23,225,268 | 15,913,984 | -7,311,284 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,357,211 | 12,472,669 | -884,542 |
| Air transport | 2,430,933 | 1,952,341 | -478,592 |
| Other | 1,229,721 | 201,531 | -1,028,190 |
| Road transport | 5,501 | 3,430 | -2,071 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 32,141,297 |
| Eurotunnel | 8,808,910 |
| Dover | 8,687,736 |
| Poole | 3,568,524 |
| Portsmouth | 3,048,210 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 15,674,507 | 16,466,790 | +792,283 |
| Eurotunnel | 5,858,772 | 2,950,138 | -2,908,634 |
| Dover | 5,402,636 | 3,285,100 | -2,117,536 |
| Poole | 2,607,405 | 961,119 | -1,646,286 |
| Portsmouth | 2,529,377 | 518,833 | -2,010,544 |
| Felixstowe | 1,737,820 | 1,212,812 | -525,008 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,163,198 | 658,831 | -504,367 |
| East Midlands Airport | 787,844 | 922,517 | +134,673 |
| 000 | 1,229,721 | 201,531 | -1,028,190 |
| Hull | 77,137 | 1,298,974 | +1,221,837 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 28 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 27 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 25 |
| Other manufacturing | 16 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 9 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 19 |
| 2025-11 | 24 |
| 2025-10 | 22 |
| 2025-09 | 20 |
| 2025-08 | 21 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TRELLEBORG SEALING SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED | 102 |
| PEKTRON GROUP LIMITED | 64 |
| KOHLER MIRA LIMITED | 47 |
| SPECIAL MELTED PRODUCTS LIMITED | 46 |
| ICHOR SYSTEMS LTD | 40 |
| EUROPEAN SAFETY SYSTEMS LIMITED | 37 |
| DONCASTERS LIMITED | 37 |
| SPECIALITY STEEL UK LIMITED | 35 |
| DDC DOLPHIN LIMITED | 33 |
| FREELANCE SURGICAL LIMITED | 32 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 65 |
| 1m-15m | 55 |
| 15m-54m | 22 |
| 0-1m | 15 |
| Other | 12 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 510,709,660 |
| Sweden | 283,616,812 |
| United States | 95,689,868 |
| Spain | 52,014,660 |
| Italy | 36,284,989 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 296,677,671 | 214,031,989 | -82,645,682 |
| Sweden | 195,017,524 | 88,599,288 | -106,418,236 |
| United States | 58,410,824 | 37,279,044 | -21,131,780 |
| Spain | 43,949,149 | 8,065,511 | -35,883,638 |
| Italy | 15,126,867 | 21,158,122 | +6,031,255 |
| Portugal | 18,044,777 | 11,105,411 | -6,939,366 |
| India | 3,981,682 | 2,643,517 | -1,338,165 |
| South Korea | 2,330,674 | 3,323,734 | +993,060 |
| Germany | 2,894,142 | 2,207,838 | -686,304 |
| France | 3,175,004 | 1,692,423 | -1,482,581 |
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 | 34,378 |
| Italy | 198 |
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 | 19,820 | 14,558 | -5,262 |
| Italy | 198 | 0 | -198 |
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) | 772,088,318 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 277,377,254 |
| Air transport | 12,164,364 |
| Road transport | 58,678 |
| Other | 36,690 |
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) | 457,714,025 | 314,374,293 | -143,339,732 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 189,936,503 | 87,440,751 | -102,495,752 |
| Air transport | 5,166,058 | 6,998,306 | +1,832,248 |
| Road transport | 58,678 | 0 | -58,678 |
| Other | 22,132 | 14,558 | -7,574 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 708,163,218 |
| Hull | 114,677,768 |
| Liverpool Docks | 78,531,711 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 73,370,955 |
| Avonmouth Docks | 47,660,503 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 470,542,483 | 237,620,735 | -232,921,748 |
| Hull | 27,551,152 | 87,126,616 | +59,575,464 |
| Liverpool Docks | 53,962,982 | 24,568,729 | -29,394,253 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 42,746,643 | 30,624,312 | -12,122,331 |
| Avonmouth Docks | 40,342,835 | 7,317,668 | -33,025,167 |
| Southampton | 4,971,033 | 6,691,657 | +1,720,624 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,039,236 | 3,615,203 | -424,033 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,513,996 | 3,448,117 | +934,121 |
| Felixstowe | 2,675,301 | 648,616 | -2,026,685 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,103,943 | 2,140,591 | +1,036,648 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 7218
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Stainless steel in basic shapes like ingots, blocks, or semi-finished products