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 | 1,083,453,944 |
| United States | 1,033,677,099 |
| China | 961,351,705 |
| Italy | 641,434,200 |
| France | 422,814,868 |
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 | 596,561,000 | 486,892,944 | -109,668,056 |
| United States | 549,256,673 | 484,420,426 | -64,836,247 |
| China | 538,916,620 | 422,435,085 | -116,481,535 |
| Italy | 344,971,932 | 296,462,268 | -48,509,664 |
| France | 237,497,526 | 185,317,342 | -52,180,184 |
| Netherlands | 132,566,036 | 102,033,363 | -30,532,673 |
| Spain | 78,434,744 | 60,236,765 | -18,197,979 |
| India | 72,791,730 | 58,632,369 | -14,159,361 |
| Denmark | 60,970,289 | 49,249,177 | -11,721,112 |
| Japan | 56,437,945 | 34,740,217 | -21,697,728 |
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 | 1,391,740,852 |
| China | 1,057,076,225 |
| Germany | 729,894,261 |
| Italy | 623,841,617 |
| United Kingdom | 357,227,604 |
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 | 744,200,075 | 647,540,777 | -96,659,298 |
| China | 595,358,630 | 461,717,595 | -133,641,035 |
| Germany | 413,934,028 | 315,960,233 | -97,973,795 |
| Italy | 338,244,681 | 285,596,936 | -52,647,745 |
| United Kingdom | 189,838,036 | 167,389,568 | -22,448,468 |
| France | 193,494,521 | 161,907,122 | -31,587,399 |
| India | 78,024,005 | 61,923,915 | -16,100,090 |
| Spain | 58,352,831 | 37,866,694 | -20,486,137 |
| Japan | 54,618,866 | 37,942,323 | -16,676,543 |
| Poland | 51,291,031 | 41,170,142 | -10,120,889 |
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 | 564 |
| Inner London - West | 431 |
| West Midlands | 419 |
| Greater Manchester | 394 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 391 |
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 | 459 | 426 | -33 |
| Inner London - West | 321 | 303 | -18 |
| West Midlands | 326 | 310 | -16 |
| Greater Manchester | 298 | 302 | +4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 320 | 284 | -36 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 282 | 257 | -25 |
| West Yorkshire | 265 | 254 | -11 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 270 | 240 | -30 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 242 | 237 | -5 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 250 | 230 | -20 |
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 | 2,599,630,880 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,796,129,001 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,497,821,381 |
| Other | 124,406,264 |
| Road transport | 41,865,692 |
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 | 1,385,839,406 | 1,213,791,474 | -172,047,932 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 999,161,110 | 796,967,891 | -202,193,219 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 852,868,308 | 644,953,073 | -207,915,235 |
| Other | 77,790,762 | 46,615,502 | -31,175,260 |
| Road transport | 21,841,141 | 20,024,551 | -1,816,590 |
| Rail transport | 9,479,259 | 2,301,855 | -7,177,404 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 854,958,692 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 854,666,644 |
| East Midlands Airport | 693,450,007 |
| Felixstowe | 571,919,515 |
| London Stansted Airport | 480,245,143 |
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 | 463,647,434 | 391,311,258 | -72,336,176 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 458,667,693 | 395,998,951 | -62,668,742 |
| East Midlands Airport | 355,802,744 | 337,647,263 | -18,155,481 |
| Felixstowe | 351,741,707 | 220,177,808 | -131,563,899 |
| London Stansted Airport | 253,755,556 | 226,489,587 | -27,265,969 |
| Eurotunnel | 194,201,668 | 178,984,154 | -15,217,514 |
| Southampton | 165,813,205 | 115,702,884 | -50,110,321 |
| Birmingham Airport | 130,101,499 | 122,205,894 | -7,895,605 |
| London | 137,603,775 | 107,998,449 | -29,605,326 |
| London Gateway Port | 72,145,498 | 101,729,699 | +29,584,201 |
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 | 1954 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 952 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 611 |
| Other manufacturing | 539 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 508 |
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 | 3939 |
| 54m+ | 2398 |
| 0-1m | 1182 |
| 15m-54m | 860 |
| Other | 559 |
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 | 874,611,858 |
| Germany | 492,457,929 |
| Norway | 360,717,578 |
| France | 323,928,601 |
| China | 263,355,999 |
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 | 505,684,849 | 368,927,009 | -136,757,840 |
| Germany | 255,210,482 | 237,247,447 | -17,963,035 |
| Norway | 211,902,089 | 148,815,489 | -63,086,600 |
| France | 185,704,727 | 138,223,874 | -47,480,853 |
| China | 146,930,611 | 116,425,388 | -30,505,223 |
| Italy | 106,491,370 | 98,565,127 | -7,926,243 |
| Ireland | 108,456,717 | 94,375,243 | -14,081,474 |
| United Arab Emirates | 95,433,421 | 94,919,815 | -513,606 |
| Netherlands | 99,643,291 | 90,650,177 | -8,993,114 |
| Singapore | 69,382,601 | 84,224,849 | +14,842,248 |
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 | 12,940,463 |
| China | 7,776,610 |
| Germany | 1,276,607 |
| Lithuania | 649,163 |
| Italy | 606,370 |
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 | 11,398,214 | 1,542,249 | -9,855,965 |
| China | 3,813,082 | 3,963,528 | +150,446 |
| Germany | 874,085 | 402,522 | -471,563 |
| Lithuania | 261,241 | 387,922 | +126,681 |
| Italy | 334,866 | 271,504 | -63,362 |
| France | 220,516 | 174,017 | -46,499 |
| Ireland | 116,319 | 183,024 | +66,705 |
| United States | 105,136 | 85,131 | -20,005 |
| India | 121,755 | 36,731 | -85,024 |
| Denmark | 104,168 | 52,253 | -51,915 |
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 | 3,149,594,301 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,249,573,181 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,187,286,604 |
| Other | 29,994,380 |
| Road transport | 2,968,746 |
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 | 1,741,145,679 | 1,408,448,622 | -332,697,057 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 661,340,836 | 588,232,345 | -73,108,491 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 677,753,244 | 509,533,360 | -168,219,884 |
| Other | 19,860,571 | 10,133,809 | -9,726,762 |
| Road transport | 2,820,071 | 148,675 | -2,671,396 |
| 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 | 1,408,573,841 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 867,024,114 |
| East Midlands Airport | 681,127,252 |
| London Stansted Airport | 451,757,568 |
| London Gateway Port | 371,705,386 |
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 | 804,830,213 | 603,743,628 | -201,086,585 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 456,956,591 | 410,067,523 | -46,889,068 |
| East Midlands Airport | 380,986,994 | 300,140,258 | -80,846,736 |
| London Stansted Airport | 228,361,742 | 223,395,826 | -4,965,916 |
| London Gateway Port | 225,504,719 | 146,200,667 | -79,304,052 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 208,049,474 | 151,174,851 | -56,874,623 |
| ZLC | 137,150,830 | 119,290,818 | -17,860,012 |
| Southampton | 77,692,945 | 87,132,506 | +9,439,561 |
| Manchester Airport | 84,530,345 | 73,005,171 | -11,525,174 |
| Immingham Docks | 79,306,097 | 68,394,522 | -10,911,575 |
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