The overall value of imports into the United States of America furnished by its European ally flatlined via an average 0.1% gain from 2022 when America’s purchases from UK suppliers were valued at $65.4 billion.
In comparison, the US exported $74.1 billion worth of products to the United Kingdom in 2023. That dollar amount equals 113.1% of America’s total spending on all commodities imported from the United Kingdom. The$74.1 billion US-to-UK export amount fell by -4.2% from 2022.
On a positive note, America generated an $8.6 billion trade surplus at the expense of the United Kingdom for 2023.
Highlighted below are the 100 most valuable imports and exports exchanged between the United States and the United Kingdom during 2023.
This research is based on the detailed four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level.
Information in this article is presented in two searchable document databases for the top 100 trade products between the two North American countries.
Top US Imports from the United Kingdom
The following document database highlights the 100 most valuable goods that America imported from the United Kingdom in 2023.
| Products | US$ | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cars | $6,576,263,000 | +1.7% |
| 2 | Turbo-jets | $3,726,128,000 | +32.5% |
| 3 | Medication mixes in dosage | $3,272,553,000 | -5.9% |
| 4 | Blood fractions (including antisera) | $3,250,843,000 | +27.5% |
| 5 | Processed petroleum oils | $2,233,407,000 | -32% |
| 6 | Aircraft or spacecraft parts | $2,225,069,000 | +0.8% |
| 7 | Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs) | $1,921,012,000 | +2.2% |
| 8 | Fork-lift trucks | $1,214,111,000 | +94.6% |
| 9 | Crude oil | $1,206,152,000 | -31.1% |
| 10 | Trucks | $1,143,184,000 | +61.4% |
| 11 | Hand-drawn paintings, drawings | $1,116,783,000 | -17.9% |
| 12 | Other diagnostic/lab reagents | $932,269,000 | -9.5% |
| 13 | Heavy machinery (bulldozers, excavators) | $899,709,000 | +66% |
| 14 | Engines (diesel) | $803,267,000 | +51.1% |
| 15 | Coins | $761,965,000 | -7% |
| 16 | Radioactive chemical elements | $610,761,000 | +18.8% |
| 17 | Physical/chemical analysis tools | $599,194,000 | +6.2% |
| 18 | Electro-medical equipment (e.g. xrays) | $598,774,000 | +17% |
| 19 | Other precious metal items | $597,085,000 | -42% |
| 20 | Sort/screen/washing machinery | $582,880,000 | +48.8% |
| 21 | Automobile parts/accessories | $502,395,000 | -2.9% |
| 22 | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $482,756,000 | -5% |
| 23 | Taps, valves, similar appliances | $479,787,000 | +11.6% |
| 24 | Seats (excluding barber/dentist chairs) | $428,839,000 | +26.4% |
| 25 | Miscellaneous machinery | $404,836,000 | +0.9% |
| 26 | Miscellaneous engines, motors | $396,754,000 | -1% |
| 27 | Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels | $370,863,000 | +8.7% |
| 28 | Computers, optical readers | $370,665,000 | +16.3% |
| 29 | Tractors | $364,368,000 | +3.6% |
| 30 | Heterocyclics, nucleic acids | $359,405,000 | -16.2% |
| 31 | Machinery parts | $346,654,000 | +12.5% |
| 32 | Liquid pumps and elevators | $340,180,000 | +4% |
| 33 | Other measuring/testing machines | $308,169,000 | -8.8% |
| 34 | Air or vacuum pumps | $306,002,000 | +8.8% |
| 35 | Phone devices including smartphones | $300,826,000 | +28.2% |
| 36 | Piston engines | $299,996,000 | +24.3% |
| 37 | Printed books, brochures | $297,849,000 | -19.1% |
| 38 | Orthopedic appliances | $289,999,000 | +8.4% |
| 39 | Electrical machinery | $281,637,000 | -15.3% |
| 40 | Precious metal waste, scrap | $277,578,000 | -55.5% |
| 41 | Yachts, other pleasure/sports vessels | $272,134,000 | +16.1% |
| 42 | Beauty/makeup/skin care preparations | $259,337,000 | +1.9% |
| 43 | Platinum (unwrought) | $253,784,000 | -57.2% |
| 44 | Sculptures, statues | $245,462,000 | +37% |
| 45 | Transmission shafts, gears, clutches | $238,599,000 | +15.8% |
| 46 | Liquid/gas checking instruments | $237,361,000 | +15.4% |
| 47 | Oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers | $236,635,000 | +4.3% |
| 48 | Miscellaneous furniture | $228,920,000 | -5.5% |
| 49 | Temperature-change machines | $225,210,000 | -8.4% |
| 50 | Liquid crystal/laser/optical tools | $218,592,000 | +9.1% |
| 51 | Electrical converters/power units | $212,797,000 | +17.2% |
| 52 | Antiques (over 100 years old) | $212,670,000 | -26.7% |
| 53 | X-ray equipment | $205,794,000 | -13.7% |
| 54 | Lower-voltage switches, fuses | $196,861,000 | -1.7% |
| 55 | Electric motors, generators | $195,067,000 | +7.2% |
| 56 | Insulated wire/cable | $189,707,000 | +21.6% |
| 57 | Solar power diodes/semi-conductors | $187,970,000 | -9.8% |
| 58 | Packaged dressings | $183,773,000 | -7.7% |
| 59 | Bombs, grenades, ammunition | $178,480,000 | +13% |
| 60 | Miscellaneous plastic items | $177,854,000 | -13.7% |
| 61 | Piston engine parts | $166,681,000 | -6.3% |
| 62 | Regulate/control instruments | $165,812,000 | +9.7% |
| 63 | Whole fish (fresh) | $158,706,000 | +67.4% |
| 64 | Models, puzzles, miscellaneous toys | $152,912,000 | +11% |
| 65 | Miscellaneous iron and steel structures | $151,835,000 | +64.5% |
| 66 | Miscellaneous heterocyclics | $151,456,000 | +34.3% |
| 67 | Printing machinery | $151,128,000 | -13.5% |
| 68 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $148,560,000 | -31.7% |
| 69 | Survey/hydro/weather instruments | $142,593,000 | +17.2% |
| 70 | Navigational aids including compasses | $141,459,000 | -6.8% |
| 71 | Electric storage batteries | $139,802,000 | +31.8% |
| 72 | Miscellaneous iron or steel items | $136,645,000 | +1.2% |
| 73 | Arms parts, accessories | $133,319,000 | +51.8% |
| 74 | Electric generating sets, converters | $129,577,000 | +47.9% |
| 75 | Silver (unwrought) | $126,448,000 | -5.8% |
| 76 | TV receiver/transmit/digital cameras | $124,963,000 | +5.3% |
| 77 | Nickel waste, scrap | $123,792,000 | +4.9% |
| 78 | Plastic tubes, pipes, fittings | $120,804,000 | -10.2% |
| 79 | Lifting/loading machinery | $116,715,000 | -34.1% |
| 80 | Newspapers, journals | $114,909,000 | +35.6% |
| 81 | Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries | $114,478,000 | +4.6% |
| 82 | Iron and steel screws, bolts, nuts, washers | $114,292,000 | +3.3% |
| 83 | TV/radio/radar device parts | $113,108,000 | +8.2% |
| 84 | Other food preparations | $112,215,000 | +0.6% |
| 85 | Vulcanized rubber items | $110,116,000 | +2.5% |
| 86 | Flat-rolled other alloy steel products | $109,454,000 | -32.2% |
| 87 | Optical fiber cables, sheets, plates | $109,411,000 | +7.2% |
| 88 | Chemical industry products/residuals | $106,535,000 | -8.2% |
| 89 | Base metal mountings, fittings | $101,765,000 | +15.9% |
| 90 | Radar, radio communication items | $101,336,000 | +7.9% |
| 91 | Flour/meal/starch/malt extract food preparations | $100,828,000 | +144.9% |
| 92 | Harvest/threshing machinery | $98,322,000 | +40.4% |
| 93 | Perfumes, toilet waters | $97,682,000 | +35% |
| 94 | Unrecorded sound media | $94,748,000 | -5.2% |
| 95 | Machinery for making semi-conductors | $94,079,000 | -24% |
| 96 | Dishwashing, clean/dry/fill machines | $93,918,000 | -30.2% |
| 97 | Zoological/botanic/historic collectibles | $93,851,000 | +20.3% |
| 98 | Electric sound/visual signal bells or alarms | $90,277,000 | -8.4% |
| 99 | Diamonds (unmounted/unset) | $89,469,000 | -11% |
| 100 | Industrial or lab electric furnaces, ovens | $89,402,000 | +381.4% |
The showcased 100 import products represent US$50.7 billion in American spending in 2023 or over three-quarters (77.4%) of total US spending on imports from Great Britain.
All imports into the United States from the United Kingdom equaled 2.1% of overall US imports from around the world in 2023.
Fastest-growing US imports from the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2023 were industrial or laboratory electric furnaces and ovens (up 381.4%), food preparations made from flour, meal, starch or malt (up 144.9%), fork-lift trucks (up 94.6%), fresh whole fish (up 67.4%), heavy machinery including bulldozers and excavators (up 66%), miscellaneous items made from iron or steel (up 64.5%), then trucks (up 61.4%).
Decliners impacting America’s spending on products imported from the United Kingdom the most were led by UK unwrought platinum (down -57.2% from 2022), precious metal waste and scrap (down -55.5%), miscellaneous precious metal items (down -42%), lifting or loading machinery (down -34.1%), items made from flat-rolled miscellaneous alloy steel (down -32.%) then processed petroleum oils (down -32%).
Top US Exports to the United Kingdom
The following document database focuses on the 100 leading products that American exporters sold to customers located in the United Kingdom in 2023.
| Products | US$ | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gold (unwrought) | $7,632,802,000 | +6.6% |
| 2 | Crude oil | $7,218,655,000 | -35.8% |
| 3 | Petroleum gases | $3,713,195,000 | -42.1% |
| 4 | Medication mixes in dosage | $3,606,434,000 | -20.8% |
| 5 | Processed petroleum oils | $2,211,434,000 | +12.4% |
| 6 | Hand-drawn paintings, drawings | $2,192,673,000 | +19.6% |
| 7 | Blood fractions (including antisera) | $1,603,865,000 | +74.1% |
| 8 | Heterocyclics, nucleic acids | $1,281,691,000 | +2010.6% |
| 9 | Phone devices including smartphones | $1,262,648,000 | +22.7% |
| 10 | Computers, optical readers | $1,058,783,000 | +33.4% |
| 11 | Fuel wood, wood chips, sawdust | $1,020,962,000 | +7.7% |
| 12 | Cars | $853,377,000 | +3.0% |
| 13 | Precious metal waste, scrap | $630,097,000 | -38.7% |
| 14 | Jewelry | $599,682,000 | -18.8% |
| 15 | Electro-medical equipment (e.g. xrays) | $599,036,000 | -12.4% |
| 16 | Taps, valves, similar appliances | $581,763,000 | +15.7% |
| 17 | Diamonds (unmounted/unset) | $473,188,000 | -23.0% |
| 18 | Beauty/makeup/skin care preparations | $441,730,000 | +4.9% |
| 19 | Turbo-jets | $416,826,000 | -6.2% |
| 20 | Ethyl alcohol | $410,448,000 | +152.6% |
| 21 | Integrated circuits/microassemblies | $383,784,000 | -6.4% |
| 22 | Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels | $374,330,000 | +42.8% |
| 23 | Other diagnostic/lab reagents | $372,895,000 | -24.2% |
| 24 | Titanium | $371,186,000 | +57.0% |
| 25 | Air or vacuum pumps | $359,432,000 | +19.2% |
| 26 | Aircraft or spacecraft parts | $357,365,000 | -8.0% |
| 27 | Lower-voltage switches, fuses | $353,723,000 | +28.6% |
| 28 | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $352,775,000 | -12.7% |
| 29 | Liquid pumps and elevators | $352,043,000 | +12.0% |
| 30 | Amino-compounds (oxygen) | $351,061,000 | +824.0% |
| 31 | Physical/chemical analysis tools | $346,271,000 | -4.1% |
| 32 | Platinum (unwrought) | $332,757,000 | -42.0% |
| 33 | Sculptures, statues | $312,608,000 | +6.8% |
| 34 | Insulated wire/cable | $307,065,000 | +46.9% |
| 35 | Printed books, brochures | $296,842,000 | -5.3% |
| 36 | Molybdenum ores, concentrates | $286,774,000 | +70.4% |
| 37 | Transmission shafts, gears, clutches | $245,606,000 | +6.3% |
| 38 | Electric storage batteries | $236,773,000 | +10.6% |
| 39 | Miscellaneous plastic items | $234,570,000 | +0.8% |
| 40 | Electric motors, generators | $229,731,000 | +36.1% |
| 41 | Antibiotics | $222,640,000 | +528.4% |
| 42 | Engines (diesel) | $222,275,000 | +6.6% |
| 43 | Orthopedic appliances | $220,574,000 | -8.4% |
| 44 | Miscellaneous engines, motors | $218,508,000 | +17.2% |
| 45 | Acyclic hydrocarbons | $216,440,000 | -32.8% |
| 46 | Medication mixes not in dosage | $211,642,000 | +1006.9% |
| 47 | Radioactive chemical elements | $206,172,000 | +2149.8% |
| 48 | Refrigerators, freezers | $199,871,000 | +51.4% |
| 49 | Miscellaneous machinery | $196,270,000 | +2.7% |
| 50 | Temperature-change machines | $196,201,000 | +2.8% |
| 51 | Oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers | $191,967,000 | +16.9% |
| 52 | Automobile parts/accessories | $190,343,000 | -31.9% |
| 53 | Electric ignition/start equipment | $183,461,000 | +22.0% |
| 54 | Optical fiber cables, sheets, plates | $180,515,000 | -8.1% |
| 55 | Antiques (over 100 years old) | $172,813,000 | -24.2% |
| 56 | Liquid/gas checking instruments | $172,551,000 | +15.8% |
| 57 | Electrical machinery | $171,483,000 | +23.5% |
| 58 | Other measuring/testing machines | $165,893,000 | +1.9% |
| 59 | Electrical converters/power units | $165,834,000 | -2.7% |
| 60 | Coal, solid fuels made from coal | $159,068,000 | -67.0% |
| 61 | Miscellaneous nuts | $157,342,000 | +2.4% |
| 62 | Anti-knock/oxidation/gum inhibitors | $155,519,000 | -6.6% |
| 63 | Perfumes, toilet waters | $152,693,000 | +42.2% |
| 64 | Items made from mineral substances, stone | $150,028,000 | +8.9% |
| 65 | TV/radio/radar device parts | $149,581,000 | +63.4% |
| 66 | Wine | $148,066,000 | -13.4% |
| 67 | Hair preparations | $146,396,000 | -3.2% |
| 68 | Miscellaneous items made from nickel | $142,493,000 | +12.7% |
| 69 | Liquid crystal/laser/optical tools | $140,593,000 | +28.5% |
| 70 | Iron and steel screws, bolts, nuts, washers | $139,244,000 | +9.8% |
| 71 | Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs) | $137,346,000 | -17.0% |
| 72 | Wood casks, barrels, vats, tubs | $137,121,000 | +83.6% |
| 73 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $136,417,000 | -8.6% |
| 74 | Unrecorded sound media | $135,545,000 | -25.4% |
| 75 | Electric sound/visual signal bells or alarms | $134,296,000 | +30.6% |
| 76 | Machinery parts | $134,250,000 | +12.6% |
| 77 | Other food preparations | $131,218,000 | -19.7% |
| 78 | Plastic packing goods, lids, caps | $127,835,000 | -25.2% |
| 79 | Table games, bowling equipment | $127,299,000 | -3.7% |
| 80 | Ethylene polymers | $126,221,000 | -39.7% |
| 81 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $122,982,000 | -21.4% |
| 82 | Computer parts, accessories | $122,432,000 | -22.6% |
| 83 | Miscellaneous iron or steel items | $122,349,000 | +11.1% |
| 84 | Base metal mountings, fittings | $122,054,000 | +11.7% |
| 85 | Electric circuit parts, fuses, switches | $113,844,000 | +64.3% |
| 86 | Regulate/control instruments | $110,301,000 | +7.6% |
| 87 | Survey/hydro/weather instruments | $110,135,000 | -0.5% |
| 88 | Sports equipment | $107,798,000 | -16.7% |
| 89 | Polyamides | $105,772,000 | -9.2% |
| 90 | Machinery for making semi-conductors | $104,331,000 | -26.2% |
| 91 | Piston engine parts | $104,170,000 | -8.6% |
| 92 | Precious/semi-precious stones (unstrung) | $102,313,000 | -7.0% |
| 93 | X-ray equipment | $102,191,000 | -14.8% |
| 94 | Engravings, prints, lithographs | $101,837,000 | +27.0% |
| 95 | Solar power diodes/semi-conductors | $100,063,000 | -30.7% |
| 96 | Ball, roller bearings | $98,255,000 | +24.7% |
| 97 | Spray/dispersing mechanical appliances | $95,923,000 | +21.5% |
| 98 | Coated paper | $94,602,000 | -18.2% |
| 99 | TV receiver/transmit/digital cameras | $94,024,000 | -6.8% |
| 100 | TV receivers/monitors/projectors | $93,014,000 | +60.3% |
The 100 US export products itemized below represent US$53.1 billion in American sales to the United Kingdom in 2023 or well under three-quarters (71.6%) of total US exports sold to the UK.
Total exports from the United States to the United Kingdom equaled 3.7% of all US products exported around the world in 2023.
The greatest increases among the top 100 US exports into the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2023 were attributed to radioactive chemical elements (up 2,150%), heterocyclics and nucleic acids (up 2,011%), medication mixes in dosage (up 1,007%), oxygen amino-compounds (up 824%), antibiotics (up 528.4%) then ethyl alcohol (up 152.6%).
The severest declines among America’s sales of exported goods to the United Kingdom were recorded for lessening UK spending on coal including solid fuels made from coal (down -67% from 2022), petroleum gases (down -42.1%), unwrought platinum (down -42%), ethylene polymers (down -39.7%), precious metal waste and scrap (down -38.7%) then crude oil (down -35.8%).
See also United Kingdom’s Top 10 Exports, United States Top Exports, United Kingdom’s Top 10 Imports and United States Top Imports
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on January 17, 2025
Trade Map, International Trade Centre. Accessed on January 17, 2025