Import/export HS code 81129221: Metal waste and scrap
Recyclable materials like leftover pieces or used items
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 5,524,377 |
| China | 1,773,175 |
| Germany | 702,531 |
| Japan | 618,565 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 211,516 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,666,823 | 3,857,554 | +2,190,731 |
| China | 1,487,398 | 285,777 | -1,201,621 |
| Germany | 242,010 | 460,521 | +218,511 |
| Japan | 608,609 | 9,956 | -598,653 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 211,516 | 0 | -211,516 |
| Estonia | 0 | 204,741 | +204,741 |
| Austria | 0 | 126,804 | +126,804 |
| Liechtenstein | 111,129 | 9,537 | -101,592 |
| Brazil | 65,581 | 0 | -65,581 |
| France | 35,281 | 6,963 | -28,318 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 4,601,043 |
| China | 2,135,202 |
| Estonia | 1,103,632 |
| Germany | 669,249 |
| Japan | 616,543 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 757,691 | 3,843,352 | +3,085,661 |
| China | 1,764,495 | 370,707 | -1,393,788 |
| Estonia | 915,236 | 188,396 | -726,840 |
| Germany | 193,305 | 475,944 | +282,639 |
| Japan | 606,587 | 9,956 | -596,631 |
| Liechtenstein | 111,129 | 9,537 | -101,592 |
| Austria | 50,384 | 43,115 | -7,269 |
| France | 35,281 | 6,963 | -28,318 |
| Spain | 0 | 16,345 | +16,345 |
| Switzerland | 14,389 | 0 | -14,389 |
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 | 1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 |
| Essex | 1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1 |
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 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Essex | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 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) | 5,793,091 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,822,767 |
| Air transport | 815,654 |
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) | 2,277,155 | 3,515,936 | +1,238,781 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,389,345 | 1,433,422 | +44,077 |
| Air transport | 784,019 | 31,635 | -752,384 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Gateway Port | 3,218,833 |
| Felixstowe | 2,769,003 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,106,096 |
| Liverpool Docks | 915,236 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 777,337 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Gateway Port | 1,106 | 3,217,727 | +3,216,621 |
| Felixstowe | 2,282,398 | 486,605 | -1,795,793 |
| Immingham Docks | 20,719 | 1,085,377 | +1,064,658 |
| Liverpool Docks | 915,236 | 0 | -915,236 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 745,702 | 31,635 | -714,067 |
| Dover | 270,140 | 65,182 | -204,958 |
| London | 65,581 | 84,930 | +19,349 |
| Eurotunnel | 83,620 | 0 | -83,620 |
| East Midlands Airport | 34,614 | 0 | -34,614 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 20,625 | 0 | -20,625 |
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 | 4 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 1 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 1 |
| Scientific research and development | 1 |
| Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-10 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 3 |
| 2024-03 | 3 |
| 2024-02 | 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 |
|---|---|
| 15m-54m | 2 |
| 54m+ | 2 |
| 1m-15m | 1 |
| Other | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 4,951,003 |
| Germany | 2,180,259 |
| Netherlands | 161,813 |
| Japan | 131,731 |
| Spain | 85,000 |
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 | 3,735,356 | 1,215,647 | -2,519,709 |
| Germany | 1,841,585 | 338,674 | -1,502,911 |
| Netherlands | 161,813 | 0 | -161,813 |
| Japan | 131,731 | 0 | -131,731 |
| Spain | 55,627 | 29,373 | -26,254 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 74,222 | +74,222 |
| France | 3,570 | 37,243 | +33,673 |
| South Korea | 14,969 | 0 | -14,969 |
| Taiwan | 5,388 | 0 | -5,388 |
| Belgium | 976 | 0 | -976 |
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) | 5,037,633 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,286,808 |
| Air transport | 321,733 |
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) | 3,925,750 | 1,111,883 | -2,813,867 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,981,077 | 305,731 | -1,675,346 |
| Air transport | 44,188 | 277,545 | +233,357 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 4,563,128 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,977,959 |
| Liverpool Docks | 214,719 |
| Immingham Docks | 206,468 |
| Harwich | 161,813 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 3,697,728 | 865,400 | -2,832,328 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,787,884 | 190,075 | -1,597,809 |
| Liverpool Docks | 34,684 | 180,035 | +145,351 |
| Immingham Docks | 61,607 | 144,861 | +83,254 |
| Harwich | 161,813 | 0 | -161,813 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 0 | 143,406 | +143,406 |
| London Gateway Port | 131,731 | 0 | -131,731 |
| East Midlands Airport | 31,412 | 59,917 | +28,505 |
| Manchester Airport | 0 | 74,222 | +74,222 |
| Dover | 17,597 | 37,243 | +19,646 |
Quick facts
HS code: 81129221
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Recyclable materials like leftover pieces or used items