UK exports to China in Q2 2026: data brief
UK exports to China, excluding precious metals, were £2.96bn in Q2 2026, down 11.0% (£367m) on Q2 2025.
Top 3 rising headings
- Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances for pipes, boiler shells,… (HS 8481): £43m, up 38.2% from £31m
- Lasers (HS 9013): £18m, up 36.8% from £13m
- Waste and scrap, of copper (HS 7404): £244m, up 34.8% from £181m
Top 3 falling headings
- Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude (HS 2709): £105m, down 67.9% from £328m
- Fish, fresh or chilled (HS 0302): £15m, down 61.9% from £41m
- Pumps for liquids, whether or not fitted with a measuring device (HS 8413): £18m, down 41.1% from £30m
Headings (HS4) worth at least £10 million in both quarters, excluding chapter 71.
Among these six headings, value per kg runs from £0.75 for Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude to £424.72 for Lasers. Why £ per kg matters →
Cite as: Cambridge China Bridge, "UK–China Export Pulse", Q2 2026, https://camchinabridge.co.uk/uk-china-export-pulse/briefs/2026-q2/. Contains HMRC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open data:https://github.com/bonoxu/camchinabridge-open-data
The full Export Pulse: every chapter, the largest movers and each quarter since 2019 →
Method and sources
- Source: HMRC overseas trade statistics, UK exports to China (non-EU exports, FlowTypeId 4), through HMRC's public trade data API.
- Values are in pounds sterling as HMRC records them. Confidential and unclassified lines (chapter 99) are excluded, and precious metals (chapter 71) are reported separately.
- HMRC revises recent months; the page is rebuilt monthly and always shows the latest figures HMRC has published.
- HMRC's overseas trade statistics differ from ONS balance-of-payments figures, which adjust for ownership and timing; use one series consistently.
Journalists and researchers may quote these figures with a link to this page. For comment on what they mean for UK exporters, contact us.