🇬🇧 United Kingdom imports of plastic film: 2024 trade data
Imports of plastic film by the United Kingdom reached $1.13 billion in 2024 (235.5 thousand tonnes). It ranks 7th of 225 countries for imports of this product. That is 6% less than in 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of plastic film by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.13B | 235.5K t |
| 2023 | $1.21B | 240.4K t |
| 2022 | $1.22B | 246.1K t |
| 2021 | $1.12B | 249.5K t |
| 2020 | $934.7M | 238.7K t |
| 2019 | $1.00B | 243.5K t |
| 2018 | $1.03B | 226.1K t |
| 2017 | $986.4M | 237.9K t |
Where the United Kingdom imports plastic film from
Most of the value came from Germany (20%), United States (11%), Ireland (9%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 41%.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $230.9M | 20% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $126.8M | 11% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $105.9M | 9.4% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $95.4M | 8.4% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $76.5M | 6.8% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $67.2M | 6% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $55.2M | 4.9% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $49.5M | 4.4% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $47.5M | 4.2% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $39.3M | 3.5% |
Types of plastic film under HS 3921
| 3921.90 | Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, other than cellular | 60% |
| 3921.19 | Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of plastics n.e.c. in heading no. 3921, cellular | 17% |
| 3921.13 | Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of polyurethanes, cellular | 13% |
| 3921.12 | Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of polymers of vinyl chloride, cellular | 5.1% |
| 3921.11 | Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of polymers of styrene, cellular | 4.5% |
| 3921.14 | Plastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of regenerated cellulose, cellular | 0.2% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 3921.
Average import price of plastic film
The average declared value was about $4.80 per kg, close to the world average of $4.76.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also exports plastic film
The United Kingdom exported $655.2 million of plastic film in 2024 (65.3 thousand tonnes). Its share of world exports was 2%. The largest buyer markets were China (12%), France (10%), United States (10%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 31%. Among the main buyer markets, Vietnam grew fastest (+66% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | $76.7M | 12% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $65.0M | 9.9% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $62.5M | 9.5% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $55.2M | 8.4% |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $44.3M | 6.8% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $43.7M | 6.7% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $34.2M | 5.2% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $26.5M | 4.1% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $22.7M | 3.5% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $19.4M | 3% |
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 3921: Plastic plates, sheets, film, foil and strip n.e.c. in chapter 39.
Plastic film trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of plastic film imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported plastic film worth $1.13 billion in 2024 (235.5 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import plastic film from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Germany (20%), United States (11%), Ireland (9%).
What is the average import price of plastic film in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $4.80 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $4.76 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export plastic film?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported plastic film worth $655.2 million in 2024, mainly to China, France, United States.
What is the HS code for plastic film?
Plastic film falls under HS heading 3921 (Plastic plates, sheets, film, foil and strip n.e.c. in chapter 39). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading plastic film 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.
Plastic film trade in other countries
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