Import/export HS code 85: Electrical machinery and equipment
Includes all types of electrical devices, sound and video recording equipment, and their parts
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 | 26,179,959,572 |
| Netherlands | 10,739,322,097 |
| Germany | 9,686,575,470 |
| United States | 8,204,860,805 |
| France | 5,473,115,559 |
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 | 14,404,951,271 | 11,775,008,301 | -2,629,942,970 |
| Netherlands | 5,901,567,411 | 4,837,754,686 | -1,063,812,725 |
| Germany | 5,107,809,411 | 4,578,766,059 | -529,043,352 |
| United States | 4,358,505,562 | 3,846,355,243 | -512,150,319 |
| France | 2,830,895,475 | 2,642,220,084 | -188,675,391 |
| Viet Nam | 2,620,665,201 | 2,630,717,661 | +10,052,460 |
| Ireland | 1,481,314,211 | 1,526,014,466 | +44,700,255 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 1,578,681,779 | 1,383,182,005 | -195,499,774 |
| Poland | 1,310,997,120 | 1,039,490,781 | -271,506,339 |
| Italy | 1,260,180,019 | 1,087,514,259 | -172,665,760 |
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 | 36,617,070,793 |
| United States | 8,286,289,250 |
| Viet Nam | 6,441,266,442 |
| Germany | 6,145,076,258 |
| India | 3,546,585,395 |
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 | 19,778,241,104 | 16,838,829,689 | -2,939,411,415 |
| United States | 4,403,825,558 | 3,882,463,692 | -521,361,866 |
| Viet Nam | 3,259,930,438 | 3,181,336,004 | -78,594,434 |
| Germany | 3,287,349,571 | 2,857,726,687 | -429,622,884 |
| India | 2,391,385,983 | 1,155,199,412 | -1,236,186,571 |
| Taiwan | 1,650,090,814 | 1,494,619,999 | -155,470,815 |
| France | 1,405,977,504 | 1,507,391,725 | +101,414,221 |
| Poland | 1,667,460,008 | 1,234,238,180 | -433,221,828 |
| Turkey | 1,247,360,009 | 1,103,149,083 | -144,210,926 |
| Italy | 1,199,863,126 | 1,021,362,941 | -178,500,185 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 2871 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2405 |
| Greater Manchester | 1759 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1744 |
| West Midlands | 1521 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 2148 | 2013 | -135 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 1983 | 1887 | -96 |
| Greater Manchester | 1370 | 1277 | -93 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 1455 | 1328 | -127 |
| West Midlands | 1218 | 1150 | -68 |
| Inner London - East | 1065 | 992 | -73 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1187 | 1093 | -94 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 1057 | 994 | -63 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 1082 | 1066 | -16 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1103 | 1018 | -85 |
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 | 36,120,010,513 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 28,537,687,518 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 27,216,126,856 |
| Other | 9,927,463,710 |
| Road transport | 1,909,118,621 |
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 | 17,681,212,711 | 18,438,797,802 | +757,585,091 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 15,396,810,231 | 13,140,877,287 | -2,255,932,944 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 14,345,952,119 | 12,870,174,737 | -1,475,777,382 |
| Other | 7,332,986,651 | 2,594,477,059 | -4,738,509,592 |
| Road transport | 1,128,975,174 | 780,143,447 | -348,831,727 |
| Rail transport | 85,260,149 | 53,986,000 | -31,274,149 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 17,232,571,918 |
| Felixstowe | 11,704,375,868 |
| 000 | 9,918,525,055 |
| Dover | 8,207,629,110 |
| East Midlands Airport | 6,885,882,055 |
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 | 8,782,925,011 | 8,449,646,907 | -333,278,104 |
| Felixstowe | 6,654,889,658 | 5,049,486,210 | -1,605,403,448 |
| 000 | 7,330,701,018 | 2,587,824,037 | -4,742,876,981 |
| Dover | 4,483,584,295 | 3,724,044,815 | -759,539,480 |
| East Midlands Airport | 3,590,936,355 | 3,294,945,700 | -295,990,655 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,128,578,149 | 2,650,512,719 | -478,065,430 |
| Southampton | 3,063,692,119 | 2,379,014,899 | -684,677,220 |
| London Stansted Airport | 2,460,555,556 | 2,156,860,320 | -303,695,236 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,751,774,019 | 2,173,349,426 | +421,575,407 |
| 499 | 187,529,149 | 2,881,373,635 | +2,693,844,486 |
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 | 7724 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 4862 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 2077 |
| Computer programming, consultancy and related activities | 1815 |
| Other manufacturing | 1775 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 10557 |
| 2025-11 | 11474 |
| 2025-10 | 11992 |
| 2025-09 | 11246 |
| 2025-08 | 11180 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| STENA DRILLING LIMITED | 120 |
| MARSH BELLOFRAM EUROPE LIMITED | 120 |
| T.J.SMITH AND NEPHEW,LIMITED | 120 |
| FUJITSU SERVICES LIMITED | 120 |
| HALFORDS LIMITED | 120 |
| HOTPOINT UK APPLIANCES LIMITED | 120 |
| LEGRAND ELECTRIC LIMITED | 120 |
| EATON LIMITED | 120 |
| WELWYN COMPONENTS LIMITED | 120 |
| BRITISH ELECTRIC LAMPS LIMITED | 120 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 16362 |
| 0-1m | 8983 |
| 54m+ | 6329 |
| 15m-54m | 2907 |
| Other | 2279 |
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 | 6,506,182,733 |
| Germany | 5,120,307,561 |
| Netherlands | 3,256,565,363 |
| Ireland | 3,087,301,795 |
| France | 2,601,098,159 |
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 | 3,588,922,905 | 2,917,259,828 | -671,663,077 |
| Germany | 2,649,101,088 | 2,471,206,473 | -177,894,615 |
| Netherlands | 1,730,644,534 | 1,525,920,829 | -204,723,705 |
| Ireland | 1,628,375,192 | 1,458,926,603 | -169,448,589 |
| France | 1,402,284,135 | 1,198,814,024 | -203,470,111 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,041,831,359 | 869,097,055 | -172,734,304 |
| Italy | 715,264,447 | 670,321,222 | -44,943,225 |
| China | 653,368,611 | 568,675,031 | -84,693,580 |
| Spain | 603,787,228 | 514,906,616 | -88,880,612 |
| Poland | 513,380,081 | 579,425,876 | +66,045,795 |
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 | 457,888,142 |
| China | 32,436,853 |
| Germany | 17,178,654 |
| Italy | 11,891,418 |
| Spain | 10,218,648 |
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 | 157,024,402 | 300,863,740 | +143,839,338 |
| China | 18,818,799 | 13,618,054 | -5,200,745 |
| Germany | 12,616,300 | 4,562,354 | -8,053,946 |
| Italy | 7,012,785 | 4,878,633 | -2,134,152 |
| Spain | 3,916,417 | 6,302,231 | +2,385,814 |
| Ireland | 4,510,901 | 5,421,320 | +910,419 |
| Sweden | 6,012,219 | 3,323,991 | -2,688,228 |
| Turkey | 6,354,526 | 2,646,496 | -3,708,030 |
| Switzerland | 3,424,914 | 2,026,600 | -1,398,314 |
| Viet Nam | 2,944,055 | 1,116,551 | -1,827,504 |
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 | 23,503,658,660 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 14,406,115,424 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,904,265,800 |
| Other | 657,166,909 |
| Road transport | 36,755,410 |
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 | 12,612,611,198 | 10,891,047,462 | -1,721,563,736 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 7,437,662,424 | 6,968,453,000 | -469,209,424 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,742,451,638 | 2,161,814,162 | -580,637,476 |
| Other | 270,576,281 | 386,590,628 | +116,014,347 |
| Road transport | 34,487,740 | 2,267,670 | -32,220,070 |
| Rail transport | 90,962 | 246,769 | +155,807 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 10,033,727,996 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 8,880,774,973 |
| East Midlands Airport | 5,286,959,875 |
| London Stansted Airport | 3,123,929,066 |
| ZLC | 2,375,926,016 |
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 | 5,266,624,062 | 4,767,103,934 | -499,520,128 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,660,688,215 | 4,220,086,758 | -440,601,457 |
| East Midlands Airport | 2,841,191,344 | 2,445,768,531 | -395,422,813 |
| London Stansted Airport | 1,597,286,267 | 1,526,642,799 | -70,643,468 |
| ZLC | 1,350,411,504 | 1,025,514,512 | -324,896,992 |
| Holyhead | 784,721,683 | 773,932,138 | -10,789,545 |
| London Gateway Port | 844,802,357 | 640,000,351 | -204,802,006 |
| Immingham Docks | 683,045,987 | 563,225,852 | -119,820,135 |
| Southampton | 630,204,328 | 574,295,622 | -55,908,706 |
| Manchester Airport | 541,620,412 | 473,470,903 | -68,149,509 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 8501 – Electric motors
- 8502 – Electric power generators and converters
- 8503 – Parts for electric generators and converters
- 8504 – Electrical transformers and converters
- 8505 – Magnets and electromagnetic devices
- 8506 – Primary cells and batteries
- 8507 – Electric accumulators
- 8508 – Vacuum cleaners
- 8509 – Small electric kitchen appliances
- 8510 – Electric shavers, hair clippers, and hair removal tools with built-in motors
- 8511 – Electrical ignition and starting equipment for engines
- 8512 – Vehicle lighting and signalling equipment
- 8513 – Portable electric lamps
- 8514 – Industrial electric furnaces and ovens
- 8515 – Electric welding and soldering machines
- 8516 – Electric water heaters, space heaters, hairdryers, and other home appliances
- 8517 – Telephones and communication devices
- 8518 – Audio equipment and parts
- 8519 – Sound recording or playback devices
- 8521 – Video recording or playback devices
- 8522 – Parts for video or sound devices
- 8523 – Storage media for sound and data recording
- 8524 – Flat panel display modules
- 8525 – Broadcasting and TV transmission equipment
- 8526 – Radar and navigation equipment
- 8527 – Radio receivers
- 8528 – Monitors and projectors
- 8529 – Parts for audio and video devices
- 8530 – Traffic control equipment
- 8531 – Electric alarms and signaling devices
- 8532 – Electrical capacitors
- 8533 – Electrical resistors, including rheostats and potentiometers, but not heating resistors
- 8534 – Printed circuits
- 8535 – Electrical devices for controlling or protecting circuits, over 1,000V
- 8536 – Electrical devices for low-voltage circuits
- 8537 – Electric control panels and distribution boards
- 8538 – Parts for electric control panels
- 8539 – Electric lamps, including LED lights and special lamps
- 8540 – Vacuum tubes and valves
- 8541 – Semiconductor devices
- 8542 – Electronic integrated circuits
- 8543 – Electrical machines with special functions
- 8544 – Insulated wires and cables
- 8545 – Carbon electrodes and brushes for electrical use
- 8546 – Electrical insulators
- 8547 – Insulating fittings for electrical machines and equipment
- 8548 – Electrical parts for machinery
- 8549 – Electrical and electronic waste
Quick facts
HS code: 85
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes all types of electrical devices, sound and video recording equipment, and their parts