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 | 25,501,217 |
| Italy | 18,033,459 |
| Spain | 8,382,634 |
| United States | 5,990,394 |
| Germany | 4,695,448 |
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 | 11,653,084 | 13,848,133 | +2,195,049 |
| Italy | 11,528,429 | 6,505,030 | -5,023,399 |
| Spain | 6,682,991 | 1,699,643 | -4,983,348 |
| United States | 4,417,226 | 1,573,168 | -2,844,058 |
| Germany | 1,503,578 | 3,191,870 | +1,688,292 |
| China | 1,516,899 | 995,657 | -521,242 |
| Taiwan | 1,282,659 | 962,893 | -319,766 |
| Netherlands | 443,263 | 1,120,188 | +676,925 |
| France | 473,416 | 412,675 | -60,741 |
| Malaysia | 697,679 | 75,757 | -621,922 |
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 | 27,056,297 |
| Italy | 18,066,340 |
| Spain | 6,034,767 |
| United States | 5,544,474 |
| Germany | 3,277,745 |
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 | 13,504,855 | 13,551,442 | +46,587 |
| Italy | 11,485,226 | 6,581,114 | -4,904,112 |
| Spain | 4,838,229 | 1,196,538 | -3,641,691 |
| United States | 4,206,797 | 1,337,677 | -2,869,120 |
| Germany | 1,866,980 | 1,410,765 | -456,215 |
| China | 1,738,235 | 1,255,337 | -482,898 |
| United Kingdom | 131,405 | 2,782,258 | +2,650,853 |
| Taiwan | 1,282,659 | 962,893 | -319,766 |
| Netherlands | 418,793 | 1,199,838 | +781,045 |
| Malaysia | 702,917 | 75,757 | -627,160 |
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 | 10 |
| West Midlands | 10 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 8 |
| Inner London - East | 8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 |
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 | 6 | -1 |
| West Midlands | 10 | 3 | -7 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 7 | 4 | -3 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 8 | +5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 7 | 1 | -6 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 3 | 5 | +2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 | 3 | -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) | 40,779,634 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 26,512,511 |
| Air transport | 4,564,349 |
| Other | 1,770,093 |
| 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) | 23,899,808 | 16,879,826 | -7,019,982 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,900,208 | 12,612,303 | -1,287,905 |
| Air transport | 2,565,484 | 1,998,865 | -566,619 |
| Other | 1,230,620 | 539,473 | -691,147 |
| 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 | 32,530,439 |
| Dover | 10,107,178 |
| Eurotunnel | 8,724,184 |
| Poole | 3,499,594 |
| Portsmouth | 3,314,780 |
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 | 15,994,563 | 16,535,876 | +541,313 |
| Dover | 6,142,749 | 3,964,429 | -2,178,320 |
| Eurotunnel | 5,493,634 | 3,230,550 | -2,263,084 |
| Poole | 2,473,965 | 1,025,629 | -1,448,336 |
| Portsmouth | 2,717,643 | 597,137 | -2,120,506 |
| Felixstowe | 1,696,339 | 1,164,761 | -531,578 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,332,046 | 667,571 | -664,475 |
| 000 | 1,230,620 | 539,473 | -691,147 |
| East Midlands Airport | 796,970 | 955,845 | +158,875 |
| Hull | 67,840 | 1,308,271 | +1,240,431 |
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. | 26 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 24 |
| 2025-10 | 22 |
| 2025-09 | 20 |
| 2025-08 | 21 |
| 2025-07 | 19 |
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 | 101 |
| PEKTRON GROUP LIMITED | 64 |
| KOHLER MIRA LIMITED | 47 |
| SPECIAL MELTED PRODUCTS LIMITED | 46 |
| ICHOR SYSTEMS LTD | 40 |
| DONCASTERS LIMITED | 37 |
| EUROPEAN SAFETY SYSTEMS LIMITED | 36 |
| SPECIALITY STEEL UK LIMITED | 34 |
| DDC DOLPHIN LIMITED | 33 |
| FREELANCE SURGICAL LIMITED | 31 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 68 |
| 1m-15m | 57 |
| 15m-54m | 23 |
| Other | 14 |
| 0-1m | 13 |
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 | 511,238,935 |
| Sweden | 294,746,619 |
| United States | 97,927,446 |
| Spain | 52,530,570 |
| Italy | 35,449,460 |
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 | 311,441,616 | 199,797,319 | -111,644,297 |
| Sweden | 200,287,748 | 94,458,871 | -105,828,877 |
| United States | 59,209,977 | 38,717,469 | -20,492,508 |
| Spain | 43,612,782 | 8,917,788 | -34,694,994 |
| Italy | 14,940,397 | 20,509,063 | +5,568,666 |
| Portugal | 17,740,749 | 10,813,273 | -6,927,476 |
| India | 3,975,054 | 2,889,525 | -1,085,529 |
| South Korea | 2,336,264 | 3,312,200 | +975,936 |
| Germany | 3,147,076 | 2,360,411 | -786,665 |
| France | 3,612,790 | 1,787,583 | -1,825,207 |
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 |
| XU | 3,759 |
| 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 | 18,683 | 15,695 | -2,988 |
| XU | 3,759 | 0 | -3,759 |
| 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) | 802,905,008 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 260,825,012 |
| Air transport | 11,963,284 |
| Road transport | 80,140 |
| Other | 38,335 |
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) | 484,637,063 | 318,267,945 | -166,369,118 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 184,032,418 | 76,792,594 | -107,239,824 |
| Air transport | 5,216,139 | 6,747,145 | +1,531,006 |
| Road transport | 80,140 | 0 | -80,140 |
| Other | 22,640 | 15,695 | -6,945 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 734,191,129 |
| Hull | 99,572,523 |
| Liverpool Docks | 80,613,408 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 74,030,553 |
| Avonmouth Docks | 48,189,558 |
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 | 494,066,304 | 240,124,825 | -253,941,479 |
| Hull | 24,017,431 | 75,555,092 | +51,537,661 |
| Liverpool Docks | 54,816,046 | 25,797,362 | -29,018,684 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 43,349,449 | 30,681,104 | -12,668,345 |
| Avonmouth Docks | 40,007,152 | 8,182,406 | -31,824,746 |
| Southampton | 5,231,141 | 6,822,717 | +1,591,576 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,630,453 | 3,835,147 | +204,694 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,454,459 | 3,203,467 | +749,008 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,265,669 | 2,169,807 | +904,138 |
| Felixstowe | 2,737,990 | 535,278 | -2,202,712 |
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