Import/export HS code 8203: Hand tools like files, pliers, and shears
Common hand tools including files, rasps, pliers, tweezers, metal-cutting shears, and pipe-cutters
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 | 49,025,222 |
| Germany | 29,657,633 |
| United States | 24,776,165 |
| France | 14,871,687 |
| Netherlands | 10,202,068 |
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 | 24,856,197 | 24,169,025 | -687,172 |
| Germany | 15,094,197 | 14,563,436 | -530,761 |
| United States | 14,715,974 | 10,060,191 | -4,655,783 |
| France | 7,524,477 | 7,347,210 | -177,267 |
| Netherlands | 4,941,876 | 5,260,192 | +318,316 |
| Taiwan | 5,374,764 | 4,545,331 | -829,433 |
| Switzerland | 1,523,394 | 1,400,534 | -122,860 |
| Belgium | 1,684,351 | 1,114,118 | -570,233 |
| Japan | 1,183,646 | 1,440,153 | +256,507 |
| Italy | 1,172,610 | 1,009,069 | -163,541 |
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 | 58,962,798 |
| Germany | 28,746,386 |
| United States | 21,538,980 |
| Taiwan | 12,355,896 |
| Switzerland | 7,889,741 |
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 | 29,827,986 | 29,134,812 | -693,174 |
| Germany | 15,079,788 | 13,666,598 | -1,413,190 |
| United States | 12,529,136 | 9,009,844 | -3,519,292 |
| Taiwan | 6,759,428 | 5,596,468 | -1,162,960 |
| Switzerland | 3,465,095 | 4,424,646 | +959,551 |
| India | 2,627,939 | 2,108,801 | -519,138 |
| France | 2,422,468 | 1,971,645 | -450,823 |
| Sweden | 2,235,367 | 1,991,051 | -244,316 |
| Spain | 1,930,964 | 1,725,423 | -205,541 |
| Japan | 1,512,085 | 1,888,583 | +376,498 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 83 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 79 |
| West Midlands | 70 |
| Greater Manchester | 66 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 62 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 58 | 55 | -3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 60 | 62 | +2 |
| West Midlands | 53 | 48 | -5 |
| Greater Manchester | 45 | 44 | -1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 53 | 40 | -13 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 49 | 35 | -14 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 40 | 36 | -4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 42 | 40 | -2 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 40 | 37 | -3 |
| Inner London - East | 38 | 29 | -9 |
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) | 71,321,729 |
| Air transport | 50,528,688 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 37,786,993 |
| Other | 2,479,355 |
| Road transport | 361,716 |
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) | 38,377,280 | 32,944,449 | -5,432,831 |
| Air transport | 25,873,490 | 24,655,198 | -1,218,292 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 19,078,562 | 18,708,431 | -370,131 |
| Other | 1,477,601 | 1,001,754 | -475,847 |
| Road transport | 200,114 | 161,602 | -38,512 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 31,198,443 |
| Southampton | 23,051,642 |
| Birmingham Airport | 16,566,028 |
| Dover | 14,072,233 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 11,056,433 |
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 | 18,066,147 | 13,132,296 | -4,933,851 |
| Southampton | 13,298,177 | 9,753,465 | -3,544,712 |
| Birmingham Airport | 7,031,380 | 9,534,648 | +2,503,268 |
| Dover | 6,325,633 | 7,746,600 | +1,420,967 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,496,640 | 4,559,793 | -1,936,847 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,315,204 | 4,165,671 | -149,533 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,188,875 | 5,630,365 | +3,441,490 |
| London | 3,820,965 | 2,831,618 | -989,347 |
| Eurotunnel | 2,962,641 | 2,820,062 | -142,579 |
| London Stansted Airport | 3,299,847 | 2,426,519 | -873,328 |
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 | 491 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 258 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 81 |
| Other manufacturing | 77 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 59 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 255 |
| 2025-11 | 252 |
| 2025-10 | 290 |
| 2025-09 | 234 |
| 2025-08 | 258 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| DRAPER TOOLS LIMITED | 120 |
| GLENAIR UK LIMITED | 120 |
| JACK SEALEY LIMITED | 120 |
| SNAP-ON U.K. HOLDINGS LIMITED | 120 |
| TWEEZERMAN UK LTD | 120 |
| CARL KAMMERLING INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 119 |
| IDEAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 119 |
| ROLSON TOOLS LIMITED | 119 |
| THE TOOL CONNECTION LIMITED | 119 |
| TOOLBANK LIMITED | 118 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 529 |
| 54m+ | 406 |
| 15m-54m | 171 |
| 0-1m | 147 |
| Other | 113 |
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 | 9,452,100 |
| Germany | 6,164,336 |
| France | 5,320,415 |
| Ireland | 3,920,888 |
| Netherlands | 3,284,082 |
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 | 4,434,339 | 5,017,761 | +583,422 |
| Germany | 2,999,981 | 3,164,355 | +164,374 |
| France | 2,691,381 | 2,629,034 | -62,347 |
| Ireland | 1,984,023 | 1,936,865 | -47,158 |
| Netherlands | 1,938,447 | 1,345,635 | -592,812 |
| Australia | 1,303,147 | 693,164 | -609,983 |
| Belgium | 1,046,068 | 941,722 | -104,346 |
| Italy | 725,609 | 492,853 | -232,756 |
| China | 593,774 | 591,737 | -2,037 |
| India | 684,473 | 453,694 | -230,779 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 355,773 |
| Taiwan | 57,736 |
| XI | 39,375 |
| Germany | 30,977 |
| Austria | 30,752 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 183,871 | 171,902 | -11,969 |
| Taiwan | 25,968 | 31,768 | +5,800 |
| XI | 24,459 | 14,916 | -9,543 |
| Germany | 24,815 | 6,162 | -18,653 |
| Austria | 29,865 | 887 | -28,978 |
| Ireland | 9,605 | 12,583 | +2,978 |
| United States | 10,603 | 8,516 | -2,087 |
| India | 8,675 | 2,138 | -6,537 |
| Italy | 2,011 | 7,138 | +5,127 |
| Sweden | 3,671 | 3,311 | -360 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 19,830,078 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 18,440,426 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,080,628 |
| Other | 822,660 |
| Road transport | 172,936 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 10,055,712 | 9,774,366 | -281,346 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,577,926 | 8,862,500 | -715,426 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,846,371 | 4,234,257 | -2,612,114 |
| Other | 433,118 | 389,542 | -43,576 |
| Road transport | 171,830 | 1,106 | -170,724 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 8,766,388 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,730,565 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,736,710 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,554,498 |
| Dover | 3,682,113 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 4,426,858 | 4,339,530 | -87,328 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,732,523 | 3,998,042 | -734,481 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,698,204 | 3,038,506 | +340,302 |
| London Gateway Port | 3,188,980 | 1,365,518 | -1,823,462 |
| Dover | 2,220,243 | 1,461,870 | -758,373 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,460,090 | 1,244,274 | -215,816 |
| Liverpool Docks | 1,826,784 | 850,834 | -975,950 |
| ZLC | 1,458,113 | 1,123,453 | -334,660 |
| Southampton | 698,020 | 1,366,123 | +668,103 |
| Holyhead | 831,734 | 1,015,985 | +184,251 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8203
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Common hand tools including files, rasps, pliers, tweezers, metal-cutting shears, and pipe-cutters