• Sign In
  • Add Listing
ADD YOUR BUSINESS HERE
Menu
  • Home
  • About UK Exports
    • Best of British Exports
    • UK Manufacturing Statistics
    • UK-exports.org – DUE DILLIGENCE
    • Close
  • Work with us for Direct links
  • UK exports supply and demand
  • Business Directory

United Kingdom’s Top 10 Exports

  • UK Exports, UK ImportsBy
  • Mar-10-2021
  • Uncategorized
  • 0 Comments.

United Kingdom’s Top 10 Exports

by Daniel Workman

Technically named the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the UK shipped US$401.9 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2020. That dollar amount reflects a -2.3% decrease since 2016 and a -14.2% drop from one year earlier in 2019.

Based on the average exchange rate for 2020, the British pound depreciated by -5.3% against the US dollar since 2016 and increased by 0.4% from 2019 to 2020. The UK’s stronger local currency in 2020 make British exports paid for in slightly weaker US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers.

The latest available country-specific data shows that 68.4% of products exported from UK were bought by importers in: the United States (14.8% of the global total), Germany (10.5%), Ireland (7.1%), Netherlands (6.4%), France (6.1%), Switzerland (5%), China (4.8%), Belgium (3.5%), Spain (2.8%), Italy (2.8%), Hong Kong (2.7%) and Canada (1.9%).

From a continental perspective, 54.1% of exports by value from the United Kingdom were delivered to fellow European countries compared to 46.1% for European Union members. In addition, 21.2% were sold to Asian importers. United Kingdom shipped another 16.5% worth of goods to North America. Smaller percentages went to Africa (2.1%), Oceania led by Australia and New Zealand (1.5%) then Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean (1.3%).

Given United Kingdom’s population of 67.3 million people, its total $401.9 billion in 2020 exported products translates to roughly $6,000 for every resident in the western European economic powerhouse.

United Kingdom’s Top 10 Exports

Top 10

The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in UK global shipments during 2020. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Great Britain.

  1. Machinery including computers: US$60.4 billion (15% of total exports)
  2. Gems, precious metals: $43.3 billion (10.8%)
  3. Vehicles: $36.4 billion (9.1%)
  4. Mineral fuels including oil: $26.4 billion (6.6%)
  5. Electrical machinery, equipment: $25 billion (6.2%)
  6. Pharmaceuticals: $24.8 billion (6.2%)
  7. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $17.6 billion (4.4%)
  8. Aircraft, spacecraft: $13.2 billion (3.3%)
  9. Organic chemicals: $12.1 billion (3%)
  10. Plastics, plastic articles: $10.6 billion (2.6%)

The United Kingdom’s top 10 exports accounted for roughly two-thirds (67.1%) of the overall value of its global shipments.

Gems and precious metals was the lone grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 1.7% since 2019.

The leading decliner among United Kingdom’s top 10 export categories were mineral fuels including oil which fell -35.5% year over year, weighed down by lower international sales from both crude and processed petroleum oils. Other major decreases belong to aircraft and spacecraft (down -28.2%) and vehicles (down -27.9%) exported from the UK.

Advantages

The following types of UK product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

  1. Aircraft, spacecraft: US$5.2 billion (Down by -31.1% since 2019)
  2. Collector items, art, antiques: $4.6 billion (Down by -50.2%)
  3. Organic chemicals: $2.5 billion (Down by -0.7%)
  4. Ships, boats: $1.6 billion (Up by 137.1%)
  5. Iron, steel: $1.4 billion (Up by 106.1%)
  6. Tanning, dyes, paints, varnishes, ink: $1.1 billion (Up by 12.2%)
  7. Books, newspapers, pictures: $1 billion (Down by -13.1%)
  8. Other chemical goods: $361.8 million (Down by -45.6%)
  9. Beverages, spirits, vinegar: $296.1 million (Down by -85%)
  10. Arms, ammunition: $249.1 million (Up by 19.8%)

United Kingdom has highly positive net exports in the international trade of aircraft and spacecraft including parts. In turn, these cashflows indicate United Kingdom’s strong competitive advantages under the aircraft and spacecraft category.

Opportunities

Overall, the United Kingdom incurred a -$229.9 billion trade deficit during 2020. That percentage represents a 2.6% rise from -$224.2 billion in red ink one year earlier.

Below are exports from United Kingdom that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country United Kingdom’s goods trail UK importer spending on foreign products.

  1. Electrical machinery, equipment: -US$30.8 billion (Down by -7.6% since 2019)
  2. Vehicles: -$21.6 billion (Down by -11.3%)
  3. Mineral fuels including oil: -$7.6 billion (Down by -50.8%)
  4. Machinery including computers: -$9.8 billion (Down by -11.3%)
  5. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: -$7.2 billion (Down by -21.1%)
  6. Furniture, bedding, lighting , signs, prefab buildings: -$7.2 billion (Down by -5.8%)
  7. Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): -$7.9 billion (Up by 6.7%)
  8. Plastics, plastic articles: -$7.6 billion (Up by 8.6%)
  9. Wood: -$6.5 billion (Down by -4.4%)
  10. Fruits, nuts: -$6 billion (Up by 0.5%)

Notably, the United Kingdom has highly negative net exports under the electrical machinery and equipment category and therefore deep international trade deficits notably caused by UK’s spending on imported electronics.

These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate United Kingdom’s competitive disadvantages in the international electronics market, but also represent key opportunities for United Kingdom to improve its position in the global economy through focused innovations.

UK Export Companies

Here are UK export companies ranking among the largest international trade players for the United Kingdom.

  • Anglo American PLC (diversified metals, mining)
  • AstraZeneca (pharmaceuticals)
  • BP (oil, gas)
  • British American Tobacco (tobacco)
  • GlaxoSmithKline (pharmaceuticals)
  • Johnson Matthey (chemicals)
  • Mondi Group (paper, paper products)
  • Rio Tinto Group (diversified metals, mining)
  • SABMiller (beverages)
  • Smith & Nephew (medical equipment, supplies)

According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following companies are also examples of UK exporters.

  • Allied Pickfords UK (forage products, corn, t-shirts)
  • Cadbury UK (chocolate bars, other chocolate preparations)
  • GKN Timet UK (titanium)
  • Optivite International (formic acid, proprionic acid, animal feeds not for dog or cat)
  • Rothenberger UK (pipe/bolt cutters, propylene, miscellaneous tubes/pipes/hoses)

List of UK’s Most Valuable Export Products

At the more granular four-digit HTS code level, the following table displays 100 of the most in-demand goods shipped from the United Kingdom during 2020. Shown beside each product label is its total export value then the percentage increase or decrease since 2019.

RANKUK EXPORT PRODUCT2020 VALUE (US$)CHANGE
1Cars$26,753,900,000-30.7%
2Gold (unwrought)$21,047,736,000-9.8%
3Turbo-jets$20,269,801,000-23.2%
4Medication mixes in dosage$18,325,549,000+1.6%
5Crude oil$16,118,334,000-31.9%
6Platinum (unwrought)$11,640,510,000+69.8%
7Aircraft parts$11,143,633,000-30.3%
8Processed petroleum oils$7,390,870,000-37.6%
9Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs)$6,264,768,000-20.5%
10Blood fractions (including antisera)$5,065,623,000-31.6%
11Automobile parts/accessories$5,009,574,000-22.8%
12Heterocyclics, nucleic acids$4,951,146,000+21.6%
13Phone system devices including smartphones$4,692,965,000-47.2%
14Computers, optical readers$4,392,101,000-9.6%
15Phone system devices$4,270,934,000-16.6%
16Silver (unwrought)$3,740,996,000+213.5%
17Jewelry$3,405,832,000-48.6%
18Engines (diesel)$3,245,414,000-24.6%
19Centrifuges, filters and purifiers$2,922,656,000-3.9%
20Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays)$2,862,358,000+8.9%
21Taps, valves, similar appliances$2,851,054,000-11.5%
22Other diagnostic/lab reagents$2,777,363,000+40%
23Printed books, brochures$2,252,702,000-12.6%
24Physical/chemical analysis tools$2,233,672,000-6.8%
25Iron or steel scrap$2,107,801,000-18.6%
26Precious metal waste, scrap$2,058,220,000+49.6%
27Beauty/makeup/skin care preparations$2,045,333,000-9.5%
28Aircraft, spacecraft$1,932,396,000+5.7%
29Liquid pumps and elevators$1,874,183,000-15.3%
30Other food preparations$1,815,731,000+2.6%
31Heavy machinery (bulldozers, excavators, road rollers)$1,787,543,000-26.9%
32Lower-voltage switches, fuses$1,772,971,000-17.6%
33Petroleum gases$1,625,128,000-41.3%
34Miscellaneous machinery$1,571,048,000-5.8%
35Insulated wire/cable$1,554,493,000-6.6%
36Packaged insecticides/fungicides/herbicides$1,546,973,000+4.9%
37Trucks$1,522,346,000-17.5%
38Orthopedic appliances$1,522,286,000-17.5%
39Women’s clothing (not knit or crochet)$1,489,343,000-11.3%
40Tractors$1,467,080,000-5%
41Printing machinery$1,430,188,000-12.7%
42Integrated circuits/microassemblies$1,425,983,000-6.7%
43Regulate/control instruments$1,401,674,000-21.7%
44Air or vacuum pumps$1,398,073,000-13.6%
45Seats (excluding barber/dentist chairs)$1,381,876,000-32.2%
46Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips$1,355,610,000-4.4%
47Miscellaneous plastic items$1,337,428,000-13.1%
48Other measuring/testing machines$1,336,895,000-13.1%
49Light vessels, fire boats, floating docks$1,327,484,000+2,708%
50Fork-lift trucks$1,318,674,000+0.5%
51Piston engines$1,316,496,000-25.7%
52Electrical machinery$1,309,368,000-7.6%
53Electrical converters/power units$1,289,690,000+2.6%
54Piston engine parts$1,283,151,000-22.5%
55Plastic packing goods, lids, caps$1,279,753,000-7.1%
56Other organic cleaning preparations$1,270,075,000+5.3%
57Precious metal compounds$1,229,513,000+101.6%
58Miscellaneous heterocyclics$1,228,062,000+40.1%
59Miscellaneous animal feed preparations$1,226,057,000+6.1%
60Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels$1,199,547,000-16.9%
61Machinery parts$1,190,910,000-16%
62Transmission shafts, gears, clutches$1,185,247,000-15.5%
63Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries$1,166,314,000-3.9%
64Miscellaneous iron or steel items$1,117,903,000-1.2%
65Unrecorded sound media$1,112,454,000-13.1%
66Initiators/accelerators, catalytic preps$1,077,920,000+37.8%
67Chemical industry products/residuals$1,074,255,000-9.4%
68Liquid/gas checking instruments$1,064,313,000-19.7%
69Sort/screen/washing machinery$1,053,886,000-17.4%
70Cases, handbags, wallets$1,050,352,000+2.3%
71Jerseys, pullovers (knit or crochet)$1,027,355,000+5.6%
72Chocolate, other cocoa preparations$1,010,083,000+2.7%
73X-ray equipment$997,991,000-17.8%
74Optical fiber cables, sheets, plates$987,520,000-17.6%
75Computer parts, accessories$978,368,000-8.7%
76Footwear (leather)$968,096,000-17.7%
77Personal toilet/shaving preparations, deodorants$943,883,000-1.1%
78Models, puzzles, miscellaneous toys$916,692,000+4.8%
79Copper waste, scrap$892,715,000-11.6%
80Oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers$890,836,000-9.9%
81Hormones, miscellaneous steroids$883,300,000-30.4%
82Miscellaneous engines, motors$881,999,000-7.2%
83Radar, radio communication items$880,657,000+41.4%
84Print/write/draw inks$876,997,000+2.6%
85Plastic tubes, pipes, fittings$860,734,000+3.3%
86Miscellaneous furniture$852,139,000-19%
87Electric generating sets, converters$849,236,000-5.9%
88Cheese, curd$841,357,000-6.9%
89Whole fish (fresh)$824,934,000-23.8%
90Miscellaneous iron and steel structures$824,772,000-3%
91Yachts, other pleasure/sports vessels$817,981,000-54.9%
92Sculptures, statues$812,511,000-40.8%
93T-shirts, vests (knit or crochet)$808,905,000-1.1%
94Diamonds (unmounted/unset)$806,431,000-58.3%
95Scents used for beverage or industrial manufacturing$798,054,000-10.6%
96Navigational aids, compasses$797,452,000-20.7%
97Footwear (textile)$795,048,000-8.5%
98Other coloring matter, luminophores$787,783,000-3.2%
99Acyclic hydrocarbons$769,012,000-26.6%
100Iron and steel screws, bolts, nuts, washers$762,288,000-17%

These 100 exported goods were worth a subtotal of US$281.8 billion or 70.1% by value for all products exported from the UK during 2020.

In macroeconomic terms, the United Kingdom’s total exported goods represent 13.5% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2020 ($2.979 trillion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 13.5% for exports to overall GDP per PPP in 2020 compares to 15% one year earlier. This seems to indicate a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for the UK’s total economic performance.

Another key indicator of a geographical entity’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Britain’s unemployment rate was 5% in November 2020, up from an average 3.814% for 2020 according to the International Monetary Fund.

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on February 21, 2021

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on February 21, 2021

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 21, 2021

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on February 21, 2021

Richest Country Reports, Key Statistics Powering Global Wealth. Accessed on February 21, 2021

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on February 21, 2021

Wikipedia, List of Companies based in London. Accessed on February 21, 2021

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on February 21, 2021

Zepol’s company summary highlights by country. Accessed on February 21, 2021

Comments

Post your comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

← Previous Post Next Post →

Recent Posts

  • Export goods from the UK: step by step guide
  • United Kingdom’s Top 10 Exports
  • CURRENT BUSINESS POSTINGS

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • March 2021
    • January 2021
    • August 2020
    • January 2020
    • October 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • October 2018

    Categories

    • Uncategorized

    Meta

    • Register
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    PARTNER WITH US NOW

    UK-exports.org is a leading UK commodities trading and logistics organization with a strong commitment to quality & integrity. We work ONLY with direct importers and exporters. Let us introduce your business directly to vetted, reliable and trusted sources of buyers or sellers. Click Here To Contact Us.

    Archives Widget
    • January 2010
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    OUR POLICIES AND FAQs
    Menu
    • Privacy notice – UK Exports
    • Cancellation Policy
    • Refund Policy
    • Site Summary: uk-exports.org
    • UK exports Terms of Use
    • Frequently Asked Questions on UK Exports, UK Imports
    • Work with us for Direct links
    • Commercial Mortgages
    • Premium Listings
    JOIN US NOW
    •  

    © 1998 - 2021- uk-exports.org - Creating direct UK export and import links between suppliers and buyers.