🇬🇧 United Kingdom imports of pens: 2024 trade data
The United Kingdom imported $252.6 million of pens in 2024 (23.9 thousand tonnes). That makes it the 5th largest importer of this product worldwide, out of 223 countries. The value was almost unchanged from 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of pens by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $252.6M | 23.9K t |
| 2023 | $246.3M | 17.9K t |
| 2022 | $241.4M | 18.6K t |
| 2021 | $229.7M | 16.8K t |
| 2020 | $244.5M | 17.0K t |
| 2019 | $290.4M | 17.6K t |
| 2018 | $277.4M | 21.3K t |
| 2017 | $280.1M | 17.7K t |
Where the United Kingdom imports pens from
Most of the value came from China (44%), France (12%), Germany (12%).
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | $111.6M | 44% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $30.5M | 12% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $30.2M | 12% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $22.3M | 8.8% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $12.1M | 4.8% |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | $10.0M | 4% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $6.3M | 2.5% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $5.5M | 2.2% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $4.9M | 2% |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $3.0M | 1.2% |
Types of pens under HS 9608
| 9608.10 | Pens: ball point | 45% |
| 9608.20 | Pens: felt tipped and other porous-tipped pens and markers | 42% |
| 9608.30 | Pens: fountain, stylograph and other pens | 4.9% |
| 9608.50 | Pen and pencil sets: of articles from two or more of the foregoing sub-headings | 3.3% |
| 9608.99 | Pens and pencils: duplicating stylos, pen-holders, pencil-holders, and similar holders, parts of the articles of heading 9608, including caps and… | 2.3% |
| 9608.60 | Pens: ball-point, refills comprising the ball point and ink-reservoir | 1.4% |
| 9608.40 | Pencils: propelling or sliding | 1.4% |
| 9608.91 | Pens: nibs and nib points | 0.2% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 9608.
Average import price of pens
The average declared value was about $10.59 per kg, 20% below the world average of $13.28, which often means bulk or lower-grade product.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also exports pens
Exports of pens by the United Kingdom reached $38.7 million in 2024 (1.4 thousand tonnes). Its share of world exports was 1%. Most of it went to Ireland (17%), United States (16%), Germany (11%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 44%. Among the main buyer markets, United States grew fastest (+50% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $6.4M | 17% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $6.2M | 16% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $4.4M | 11% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $3.3M | 8.6% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $2.7M | 7.1% |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $2.4M | 6.3% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $1.9M | 5% |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $809K | 2.1% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | $642K | 1.7% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $614K | 1.6% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Kingdom?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 9608: Pens; ball-point, felt tipped, other porous tipped pens; fountain pens, stylograph pens duplicating stylos, propelling or sliding pencils; parts of the foregoing, excluding those of heading no. 9609.
Pens trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of pens imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported pens worth $252.6 million in 2024 (23.9 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import pens from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were China (44%), France (12%), Germany (12%).
What is the average import price of pens in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $10.59 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $13.28 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export pens?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported pens worth $38.7 million in 2024, mainly to Ireland, United States, Germany.
What is the HS code for pens?
Pens falls under HS heading 9608 (Pens; ball-point, felt tipped, other porous tipped pens; fountain pens, stylograph pens duplicating stylos, propelling o). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading pens with the United Kingdom?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United Kingdom with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
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