Import/export HS code 8540: Vacuum tubes and valves
Includes vacuum tubes, cathode ray tubes, and other electronic valves
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 35,392,720 |
| Netherlands | 18,450,257 |
| France | 16,329,777 |
| Japan | 12,168,356 |
| China | 9,387,954 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 18,805,761 | 16,586,959 | -2,218,802 |
| Netherlands | 6,667,013 | 11,783,244 | +5,116,231 |
| France | 7,797,268 | 8,532,509 | +735,241 |
| Japan | 6,549,394 | 5,618,962 | -930,432 |
| China | 4,239,181 | 5,148,773 | +909,592 |
| Germany | 2,883,509 | 3,045,780 | +162,271 |
| South Korea | 1,994,788 | 839,227 | -1,155,561 |
| Italy | 629,232 | 1,530,244 | +901,012 |
| Saudi Arabia | 340,890 | 1,795,031 | +1,454,141 |
| Belgium | 782,826 | 753,688 | -29,138 |
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 | 31,041,086 |
| France | 19,451,266 |
| United Kingdom | 15,523,596 |
| Japan | 13,024,431 |
| China | 10,934,830 |
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 | 17,177,757 | 13,863,329 | -3,314,428 |
| France | 9,596,700 | 9,854,566 | +257,866 |
| United Kingdom | 7,407,394 | 8,116,202 | +708,808 |
| Japan | 6,766,163 | 6,258,268 | -507,895 |
| China | 5,230,015 | 5,704,815 | +474,800 |
| Netherlands | 2,624,247 | 7,331,759 | +4,707,512 |
| Italy | 506,437 | 3,177,347 | +2,670,910 |
| Germany | 1,642,201 | 1,677,808 | +35,607 |
| Thailand | 540,788 | 826,210 | +285,422 |
| Slovakia | 670,058 | 559,644 | -110,414 |
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 | 36 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 29 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 28 |
| Inner London - West | 26 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 22 |
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 | 29 | 24 | -5 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 25 | 19 | -6 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 19 | 16 | -3 |
| Inner London - West | 18 | 18 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 17 | 15 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 12 | 12 | +0 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 13 | 11 | -2 |
| Essex | 15 | 8 | -7 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 11 | 6 | -5 |
| Greater Manchester | 10 | 9 | -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 | 93,623,141 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,935,039 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 7,527,586 |
| Other | 109,788 |
| Road transport | 12,679 |
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 | 45,831,226 | 47,791,915 | +1,960,689 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,194,367 | 5,740,672 | +546,305 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,544,625 | 4,982,961 | +2,438,336 |
| Other | 65,308 | 44,480 | -20,828 |
| Road transport | 8,247 | 4,432 | -3,815 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 41,943,253 |
| East Midlands Airport | 22,183,820 |
| London Stansted Airport | 21,789,529 |
| Eurotunnel | 3,520,824 |
| Southampton | 3,491,387 |
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 | 21,268,437 | 20,674,816 | -593,621 |
| East Midlands Airport | 11,147,854 | 11,035,966 | -111,888 |
| London Stansted Airport | 10,371,166 | 11,418,363 | +1,047,197 |
| Eurotunnel | 1,024,608 | 2,496,216 | +1,471,608 |
| Southampton | 2,086,612 | 1,404,775 | -681,837 |
| Manchester Airport | 1,689,234 | 1,435,097 | -254,137 |
| London Gateway Port | 978,697 | 2,058,524 | +1,079,827 |
| Dover | 1,261,071 | 1,179,625 | -81,446 |
| Warton Aerodrome | 340,890 | 1,790,027 | +1,449,137 |
| Thamesport | 1,179,961 | 884,741 | -295,220 |
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 | 77 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 56 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 28 |
| Repair and installation of machinery and equipment | 28 |
| Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 24 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 69 |
| 2025-10 | 72 |
| 2025-09 | 57 |
| 2025-08 | 67 |
| 2025-07 | 76 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| CPI TMD TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED | 119 |
| HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS UK LIMITED | 119 |
| TELEDYNE UK LIMITED | 117 |
| ET ENTERPRISES LIMITED | 116 |
| RICHARDSON ELECTRONICS LIMITED | 106 |
| PANASONIC MANUFACTURING U.K. LTD. | 105 |
| PHOTEK LIMITED | 101 |
| ITRON (U.K.) LIMITED | 92 |
| AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE LIMITED | 87 |
| ARQIVA LIMITED | 87 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 171 |
| 1m-15m | 126 |
| 0-1m | 36 |
| 15m-54m | 35 |
| Other | 23 |
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 | 79,802,110 |
| Netherlands | 52,633,923 |
| China | 23,980,540 |
| Japan | 17,838,029 |
| South Korea | 15,820,027 |
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 | 32,916,217 | 46,885,893 | +13,969,676 |
| Netherlands | 29,706,467 | 22,927,456 | -6,779,011 |
| China | 12,618,109 | 11,362,431 | -1,255,678 |
| Japan | 10,900,198 | 6,937,831 | -3,962,367 |
| South Korea | 7,858,474 | 7,961,553 | +103,079 |
| Germany | 5,580,228 | 3,088,240 | -2,491,988 |
| Poland | 25,316 | 6,274,802 | +6,249,486 |
| Italy | 1,582,251 | 3,651,244 | +2,068,993 |
| France | 2,503,608 | 2,651,731 | +148,123 |
| India | 2,344,200 | 2,437,241 | +93,041 |
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 | 668 |
| XU | 214 |
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 | 668 | 0 | -668 |
| XU | 45 | 169 | +124 |
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 | 198,884,877 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 41,546,658 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 10,048,639 |
| Road transport | 683,432 |
| Other | 882 |
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 | 95,683,025 | 103,201,852 | +7,518,827 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 18,984,191 | 22,562,467 | +3,578,276 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 7,787,535 | 2,261,104 | -5,526,431 |
| Road transport | 683,432 | 0 | -683,432 |
| Other | 713 | 169 | -544 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 79,300,001 |
| London Stansted Airport | 74,537,064 |
| ZLC | 26,950,967 |
| Harwich | 25,279,120 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 12,815,076 |
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 | 43,128,190 | 36,171,811 | -6,956,379 |
| London Stansted Airport | 29,430,748 | 45,106,316 | +15,675,568 |
| ZLC | 14,323,612 | 12,627,355 | -1,696,257 |
| Harwich | 14,039,566 | 11,239,554 | -2,800,012 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 4,588,866 | 8,226,210 | +3,637,344 |
| East Midlands Airport | 6,037,445 | 4,672,694 | -1,364,751 |
| Dover | 3,938,606 | 1,340,610 | -2,597,996 |
| Manchester Airport | 2,133,165 | 2,352,503 | +219,338 |
| London Gateway Port | 2,969,008 | 726,200 | -2,242,808 |
| Warton Aerodrome | 814,000 | 1,959,677 | +1,145,677 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
- 854011 – Colour cathode ray tubes
- 854012 – Monochrome cathode ray tubes
- 854020 – TV camera tubes and image converters
- 854040 – Display tubes for data or graphics
- 854060 – Various cathode ray tubes
- 854071 – Magnetrons
- 854079 – Various microwave tubes
- 854081 – Receiver or amplifier tubes
- 854089 – Various electronic tubes
- 854091 – Parts for cathode ray tubes
- 854099 – Various electronic tube parts
Quick facts
HS code: 8540
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Includes vacuum tubes, cathode ray tubes, and other electronic valves