Import/export HS code 8480: Moulds and patterns
Moulding boxes, bases, patterns, and moulds for metal, glass, rubber, or plastics
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 | 143,393,793 |
| Germany | 76,856,621 |
| Italy | 49,740,963 |
| Luxembourg | 35,958,687 |
| France | 33,549,947 |
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 | 65,126,018 | 78,267,775 | +13,141,757 |
| Germany | 33,148,157 | 43,708,464 | +10,560,307 |
| Italy | 29,131,890 | 20,609,073 | -8,522,817 |
| Luxembourg | 15,057,563 | 20,901,124 | +5,843,561 |
| France | 21,713,591 | 11,836,356 | -9,877,235 |
| Portugal | 12,858,286 | 8,721,305 | -4,136,981 |
| Denmark | 2,152,365 | 17,187,437 | +15,035,072 |
| United States | 9,510,301 | 9,009,087 | -501,214 |
| Ireland | 11,254,767 | 5,376,853 | -5,877,914 |
| Croatia | 8,958,989 | 5,371,670 | -3,587,319 |
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 | 153,907,282 |
| Italy | 90,905,493 |
| Germany | 71,500,216 |
| Portugal | 21,924,116 |
| Denmark | 18,971,382 |
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 | 68,608,593 | 85,298,689 | +16,690,096 |
| Italy | 49,881,441 | 41,024,052 | -8,857,389 |
| Germany | 33,634,291 | 37,865,925 | +4,231,634 |
| Portugal | 13,292,844 | 8,631,272 | -4,661,572 |
| Denmark | 1,689,718 | 17,281,664 | +15,591,946 |
| United Kingdom | 8,468,721 | 9,510,388 | +1,041,667 |
| United States | 8,574,045 | 8,301,105 | -272,940 |
| France | 9,960,268 | 5,681,461 | -4,278,807 |
| Croatia | 8,928,747 | 5,296,993 | -3,631,754 |
| Austria | 7,179,325 | 6,109,834 | -1,069,491 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 91 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 78 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 70 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 66 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 64 |
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 | 59 | 66 | +7 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 58 | 50 | -8 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 54 | 47 | -7 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 49 | 49 | +0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 50 | 43 | -7 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 44 | 36 | -8 |
| Greater Manchester | 36 | 39 | +3 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 37 | 37 | +0 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 33 | 33 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 33 | 29 | -4 |
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) | 282,129,543 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 129,443,379 |
| Air transport | 111,946,176 |
| Other | 6,456,533 |
| Road transport | 1,919,486 |
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) | 149,282,215 | 132,847,328 | -16,434,887 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 54,658,082 | 74,785,297 | +20,127,215 |
| Air transport | 50,273,101 | 61,673,075 | +11,399,974 |
| Other | 3,003,529 | 3,453,004 | +449,475 |
| Road transport | 1,272,503 | 646,983 | -625,520 |
| Rail transport | 0 | 18,928 | +18,928 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 149,093,540 |
| Felixstowe | 78,998,464 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 66,309,693 |
| Eurotunnel | 48,336,991 |
| Hull | 18,351,577 |
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 | 79,270,411 | 69,823,129 | -9,447,282 |
| Felixstowe | 36,904,964 | 42,093,500 | +5,188,536 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 29,141,303 | 37,168,390 | +8,027,087 |
| Eurotunnel | 26,075,906 | 22,261,085 | -3,814,821 |
| Hull | 874,233 | 17,477,344 | +16,603,111 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,984,048 | 8,299,518 | -684,530 |
| Southampton | 8,444,717 | 8,574,220 | +129,503 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,554,005 | 9,869,214 | +4,315,209 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,622,790 | 5,581,749 | -2,041,041 |
| Holyhead | 8,429,718 | 3,257,871 | -5,171,847 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 317 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 157 |
| Other manufacturing | 133 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 111 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 110 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 217 |
| 2025-11 | 239 |
| 2025-10 | 261 |
| 2025-09 | 233 |
| 2025-08 | 233 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TOYOTA TSUSHO U.K. LIMITED | 118 |
| NIFCO UK LIMITED | 113 |
| ENCIRC LIMITED | 111 |
| TRP POLYMER SOLUTIONS LIMITED | 101 |
| GEORGE UTZ LIMITED | 96 |
| BEATSON CLARK LIMITED | 95 |
| BECTON DICKINSON INFUSION THERAPY UK | 95 |
| MORGAN TECHNICAL CERAMICS LIMITED | 94 |
| O-I GLASS LIMITED | 94 |
| LOGOPLASTE UK LIMITED | 86 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 514 |
| 54m+ | 454 |
| 15m-54m | 168 |
| 0-1m | 106 |
| Other | 84 |
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 | 43,873,929 |
| Germany | 41,625,639 |
| Luxembourg | 37,482,247 |
| France | 23,922,606 |
| Ireland | 20,494,493 |
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 | 21,238,414 | 22,635,515 | +1,397,101 |
| Germany | 23,630,513 | 17,995,126 | -5,635,387 |
| Luxembourg | 17,063,148 | 20,419,099 | +3,355,951 |
| France | 13,288,864 | 10,633,742 | -2,655,122 |
| Ireland | 13,421,701 | 7,072,792 | -6,348,909 |
| Poland | 5,360,549 | 8,218,396 | +2,857,847 |
| Italy | 5,976,157 | 3,813,856 | -2,162,301 |
| Netherlands | 3,544,216 | 4,988,411 | +1,444,195 |
| Czechia | 4,261,340 | 3,706,585 | -554,755 |
| Spain | 2,992,992 | 4,809,801 | +1,816,809 |
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 | 1,036,202 |
| XI | 161,267 |
| Ireland | 101,222 |
| Switzerland | 126 |
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 | 281,341 | 754,861 | +473,520 |
| XI | 138,576 | 22,691 | -115,885 |
| Ireland | 76,644 | 24,578 | -52,066 |
| Switzerland | 126 | 0 | -126 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 188,450,421 |
| Air transport | 83,484,550 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 18,776,858 |
| Other | 1,301,739 |
| Road transport | 173,667 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 97,841,288 | 90,609,133 | -7,232,155 |
| Air transport | 40,104,032 | 43,380,518 | +3,276,486 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,385,588 | 7,391,270 | -3,994,318 |
| Other | 499,115 | 802,624 | +303,509 |
| Road transport | 156,318 | 17,349 | -138,969 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 144,791,458 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 49,520,167 |
| East Midlands Airport | 16,787,533 |
| Holyhead | 15,643,687 |
| Immingham Docks | 9,428,153 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 73,131,529 | 71,659,929 | -1,471,600 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 23,877,720 | 25,642,447 | +1,764,727 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,250,119 | 8,537,414 | +287,295 |
| Holyhead | 11,570,247 | 4,073,440 | -7,496,807 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,657,224 | 5,770,929 | +2,113,705 |
| Felixstowe | 5,110,709 | 2,219,321 | -2,891,388 |
| London Stansted Airport | 3,176,514 | 3,594,176 | +417,662 |
| Southampton | 2,569,389 | 3,302,887 | +733,498 |
| Dover | 4,541,227 | 1,101,790 | -3,439,437 |
| ZLC | 2,250,953 | 2,258,468 | +7,515 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8480
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Moulding boxes, bases, patterns, and moulds for metal, glass, rubber, or plastics