Import/export HS code 8481: Taps, valves, and similar devices for pipes and tanks
Includes pressure-reducing valves, thermostatic valves, and other similar appliances for controlling flow in pipes, boilers, or tanks
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 | 1,130,707,777 |
| United States | 1,080,442,105 |
| China | 1,000,396,709 |
| Italy | 671,430,637 |
| France | 440,145,353 |
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 | 594,351,232 | 536,356,545 | -57,994,687 |
| United States | 554,264,207 | 526,177,898 | -28,086,309 |
| China | 532,498,941 | 467,897,768 | -64,601,173 |
| Italy | 344,236,702 | 327,193,935 | -17,042,767 |
| France | 234,567,828 | 205,577,525 | -28,990,303 |
| Netherlands | 135,174,142 | 112,331,255 | -22,842,887 |
| Spain | 79,602,428 | 67,049,340 | -12,553,088 |
| India | 74,344,776 | 63,419,030 | -10,925,746 |
| Denmark | 61,189,837 | 54,011,692 | -7,178,145 |
| Switzerland | 50,192,464 | 45,756,301 | -4,436,163 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,453,578,740 |
| China | 1,100,419,376 |
| Germany | 764,477,826 |
| Italy | 653,704,500 |
| United Kingdom | 370,886,608 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 750,274,025 | 703,304,715 | -46,969,310 |
| China | 588,286,097 | 512,133,279 | -76,152,818 |
| Germany | 414,797,387 | 349,680,439 | -65,116,948 |
| Italy | 337,102,553 | 316,601,947 | -20,500,606 |
| United Kingdom | 188,841,102 | 182,045,506 | -6,795,596 |
| France | 191,481,292 | 178,368,187 | -13,113,105 |
| India | 79,574,049 | 67,301,726 | -12,272,323 |
| Spain | 59,645,352 | 43,141,258 | -16,504,094 |
| Netherlands | 52,937,777 | 44,173,188 | -8,764,589 |
| Poland | 51,541,279 | 45,364,003 | -6,177,276 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 570 |
| Inner London - West | 435 |
| West Midlands | 429 |
| Greater Manchester | 397 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 397 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 453 | 437 | -16 |
| Inner London - West | 321 | 309 | -12 |
| West Midlands | 327 | 318 | -9 |
| Greater Manchester | 296 | 313 | +17 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 321 | 295 | -26 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 282 | 270 | -12 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 268 | 256 | -12 |
| West Yorkshire | 261 | 259 | -2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 246 | 243 | -3 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 243 | 244 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 2,713,707,476 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,878,226,132 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,561,408,970 |
| Other | 131,554,893 |
| Road transport | 45,085,955 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 1,391,310,571 | 1,322,396,905 | -68,913,666 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 997,169,622 | 881,056,510 | -116,113,112 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 846,085,389 | 715,323,581 | -130,761,808 |
| Other | 78,688,178 | 52,866,715 | -25,821,463 |
| Road transport | 24,026,776 | 21,059,179 | -2,967,597 |
| Rail transport | 10,714,487 | 2,672,526 | -8,041,961 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 891,937,374 |
| Dover | 891,240,299 |
| East Midlands Airport | 719,371,232 |
| Felixstowe | 602,000,046 |
| London Stansted Airport | 505,537,021 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 462,680,747 | 429,256,627 | -33,424,120 |
| Dover | 456,826,818 | 434,413,481 | -22,413,337 |
| East Midlands Airport | 354,385,056 | 364,986,176 | +10,601,120 |
| Felixstowe | 350,244,343 | 251,755,703 | -98,488,640 |
| London Stansted Airport | 259,414,266 | 246,122,755 | -13,291,511 |
| Eurotunnel | 193,951,752 | 193,920,410 | -31,342 |
| Southampton | 160,969,209 | 129,553,953 | -31,415,256 |
| Birmingham Airport | 127,870,704 | 134,490,194 | +6,619,490 |
| London | 139,598,435 | 119,570,137 | -20,028,298 |
| London Gateway Port | 68,769,010 | 108,289,963 | +39,520,953 |
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 | 1984 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 968 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 622 |
| Other manufacturing | 543 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 513 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 2351 |
| 2025-11 | 2439 |
| 2025-10 | 2617 |
| 2025-09 | 2450 |
| 2025-08 | 2449 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| STENA DRILLING LIMITED | 120 |
| CRANE LIMITED | 120 |
| AIR PRODUCTS PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY | 120 |
| EATON LIMITED | 120 |
| KOHLER MIRA LIMITED | 120 |
| FMC TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 120 |
| CRANE PROCESS FLOW TECHNOLOGIES LTD | 120 |
| SPIRAX-SARCO LIMITED | 120 |
| NORCROS GROUP (HOLDINGS) LIMITED | 120 |
| CUMMINS LTD. | 120 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 4001 |
| 54m+ | 2433 |
| 0-1m | 1214 |
| 15m-54m | 876 |
| Other | 572 |
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 | 911,086,362 |
| Germany | 515,593,786 |
| Norway | 373,093,339 |
| France | 338,222,806 |
| China | 272,953,741 |
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 | 503,385,110 | 407,701,252 | -95,683,858 |
| Germany | 253,393,813 | 262,199,973 | +8,806,160 |
| Norway | 207,756,847 | 165,336,492 | -42,420,355 |
| France | 184,923,485 | 153,299,321 | -31,624,164 |
| China | 145,286,221 | 127,667,520 | -17,618,701 |
| Italy | 105,907,290 | 107,908,249 | +2,000,959 |
| Ireland | 107,528,090 | 102,727,544 | -4,800,546 |
| United Arab Emirates | 95,738,992 | 102,920,421 | +7,181,429 |
| Netherlands | 99,797,747 | 97,615,847 | -2,181,900 |
| Singapore | 70,984,876 | 89,314,404 | +18,329,528 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 13,325,691 |
| China | 8,111,799 |
| Germany | 1,331,001 |
| Lithuania | 651,636 |
| Italy | 639,902 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 11,627,153 | 1,698,538 | -9,928,615 |
| China | 3,783,038 | 4,328,761 | +545,723 |
| Germany | 836,514 | 494,487 | -342,027 |
| Lithuania | 241,901 | 409,735 | +167,834 |
| Italy | 320,501 | 319,401 | -1,100 |
| France | 217,615 | 196,228 | -21,387 |
| Ireland | 116,610 | 185,457 | +68,847 |
| United States | 104,596 | 92,717 | -11,879 |
| India | 140,354 | 37,707 | -102,647 |
| Denmark | 108,623 | 55,365 | -53,258 |
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 | 3,276,837,704 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,295,504,129 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,240,094,875 |
| Other | 31,012,957 |
| Road transport | 8,574,427 |
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 | 1,737,976,127 | 1,538,861,577 | -199,114,550 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 652,501,430 | 643,002,699 | -9,498,731 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 680,527,237 | 559,567,638 | -120,959,599 |
| Other | 20,026,769 | 10,986,188 | -9,040,581 |
| Road transport | 8,409,127 | 165,300 | -8,243,827 |
| Rail transport | 0 | 126,400 | +126,400 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,459,360,939 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 902,998,774 |
| East Midlands Airport | 714,043,887 |
| London Stansted Airport | 472,578,882 |
| London Gateway Port | 385,837,354 |
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 | 797,092,881 | 662,268,058 | -134,824,823 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 455,766,111 | 447,232,663 | -8,533,448 |
| East Midlands Airport | 383,683,184 | 330,360,703 | -53,322,481 |
| London Stansted Airport | 233,052,337 | 239,526,545 | +6,474,208 |
| London Gateway Port | 224,755,921 | 161,081,433 | -63,674,488 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 199,834,849 | 169,568,434 | -30,266,415 |
| ZLC | 139,037,986 | 129,703,089 | -9,334,897 |
| Southampton | 75,890,086 | 94,649,226 | +18,759,140 |
| Manchester Airport | 82,075,527 | 81,464,645 | -610,882 |
| Immingham Docks | 80,027,435 | 74,103,989 | -5,923,446 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 8481
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes pressure-reducing valves, thermostatic valves, and other similar appliances for controlling flow in pipes, boilers, or tanks