UK Imports by HS Chapter: August 2026
Monthly UK goods imports ranked by two-digit Harmonized System chapter, computed from HMRC's official bulk import dataset (uktradeinfo.com bulk data). Statistical value in GBP, CIF basis, exactly as published — no estimation, no interpolation.
Data window & methodology
Accounting period: August 2026 (PERREF 202608). File generation month: 202610 (MONTHAC) — HMRC publishes each month's bulk file roughly two months after the accounting period, so this window is labelled from PERREF, never from build time.
Aggregation scope: HMRC record types 1–3 (commodity codes starting with two digits). Type 4 SITC non-response rows carry no commodity code and stay outside the HS2 rollup: £36,470,683 of £68,326,120,149 (99.95%) — the grand total including them is £68,326,120,149.
Field handling: net-mass and supplementary-unit
placeholders in estimated rows (isolated "." markers) are treated as NULL, not
zero. Source file BDSimp2608.txt, sha256
69740144f2cbb117…,
fetched 2026-10-19T12:41:07Z.
Top 20 HS chapters by import value
| Rank | HS chapter | Imports (GBP) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71 Precious stones and metals | £19,158,249,286 | 28.1% |
| 2 | 84 Machinery and mechanical appliances | £6,997,667,602 | 10.2% |
| 3 | 27 Mineral fuels, mineral oils | £5,942,033,908 | 8.7% |
| 4 | 87 Vehicles except railway rolling stock | £5,563,747,620 | 8.1% |
| 5 | 85 Electrical machinery and electronics | £4,937,130,306 | 7.2% |
| 6 | 99 Special classification provisions | £2,624,180,155 | 3.8% |
| 7 | 30 Pharmaceutical products | £2,271,575,743 | 3.3% |
| 8 | 90 Optical, photo, medical instruments | £1,488,427,436 | 2.2% |
| 9 | 39 Plastics and articles thereof | £1,283,471,486 | 1.9% |
| 10 | 88 Aircraft, spacecraft and parts | £1,036,620,998 | 1.5% |
| 11 | 73 Articles of iron or steel | £843,868,088 | 1.2% |
| 12 | 94 Furniture, bedding, lighting | £793,128,997 | 1.2% |
| 13 | 61 Knitted or crocheted apparel | £787,845,576 | 1.2% |
| 14 | 22 Beverages, spirits and vinegar | £674,906,428 | 1.0% |
| 15 | 33 Essential oils, perfumery, cosmetics | £616,944,442 | 0.9% |
| 16 | 62 Woven apparel | £578,371,034 | 0.8% |
| 17 | 95 Toys, games and sports requisites | £563,237,385 | 0.8% |
| 18 | 48 Paper and paperboard | £509,302,799 | 0.7% |
| 19 | 44 Wood and articles of wood | £485,355,978 | 0.7% |
| 20 | 76 Aluminium and articles thereof | £477,905,088 | 0.7% |
Share = chapter import value ÷ £68,289,649,466 HS-chapter total; bar length is scaled relative to the leading chapter. Values are the statistical value as published by HMRC (CIF for imports).
FAQ
What does this page show?
UK goods imports for accounting period August 2026, aggregated by two-digit HS chapter from HMRC's official bulk import file BDSimp2608.txt (statistical value, CIF basis). The top 20 chapters by import value are shown.
How fresh is this data?
The accounting period is August 2026. HMRC generates each monthly bulk file roughly two months after the accounting period (the file's MONTHAC generation stamp is 202610 versus PERREF 202608), so treat the newest month as a published-history snapshot, not a live figure. Quarterly refresh keeps the lag bounded at about two months plus one quarter.
Why does the HS2 total differ slightly from the grand total?
Rows without a usable commodity code (HMRC record type 4, SITC non-response estimates) cannot be assigned to an HS chapter and are excluded from the aggregation — about 0.05% of total value. Types 1–3 are fully covered.
Can I reuse this data?
Yes. UK trade data is Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence v3.0, which permits commercial redistribution with attribution: Source: UK Trade Info, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Looking up product-level duty rates instead? Try the HS code browser or the tariff calculator.