The 13 imports the UK is best placed to replace.
The UK imported GBP 457bn of manufactured goods in the twelve months to August 2026. These are the 13 that sit closest to what it already makes well, with how concentrated the supply is and which public bodies already buy them.
Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.
Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, which public bodies bought in that family of goods, the nearest thing the UK already exports well, and the regions most concentrated in that kind of work. It does not say whether a UK plant would pay. That reason is not in any public record, and it is the maker's question.
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1
Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of <10 persons, incl. station wagons and...HS 870332
Comes fromGermany 50%, Turkey 14%, Spain 8%Public buyers in the family305 awards from 127 buyers. Most frequent: Nottinghamshire County CouncilNearest UK strengthnone in the same chapterBest-placed regionsWest Midlands 4.0x, North East 2.9x, North West 1.6xScore 4 of 8: import bill GBP 2.3bn (2); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 44 per cent of candidates (1); Germany supplies 50 per cent (1).
GBP 2.3bndown 11% on the year -
2
Plates, sheets and strip, of aluminium alloys, of a thickness of > 0,2 mm, square or rectangular (excl. expanded...HS 760612
Comes fromGermany 44%, Netherlands 12%, China 11%Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product familyNearest UK strengthNails, tacks, staples, screws, bolts, nuts, screw hooks, rivets...Best-placed regionsLondon 3.8x, North East 1.5x, East 1.1xScore 4 of 8: import bill GBP 1.6bn (2); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 50 per cent of candidates (1); Germany supplies 43 per cent (1).
GBP 1.6bnup 7% on the year -
3
Gear boxes and parts thereof, for tractors, motor vehicles for the transport of ten or more persons, motor cars and...HS 870840
Comes fromGermany 53%, Netherlands 11%, Japan 10%Public buyers in the family26 awards from 20 buyers. Most frequent: Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS TrustNearest UK strengthnone in the same chapterBest-placed regionsWest Midlands 4.0x, North East 2.9x, North West 1.6xScore 4 of 8: import bill GBP 1.2bn (2); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 44 per cent of candidates (1); Germany supplies 53 per cent (1).
GBP 1.2bndown 9% on the year -
4
Biodiesel and mixtures thereof, not containing or containing < 70 % by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from...HS 382600
Comes fromNetherlands 84%, Belgium 10%, Ireland 3%Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product familyNearest UK strengthPigments and preparations based on titanium dioxide of a kind used...Best-placed regionsNorth West 2.0x, Yorkshire and The Humber 1.5x, Wales 1.4xScore 4 of 8: import bill GBP 963m (1); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 48 per cent of candidates (1); Netherlands supplies 84 per cent (2).
GBP 963mup 48% on the year -
5
Mixtures of odoriferous substances and mixtures, incl. alcoholic solutions, with a basis of one or more of these...HS 330210
Comes fromIreland 78%, Germany 5%, France 4%Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product familyNearest UK strengthnone in the same chapterBest-placed regionsSouth East 2.5x, North West 1.4x, London 1.3xScore 4 of 8: import bill GBP 914m (1); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 47 per cent of candidates (1); Ireland supplies 78 per cent (2).
GBP 914mdown 2% on the year -
6
Wrist-watches, whether or not incorporating a stop-watch facility, with automatic winding (excl. of precious metal or...HS 910221
Comes fromSwitzerland 90%, Hong Kong 2%, Spain 2%Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product familyNearest UK strengthWrist-watches, whether or not incorporating a stop-watch facility...Best-placed regionsLondon 2.7x, South East 2.5x, West Midlands 1.4xScore 4 of 8: import bill GBP 896m (1); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 39 per cent of candidates (1); Switzerland supplies 90 per cent (2).
GBP 896mup 18% on the year -
7
Electro-diagnostic apparatus, incl. apparatus for functional exploratory examination or for checking physiological...HS 901819
Comes fromGermany 50%, Netherlands 23%, United States 6%Public buyers in the family527 awards from 73 buyers. Most frequent: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustNearest UK strengthApparatus based on the use of X-rays (other than for medical...Best-placed regionsSouth East 1.8x, West Midlands 1.1x, North East 1.1xScore 4 of 8: import bill GBP 759m (1); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 23 per cent of candidates (2); Germany supplies 50 per cent (1).
GBP 759mup 18% on the year -
8
Immunological products, mixed, not put up in measured doses or in forms or packings for retail sale (excl. diagnostic...HS 300214
Comes fromUnited States 60%, Germany 12%, Ireland 8%Public buyers in the family6 awards from 4 buyers. Most frequent: UK Health Security AgencyNearest UK strengthBromochlorodifluoromethane, bromotrifluoromethane and...Best-placed regionsEast 2.7x, North East 1.9x, London 1.6xScore 4 of 8: import bill GBP 568m (1); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 27 per cent of candidates (1); United States supplies 60 per cent (2).
GBP 568mup 2% on the year -
9
Articles of plastics and articles of other materials of heading 3901 to 3914, n.e.s (excl. goods of 9619)HS 392690
Comes fromChina 23%, Germany 15%, United States 11%Public buyers in the family79 awards from 61 buyers. Most frequent: H M Revenue & CustomsNearest UK strengthnone in the same chapterBest-placed regionsLondon 2.5x, South East 1.2x, East 1.1xScore 3 of 8: import bill GBP 1.9bn (2); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 40 per cent of candidates (1).
GBP 1.9bnup 2% on the year -
10
Meat or offal of fowls of the species "Gallus domesticus", prepared or preserved (excl. sausages and similar products...HS 160232
Comes fromThailand 38%, Poland 16%, China 11%Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product familyNearest UK strengthPrepared or preserved meat and offal of swine, incl. mixtures (excl....Best-placed regionsNorthern Ireland 7.0x, Yorkshire and The Humber 2.3x, Wales 1.8xScore 3 of 8: import bill GBP 1.7bn (2); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 42 per cent of candidates (1).
GBP 1.7bnup 4% on the year -
11
Dog or cat food, put up for retail saleHS 230910
Comes fromFrance 14%, Germany 13%, Netherlands 12%Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product familyNearest UK strengthPrepared or preserved meat and offal of swine, incl. mixtures (excl....Best-placed regionsNorthern Ireland 6.1x, Scotland 2.5x, North West 1.4xScore 3 of 8: import bill GBP 1.5bn (2); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 40 per cent of candidates (1).
GBP 1.5bnup 5% on the year -
12
Potatoes, prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar or acetic acid, frozenHS 200410
Comes fromBelgium 60%, Netherlands 34%, Germany 3%Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product familyNearest UK strengthnone in the same chapterBest-placed regionsNorthern Ireland 5.3x, East 1.9x, Yorkshire and The Humber 1.3xScore 3 of 8: import bill GBP 981m (1); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 46 per cent of candidates (1); Belgium supplies 60 per cent (1).
GBP 981mdown 9% on the year -
13
Fir "Abies spp." and spruce "Picea spp." sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded...HS 440712
Comes fromSweden 45%, Latvia 13%, Ireland 12%Public buyers in the familynone matched to this product familyNearest UK strengthFir "Abies spp." and spruce "Picea spp." in the rough, of which the...Best-placed regionsNorthern Ireland 13.3xScore 3 of 8: import bill GBP 907m (1); proximity to UK export strengths in the top 41 per cent of candidates (1); Sweden supplies 45 per cent (1).
GBP 907mdown 5% on the year
One line per customs heading. Products the UK already exports well and still imports are a different conversation and are kept out of this list. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.
Where the adjacent capability already sits.
For Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme. Regional trade is published by division and region, so this is the region seen through the divisions the 13 belong to.
- #10 Meat or offal of fowls of the species "Gallus domesticus"... 2.3x the national concentration in the division; 0 awards by buyers in the region
- #4 Biodiesel and mixtures thereof, not containing or... 1.5x the national concentration in the division; 0 awards by buyers in the region
- #11 Dog or cat food, put up for retail sale 1.3x the national concentration in the division; 0 awards by buyers in the region
- #5 Mixtures of odoriferous substances and mixtures, incl.... 1.3x the national concentration in the division; 0 awards by buyers in the region
- #12 Potatoes, prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar... 1.3x the national concentration in the division; 0 awards by buyers in the region
For Bristol, which sits inside the South West in the published regional data; the city is not separable.
The region does not stand out in the divisions of the 13; its strengths lie elsewhere in the table.
Three scores, each from a field the record carries.
Import bill, 0 to 3: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics, twelve months to August 2026, by customs line. One point at GBP 250m, two at GBP 1bn, three at GBP 3bn.
Proximity to UK strengths, 0 to 3: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. A product's density is the share of its close neighbours the UK already exports well. Only products in the upper half for density can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.
Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.
Public buyers, context only, never scored: 33,138 Contracts Finder award notices in the year to 26 October 2026, joined to customs headings through a crosswalk we authored because no official one exists. The join is a family, not an exact line, and the figures are a floor: Contracts Finder misses many awards that appear only on Find a Tender.
Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels, precious metals and confidential lines. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a report on manufacture.
A map of where to look.
Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. Regional capability is measured at division level, which is coarser than the product. The crosswalk is ours and approximate. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.
What the UK buys, and from whom: the UK's trade lanes. The public buyers of one product family across countries: the Buyer Book.
Sources: HMRC UK Trade Info, CEPII BACI, Contracts Finder. Trade window September 2025 to August 2026; regional data for the four quarters to June 2026; edition of 2026-11-02.
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