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 | 44,889,566 |
| Switzerland | 42,196,312 |
| China | 33,925,648 |
| Italy | 19,179,580 |
| France | 19,175,404 |
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 | 24,336,782 | 20,552,784 | -3,783,998 |
| Switzerland | 22,968,934 | 19,227,378 | -3,741,556 |
| China | 16,584,615 | 17,341,033 | +756,418 |
| Italy | 9,911,334 | 9,268,246 | -643,088 |
| France | 10,939,865 | 8,235,539 | -2,704,326 |
| Netherlands | 9,429,713 | 6,690,123 | -2,739,590 |
| Belgium | 5,636,667 | 7,080,531 | +1,443,864 |
| United States | 3,884,634 | 3,422,658 | -461,976 |
| Japan | 3,815,330 | 2,634,787 | -1,180,543 |
| Turkey | 2,483,960 | 2,411,620 | -72,340 |
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 | 42,361,559 |
| China | 40,527,371 |
| Germany | 39,509,938 |
| Japan | 31,450,359 |
| Italy | 19,655,423 |
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 | 23,369,416 | 18,992,143 | -4,377,273 |
| China | 19,939,284 | 20,588,087 | +648,803 |
| Germany | 21,073,161 | 18,436,777 | -2,636,384 |
| Japan | 17,327,009 | 14,123,350 | -3,203,659 |
| Italy | 10,287,224 | 9,368,199 | -919,025 |
| United States | 6,102,361 | 5,465,194 | -637,167 |
| Netherlands | 3,973,152 | 1,364,272 | -2,608,880 |
| Turkey | 2,482,490 | 2,545,282 | +62,792 |
| Thailand | 1,897,313 | 2,512,065 | +614,752 |
| Austria | 1,728,236 | 1,843,182 | +114,946 |
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 | 39 |
| Greater Manchester | 38 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 35 |
| West Midlands | 29 |
| West Yorkshire | 29 |
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 | 30 | 26 | -4 |
| Greater Manchester | 21 | 24 | +3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 20 | 26 | +6 |
| West Midlands | 20 | 14 | -6 |
| West Yorkshire | 20 | 20 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 18 | 16 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 15 | 16 | +1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 20 | 16 | -4 |
| Inner London - West | 12 | 12 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 14 | 11 | -3 |
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) | 151,095,177 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 50,477,292 |
| Air transport | 28,148,101 |
| Road transport | 3,041,832 |
| Other | 741,604 |
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) | 77,922,178 | 73,172,999 | -4,749,179 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 27,290,040 | 23,187,252 | -4,102,788 |
| Air transport | 14,299,237 | 13,848,864 | -450,373 |
| Road transport | 2,357,899 | 683,933 | -1,673,966 |
| Other | 293,039 | 448,565 | +155,526 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 65,997,634 |
| ZLC | 52,303,427 |
| Felixstowe | 17,721,437 |
| Eurotunnel | 12,126,542 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 11,311,094 |
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 | 34,343,972 | 31,653,662 | -2,690,310 |
| ZLC | 27,233,247 | 25,070,180 | -2,163,067 |
| Felixstowe | 8,341,206 | 9,380,231 | +1,039,025 |
| Eurotunnel | 7,221,618 | 4,904,924 | -2,316,694 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 5,920,038 | 5,391,056 | -528,982 |
| Southampton | 4,727,575 | 3,997,325 | -730,250 |
| Birmingham Airport | 4,365,867 | 3,676,670 | -689,197 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,833,341 | 3,606,595 | -226,746 |
| London | 4,843,331 | 2,145,291 | -2,698,040 |
| Tyne | 3,679,416 | 2,236,310 | -1,443,106 |
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 | 76 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 71 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 48 |
| Other manufacturing | 44 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 67 |
| 2025-11 | 81 |
| 2025-10 | 85 |
| 2025-09 | 74 |
| 2025-08 | 70 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| KEYENCE (UK) LIMITED | 111 |
| LINX PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 87 |
| TRUMPF LIMITED | 76 |
| MANTECH (U.K.) LIMITED | 75 |
| GRAFITYP (UK) LIMITED | 75 |
| UNITED MACHINING UK LIMITED | 71 |
| AMADA UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED | 56 |
| BYSTRONIC UK LIMITED | 56 |
| TROTEC LASER LIMITED | 50 |
| ESAB GROUP (UK) LIMITED | 50 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 257 |
| 54m+ | 150 |
| 0-1m | 103 |
| 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 | 32,387,881 |
| China | 18,445,026 |
| Germany | 13,294,504 |
| Ireland | 8,376,003 |
| Netherlands | 6,365,623 |
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 | 17,191,385 | 15,196,496 | -1,994,889 |
| China | 8,855,714 | 9,589,312 | +733,598 |
| Germany | 6,468,829 | 6,825,675 | +356,846 |
| Ireland | 4,576,787 | 3,799,216 | -777,571 |
| Netherlands | 2,864,380 | 3,501,243 | +636,863 |
| India | 3,038,979 | 1,869,517 | -1,169,462 |
| Costa Rica | 832,114 | 2,066,202 | +1,234,088 |
| Australia | 1,683,687 | 934,490 | -749,197 |
| France | 1,575,808 | 982,613 | -593,195 |
| Mexico | 2,132,430 | 77,249 | -2,055,181 |
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 |
| China | 12,028 |
| Australia | 10,769 |
| Switzerland | 1,936 |
| United States | 555 |
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 |
| China | 5,145 | 6,883 | +1,738 |
| Australia | 0 | 10,769 | +10,769 |
| 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) | 48,143,498 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 39,892,383 |
| Air transport | 37,070,916 |
| Other | 50,530 |
| Road transport | 25,643 |
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) | 26,307,209 | 21,836,289 | -4,470,920 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 21,249,492 | 18,642,891 | -2,606,601 |
| Air transport | 20,810,234 | 16,260,682 | -4,549,552 |
| Other | 11,677 | 38,853 | +27,176 |
| Road transport | 25,643 | 0 | -25,643 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 29,041,652 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 24,319,947 |
| Southampton | 18,621,345 |
| London Gateway Port | 12,428,940 |
| Felixstowe | 9,348,669 |
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 | 16,541,893 | 12,499,759 | -4,042,134 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 13,053,729 | 11,266,218 | -1,787,511 |
| Southampton | 12,114,930 | 6,506,415 | -5,608,515 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,726,975 | 6,701,965 | +974,990 |
| Felixstowe | 5,345,543 | 4,003,126 | -1,342,417 |
| Liverpool Docks | 2,545,917 | 4,620,585 | +2,074,668 |
| Holyhead | 2,415,813 | 2,524,467 | +108,654 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,493,562 | 2,324,791 | -168,771 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,242,302 | 1,567,367 | -674,935 |
| Dover | 1,672,094 | 459,856 | -1,212,238 |
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