Import/export HS code 8456: Advanced material-working machines
Machines that shape materials using lasers, light beams, ultrasonic waves, or water jets
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 44,878,640 |
| Switzerland | 42,549,427 |
| China | 33,639,104 |
| Italy | 19,578,560 |
| France | 17,923,530 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 25,807,293 | 19,071,347 | -6,735,946 |
| Switzerland | 23,641,401 | 18,908,026 | -4,733,375 |
| China | 16,423,512 | 17,215,592 | +792,080 |
| Italy | 9,937,063 | 9,641,497 | -295,566 |
| France | 10,886,202 | 7,037,328 | -3,848,874 |
| Netherlands | 9,548,737 | 6,429,833 | -3,118,904 |
| Belgium | 5,220,396 | 7,498,018 | +2,277,622 |
| United States | 4,359,548 | 3,514,239 | -845,309 |
| Japan | 3,736,908 | 2,463,930 | -1,272,978 |
| Turkey | 2,481,683 | 2,209,622 | -272,061 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | 43,572,975 |
| China | 40,473,430 |
| Germany | 38,828,437 |
| Japan | 29,922,571 |
| Italy | 20,057,498 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 24,622,385 | 18,950,590 | -5,671,795 |
| China | 20,281,392 | 20,192,038 | -89,354 |
| Germany | 21,883,869 | 16,944,568 | -4,939,301 |
| Japan | 16,616,575 | 13,305,996 | -3,310,579 |
| Italy | 10,343,139 | 9,714,359 | -628,780 |
| United States | 6,256,701 | 5,789,720 | -466,981 |
| Netherlands | 4,021,876 | 1,225,968 | -2,795,908 |
| Turkey | 2,480,213 | 2,343,284 | -136,929 |
| Thailand | 2,102,329 | 2,030,764 | -71,565 |
| Austria | 1,908,229 | 1,938,976 | +30,747 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 40 |
| Greater Manchester | 35 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 33 |
| West Midlands | 30 |
| West Yorkshire | 30 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 29 | 27 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 19 | 22 | +3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 18 | 24 | +6 |
| West Midlands | 21 | 14 | -7 |
| West Yorkshire | 20 | 22 | +2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 17 | 16 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 15 | 16 | +1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 18 | 18 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 11 | 12 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 16 | 11 | -5 |
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) | 150,454,074 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 50,732,996 |
| Air transport | 27,819,569 |
| Road transport | 2,979,273 |
| Other | 742,341 |
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) | 78,895,188 | 71,558,886 | -7,336,302 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 27,776,437 | 22,956,559 | -4,819,878 |
| Air transport | 14,363,684 | 13,455,885 | -907,799 |
| Road transport | 2,357,899 | 621,374 | -1,736,525 |
| Other | 205,376 | 536,965 | +331,589 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 65,578,839 |
| ZLC | 53,068,005 |
| Felixstowe | 17,973,160 |
| Eurotunnel | 11,709,263 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 11,328,956 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 33,926,155 | 31,652,684 | -2,273,471 |
| ZLC | 28,821,055 | 24,246,950 | -4,574,105 |
| Felixstowe | 8,223,687 | 9,749,473 | +1,525,786 |
| Eurotunnel | 7,270,351 | 4,438,912 | -2,831,439 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 6,041,919 | 5,287,037 | -754,882 |
| Southampton | 4,935,744 | 3,556,635 | -1,379,109 |
| Birmingham Airport | 4,299,204 | 3,464,219 | -834,985 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,706,184 | 3,443,470 | -262,714 |
| London | 4,784,500 | 2,179,379 | -2,605,121 |
| Tyne | 3,679,416 | 1,983,502 | -1,695,914 |
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 | 137 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 77 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 71 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 50 |
| Other manufacturing | 43 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 81 |
| 2025-10 | 85 |
| 2025-09 | 74 |
| 2025-08 | 70 |
| 2025-07 | 70 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| KEYENCE (UK) LIMITED | 110 |
| LINX PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 87 |
| TRUMPF LIMITED | 76 |
| GRAFITYP (UK) LIMITED | 75 |
| MANTECH (U.K.) LIMITED | 74 |
| UNITED MACHINING UK LIMITED | 71 |
| AMADA UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED | 55 |
| BYSTRONIC UK LIMITED | 55 |
| ESAB GROUP (UK) LIMITED | 50 |
| DENFORD LIMITED | 49 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 258 |
| 54m+ | 154 |
| 0-1m | 100 |
| 15m-54m | 56 |
| Other | 24 |
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 | 32,754,023 |
| China | 18,972,715 |
| Germany | 13,334,429 |
| Ireland | 8,461,642 |
| Netherlands | 6,942,759 |
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 | 17,461,980 | 15,292,043 | -2,169,937 |
| China | 9,312,445 | 9,660,270 | +347,825 |
| Germany | 6,357,704 | 6,976,725 | +619,021 |
| Ireland | 4,738,534 | 3,723,108 | -1,015,426 |
| Netherlands | 3,304,304 | 3,638,455 | +334,151 |
| India | 2,782,830 | 2,183,058 | -599,772 |
| Costa Rica | 918,373 | 2,065,680 | +1,147,307 |
| South Korea | 1,711,176 | 1,046,936 | -664,240 |
| Australia | 1,378,641 | 1,297,440 | -81,201 |
| France | 1,600,115 | 950,858 | -649,257 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Nicaragua | 20,963 |
| Australia | 10,769 |
| China | 10,683 |
| XU | 4,041 |
| Switzerland | 1,936 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicaragua | 0 | 20,963 | +20,963 |
| Australia | 0 | 10,769 | +10,769 |
| China | 4,726 | 5,957 | +1,231 |
| XU | 1,603 | 2,438 | +835 |
| Switzerland | 1,936 | 0 | -1,936 |
| United States | 555 | 0 | -555 |
| Spain | 0 | 238 | +238 |
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) | 49,862,926 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 40,810,544 |
| Air transport | 37,451,841 |
| Other | 49,185 |
| Road transport | 39,628 |
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) | 26,318,624 | 23,544,302 | -2,774,322 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 21,212,367 | 19,598,177 | -1,614,190 |
| Air transport | 21,183,650 | 16,268,191 | -4,915,459 |
| Other | 8,820 | 40,365 | +31,545 |
| Road transport | 39,628 | 0 | -39,628 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 29,404,780 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 24,998,568 |
| Southampton | 18,615,187 |
| London Gateway Port | 12,564,800 |
| Felixstowe | 9,426,476 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 16,955,210 | 12,449,570 | -4,505,640 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 12,703,435 | 12,295,133 | -408,302 |
| Southampton | 11,555,123 | 7,060,064 | -4,495,059 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,016,877 | 7,547,923 | +2,531,046 |
| Felixstowe | 5,279,111 | 4,147,365 | -1,131,746 |
| Liverpool Docks | 3,359,247 | 4,817,065 | +1,457,818 |
| Holyhead | 2,572,859 | 2,429,259 | -143,600 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,414,602 | 2,359,315 | -55,287 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,153,375 | 1,612,222 | -541,153 |
| Dover | 2,376,286 | 409,660 | -1,966,626 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8456
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Machines that shape materials using lasers, light beams, ultrasonic waves, or water jets