Import/export HS code 8468: Machines and tools for soldering, welding, or brazing, including gas-operated tools
Includes all types of machines and tools used for joining or cutting metal, such as gas-operated tempering machines and handheld blowpipes
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 | 8,125,175 |
| United States | 5,004,213 |
| Germany | 4,695,097 |
| Netherlands | 2,877,120 |
| Austria | 2,154,569 |
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 | 4,252,897 | 3,872,278 | -380,619 |
| United States | 2,708,536 | 2,295,677 | -412,859 |
| Germany | 1,721,457 | 2,973,640 | +1,252,183 |
| Netherlands | 1,886,180 | 990,940 | -895,240 |
| Austria | 1,323,456 | 831,113 | -492,343 |
| Italy | 950,488 | 802,983 | -147,505 |
| Japan | 1,527,232 | 25,630 | -1,501,602 |
| South Korea | 1,533,148 | 0 | -1,533,148 |
| France | 823,938 | 581,212 | -242,726 |
| Ireland | 723,536 | 500,151 | -223,385 |
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 | 8,610,451 |
| United States | 5,844,488 |
| Germany | 4,503,563 |
| Japan | 1,950,790 |
| Austria | 1,919,857 |
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 | 4,553,944 | 4,056,507 | -497,437 |
| United States | 3,065,776 | 2,778,712 | -287,064 |
| Germany | 1,559,963 | 2,943,600 | +1,383,637 |
| Japan | 1,734,439 | 216,351 | -1,518,088 |
| Austria | 1,082,957 | 836,900 | -246,057 |
| Italy | 983,227 | 800,277 | -182,950 |
| South Korea | 1,533,148 | 2,902 | -1,530,246 |
| Netherlands | 1,060,898 | 458,709 | -602,189 |
| Spain | 49,117 | 817,553 | +768,436 |
| India | 481,787 | 361,013 | -120,774 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 29 |
| Greater Manchester | 26 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 25 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 23 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 18 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 23 | 20 | -3 |
| Greater Manchester | 20 | 15 | -5 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 24 | 10 | -14 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 12 | 19 | +7 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 15 | 10 | -5 |
| Inner London - West | 9 | 8 | -1 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 14 | 11 | -3 |
| West Yorkshire | 14 | 9 | -5 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 9 | 10 | +1 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 8 | 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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 14,586,400 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 11,055,761 |
| Air transport | 9,341,131 |
| Other | 579,736 |
| Road transport | 26,401 |
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) | 9,957,870 | 4,628,530 | -5,329,340 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,808,256 | 6,247,505 | +1,439,249 |
| Air transport | 4,959,586 | 4,381,545 | -578,041 |
| Other | 432,900 | 146,836 | -286,064 |
| Road transport | 20,915 | 5,486 | -15,429 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 4,775,617 |
| Felixstowe | 4,767,689 |
| East Midlands Airport | 3,722,712 |
| Southampton | 3,636,031 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 2,122,647 |
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 | 1,753,364 | 3,022,253 | +1,268,889 |
| Felixstowe | 2,525,127 | 2,242,562 | -282,565 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,238,208 | 1,484,504 | -753,704 |
| Southampton | 2,687,282 | 948,749 | -1,738,533 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,143,743 | 978,904 | -164,839 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,021,486 | 1,006,377 | -15,109 |
| Tyne | 1,933,171 | 8,629 | -1,924,542 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,000,903 | 907,967 | -92,936 |
| London Gateway Port | 625,296 | 1,188,933 | +563,637 |
| Manchester Airport | 126,511 | 663,692 | +537,181 |
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 | 132 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 42 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 39 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 38 |
| Other manufacturing | 28 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 61 |
| 2025-10 | 73 |
| 2025-09 | 67 |
| 2025-08 | 57 |
| 2025-07 | 68 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| SPECIALISED WELDING PRODUCTS LIMITED | 119 |
| BWE LIMITED | 108 |
| ROTHENBERGER (U.K.) LIMITED | 107 |
| WELDFAST (UK) LIMITED | 106 |
| PARWELD LIMITED | 92 |
| JACK SEALEY LIMITED | 70 |
| PROTO LABS, LIMITED | 65 |
| TOSOH QUARTZ, INC. | 64 |
| LINCOLN ELECTRIC (U.K.) LIMITED | 59 |
| SHERWEN ENGINEERING CO LIMITED | 54 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 186 |
| 54m+ | 115 |
| 15m-54m | 56 |
| 0-1m | 51 |
| Other | 31 |
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 | 13,918,180 |
| Mexico | 4,957,704 |
| Hungary | 3,260,567 |
| Ireland | 2,335,846 |
| Germany | 2,078,341 |
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 | 5,404,431 | 8,513,749 | +3,109,318 |
| Mexico | 4,117,656 | 840,048 | -3,277,608 |
| Hungary | 3,114,877 | 145,690 | -2,969,187 |
| Ireland | 1,089,499 | 1,246,347 | +156,848 |
| Germany | 1,341,723 | 736,618 | -605,105 |
| Italy | 580,182 | 1,287,077 | +706,895 |
| Netherlands | 963,350 | 698,523 | -264,827 |
| Poland | 600,546 | 731,936 | +131,390 |
| Saudi Arabia | 686,992 | 531,826 | -155,166 |
| India | 595,837 | 558,295 | -37,542 |
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 | 39,423 |
| XU | 16,233 |
| Taiwan | 7,299 |
| Sweden | 6,712 |
| Italy | 3,992 |
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 | 17,604 | 21,819 | +4,215 |
| XU | 8,463 | 7,770 | -693 |
| Taiwan | 4,032 | 3,267 | -765 |
| Sweden | 3,718 | 2,994 | -724 |
| Italy | 2,252 | 1,740 | -512 |
| XI | 605 | 2,995 | +2,390 |
| Ireland | 508 | 645 | +137 |
| India | 790 | 228 | -562 |
| Estonia | 641 | 0 | -641 |
| Hungary | 0 | 323 | +323 |
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 | 23,065,855 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 15,020,888 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,590,707 |
| Other | 80,939 |
| Road transport | 41,786 |
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 | 13,364,545 | 9,701,310 | -3,663,235 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 7,831,994 | 7,188,894 | -643,100 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,695,815 | 3,894,892 | -1,800,923 |
| Other | 38,656 | 42,283 | +3,627 |
| Road transport | 41,786 | 0 | -41,786 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 11,860,416 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 6,628,968 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,305,081 |
| East Midlands Airport | 4,716,627 |
| Liverpool Docks | 3,755,855 |
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 | 7,188,921 | 4,671,495 | -2,517,426 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,250,826 | 2,378,142 | -1,872,684 |
| London Gateway Port | 4,358,829 | 946,252 | -3,412,577 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,536,496 | 2,180,131 | -356,365 |
| Liverpool Docks | 591,362 | 3,164,493 | +2,573,131 |
| London Stansted Airport | 1,765,872 | 1,600,907 | -164,965 |
| Southampton | 241,402 | 1,887,199 | +1,645,797 |
| Harwich | 1,993,236 | 82,846 | -1,910,390 |
| ZLC | 864,307 | 899,202 | +34,895 |
| Felixstowe | 329,792 | 930,490 | +600,698 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8468
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes all types of machines and tools used for joining or cutting metal, such as gas-operated tempering machines and handheld blowpipes