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 | 135,242,002 |
| Germany | 75,192,000 |
| Italy | 48,661,942 |
| Luxembourg | 36,709,469 |
| France | 34,527,029 |
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 | 61,511,628 | 73,730,374 | +12,218,746 |
| Germany | 34,395,575 | 40,796,425 | +6,400,850 |
| Italy | 27,249,444 | 21,412,498 | -5,836,946 |
| Luxembourg | 15,802,311 | 20,907,158 | +5,104,847 |
| France | 22,573,615 | 11,953,414 | -10,620,201 |
| Portugal | 12,899,770 | 8,499,044 | -4,400,726 |
| Denmark | 2,208,991 | 17,040,125 | +14,831,134 |
| United States | 9,331,631 | 9,454,850 | +123,219 |
| Ireland | 11,011,452 | 5,705,207 | -5,306,245 |
| Croatia | 9,118,500 | 5,522,936 | -3,595,564 |
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 | 144,465,825 |
| Italy | 88,787,258 |
| Germany | 70,171,343 |
| Portugal | 21,586,986 |
| Denmark | 18,986,192 |
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 | 65,003,881 | 79,461,944 | +14,458,063 |
| Italy | 46,733,346 | 42,053,912 | -4,679,434 |
| Germany | 34,703,801 | 35,467,542 | +763,741 |
| Portugal | 13,063,073 | 8,523,913 | -4,539,160 |
| Denmark | 1,762,609 | 17,223,583 | +15,460,974 |
| United Kingdom | 8,876,849 | 8,717,023 | -159,826 |
| United States | 8,343,343 | 9,047,072 | +703,729 |
| France | 10,710,622 | 5,635,588 | -5,075,034 |
| Croatia | 9,068,751 | 5,460,176 | -3,608,575 |
| Austria | 7,995,390 | 6,316,977 | -1,678,413 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| West Midlands | 88 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 76 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 70 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 67 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 63 |
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 | 58 | 68 | +10 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 58 | 47 | -11 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 54 | 50 | -4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 50 | 49 | -1 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 50 | 43 | -7 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 44 | 37 | -7 |
| Greater Manchester | 35 | 37 | +2 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 36 | 39 | +3 |
| Inner London - West | 32 | 32 | +0 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 31 | 34 | +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) | 279,594,984 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 123,130,068 |
| Air transport | 108,482,326 |
| Other | 6,566,896 |
| Road transport | 2,034,476 |
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) | 150,254,714 | 129,340,270 | -20,914,444 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 51,970,090 | 71,159,978 | +19,189,888 |
| Air transport | 48,870,753 | 59,611,573 | +10,740,820 |
| Other | 2,791,542 | 3,775,354 | +983,812 |
| Road transport | 1,396,910 | 637,566 | -759,344 |
| 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 | 149,168,354 |
| Felixstowe | 70,581,793 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 63,796,681 |
| Eurotunnel | 48,514,703 |
| Hull | 18,582,063 |
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 | 78,952,185 | 70,216,169 | -8,736,016 |
| Felixstowe | 34,564,966 | 36,016,827 | +1,451,861 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 28,011,505 | 35,785,176 | +7,773,671 |
| Eurotunnel | 27,267,791 | 21,246,912 | -6,020,879 |
| Hull | 620,045 | 17,962,018 | +17,341,973 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,767,045 | 8,493,538 | -273,507 |
| Southampton | 8,355,971 | 8,902,677 | +546,706 |
| Immingham Docks | 5,749,650 | 9,250,336 | +3,500,686 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 7,617,428 | 4,783,902 | -2,833,526 |
| Holyhead | 8,590,698 | 3,291,316 | -5,299,382 |
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 | 314 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 154 |
| Other manufacturing | 132 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 109 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 108 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 239 |
| 2025-10 | 261 |
| 2025-09 | 233 |
| 2025-08 | 233 |
| 2025-07 | 225 |
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 | 117 |
| NIFCO UK LIMITED | 112 |
| ENCIRC LIMITED | 110 |
| TRP POLYMER SOLUTIONS LIMITED | 100 |
| GEORGE UTZ LIMITED | 95 |
| BEATSON CLARK LIMITED | 94 |
| BECTON DICKINSON INFUSION THERAPY UK | 94 |
| O-I GLASS LIMITED | 93 |
| MORGAN TECHNICAL CERAMICS LIMITED | 93 |
| HUSQVARNA 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 | 516 |
| 54m+ | 458 |
| 15m-54m | 163 |
| 0-1m | 104 |
| Other | 83 |
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 | 42,188,472 |
| Germany | 42,122,032 |
| Luxembourg | 35,349,438 |
| France | 23,893,484 |
| Ireland | 20,231,946 |
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 | 21,034,983 | 21,153,489 | +118,506 |
| Germany | 23,270,011 | 18,852,021 | -4,417,990 |
| Luxembourg | 14,443,713 | 20,905,725 | +6,462,012 |
| France | 13,033,427 | 10,860,057 | -2,173,370 |
| Ireland | 13,526,121 | 6,705,825 | -6,820,296 |
| Poland | 5,510,095 | 8,001,944 | +2,491,849 |
| Italy | 5,358,382 | 4,485,903 | -872,479 |
| Netherlands | 3,564,188 | 5,129,896 | +1,565,708 |
| Czechia | 4,441,284 | 3,870,472 | -570,812 |
| Spain | 3,155,968 | 4,889,069 | +1,733,101 |
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 | 1,009,714 |
| XI | 170,369 |
| Ireland | 100,979 |
| XU | 2,922 |
| 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 | 288,094 | 721,620 | +433,526 |
| XI | 147,202 | 23,167 | -124,035 |
| Ireland | 77,301 | 23,678 | -53,623 |
| XU | 2,322 | 600 | -1,722 |
| 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) | 185,437,745 |
| Air transport | 81,097,814 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 20,183,428 |
| Other | 1,284,110 |
| Road transport | 249,655 |
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) | 94,055,842 | 91,381,903 | -2,673,939 |
| Air transport | 39,791,258 | 41,306,556 | +1,515,298 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 12,537,960 | 7,645,468 | -4,892,492 |
| Other | 515,045 | 769,065 | +254,020 |
| Road transport | 232,306 | 17,349 | -214,957 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 142,066,420 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 46,444,744 |
| East Midlands Airport | 16,874,160 |
| Holyhead | 15,346,324 |
| Immingham Docks | 10,511,375 |
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 | 70,126,647 | 71,939,773 | +1,813,126 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 22,618,441 | 23,826,303 | +1,207,862 |
| East Midlands Airport | 8,395,084 | 8,479,076 | +83,992 |
| Holyhead | 11,745,333 | 3,600,991 | -8,144,342 |
| Immingham Docks | 4,112,152 | 6,399,223 | +2,287,071 |
| Felixstowe | 5,111,976 | 2,470,238 | -2,641,738 |
| London Stansted Airport | 3,310,689 | 3,588,977 | +278,288 |
| Dover | 4,742,021 | 1,064,686 | -3,677,335 |
| Southampton | 2,571,365 | 3,234,049 | +662,684 |
| ZLC | 2,219,123 | 2,202,710 | -16,413 |
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