HMRC records show 97 businesses trading internationally from Harpenden over the last six months. It ranks 20 of 31 trading locations in Hertfordshire. Most of that activity sits in machinery and mechanical appliances, optical, photographic and medical instruments, electrical machinery and electronics. Looking ahead, our model expects import activity here to ease back by around 7.0% over the next three months.
Refreshed every 24 hours · last run 05/10/2026 at 06:14HMRC release in view: Aug 26Snapshot: 2026-10-04.1
768Import declarations▼ 12.4% on the 6 months before
299Export declarations
−7.0%Forecast, next 3 monthsBased on 2 years of data
97Trading businesses
Top 10 businesses by 6-month activity Free tier
Ranked by declaration volume and months active. Hover any bar in the 24-month indicators for that month's figures. Log in for keyword search and HMRC category filters across all 97 businesses.
★ Most active in HarpendenFiled more customs declarations than any other Harpenden business over the last six months — roughly 16% of the town's total import activity, mostly in dyes, pigments, paints and inks.
Most active business
LAMBDA PHOTOMETRICS LTD
124 import declarations30 export declarationsAL5 *Ch. 32Ch. 38Ch. 71Ch. 73Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include data-processing machines, automatic, presented in the form of systems "comprising at least a central processing unit, one input unit and one output unit" (excl. portable weighing <= 10 kg and excl. peripheral units), paints and varnishes based, incl. enamels and lacquers, on synthetic polymers or chemically modified natural polymers, dispersed or dissolved in a non-aqueous medium, and solutions of products of headings 3901 to 3913 in volatile organic solvents, co, gold, incl. gold plated with platinum, in semi-manufactured forms, for non-monetary purposes.
▼ Expected to slow by 4.8% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity124 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity30 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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Among the most active
PRAYON SA
57 import declarationsImports onlyAL5 *Ch. 28Ch. 31Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include phosphoric acid; polyphosphoric acids, whether or not chemically defined, polyphosphates, whether or not chemically defined (excl. sodium triphosphate "sodium tripolyphosphate", and inorganic or organic compounds of mercury whether or not chemically defined), phosphates of potassium.
▼ Expected to slow by 11.8% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity57 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity0 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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Among the most active
BERTHOLD TECHNOLOGIES (UK) LTD
40 import declarations11 export declarationsAL5 *Ch. 28Ch. 39Ch. 49Ch. 72Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include articles of lead, n.e.s., radioactive elements and isotopes and compounds; alloys, dispersions incl. cermets, ceramic products and mixtures containing these elements, isotopes or compounds (excl. natural uranium, uranium enriched and depleted in u 235; plutonium, thorium, tri, parts of machines and mechanical appliances, n.e.s..
▲ Expected to increase by 6.7% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity40 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity11 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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Among the most active
FORMECH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
5 import declarations25 export declarationsAL5 *Ch. 39Ch. 76Ch. 82Ch. 84Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include machinery for moulding or otherwise forming products from rubber or plastics (excl. injection-moulding machines, extruders, blow-moulding machines, vacuum-moulding and other thermoforming machines; machinery for moulding or retreading pneumatic tyres, parts of machinery for working rubber or plastics or for the manufacture of products from these materials, n.e.s., articles of aluminium, n.e.s..
▼ Expected to slow by 100.0% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity5 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity25 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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Among the most active
TRANSPARENT PAPER LTD
24 import declarations2 export declarationsAL5 *Ch. 39Ch. 48Ch. 76Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include aluminium foil, not backed, rolled but not further worked, of a thickness of <= 0,2 mm (excl. stamping foils of heading 3212, and foil made up as christmas tree decorating material), paper and paperboard, coated on one or both sides with kaolin "china clay" or other inorganic substances, with or without a binder, and with no other coating, whether or not surface-coloured, surface-decorated or printed, in rolls or in square or rec.
▲ Expected to increase by 0.0% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity24 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity2 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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87 more Harpenden businesses
Every importer and exporter in AL5 with monthly activity, 24-month indicators, forecasts, Companies House records, AI research and validated contact reveals.
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What Harpenden trades
The most frequently declared goods across all 97 businesses in the last six months — useful for picking which trade lanes to prospect.
Beauty or make-up preparations and preparations for the care of the skin (other than medicaments), incl. sunscreen or suntan preparations (excl. medicaments, lip and eye make-up preparations, manicure or pedicure preparations and make-up or skin careMeat or offal of fowls of the species "Gallus domesticus", prepared or preserved (excl. sausages and similar products, finely homogenised preparations put up for retail sale as infant food or for dietetic purposes, in containers of a net weight of <=Frozen cuts and edible offal of fowls of the species Gallus domesticusFrozen fruit and nuts, uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling in water, whether or not sweetened (excl. strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, loganberries, black, white or red currants and gooseberries)Sanitary towels (pads) and tampons, napkins and napkin liners, and similar articles, of any materialSoap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent, for toilet use, incl. medicated productsPolyphosphates, whether or not chemically defined (excl. sodium triphosphate "sodium tripolyphosphate", and inorganic or organic compounds of mercury whether or not chemically defined)Hats and other headgear, knitted or crocheted, or made up from lace, felt or other textile fabric, in the piece (but not in strips), whether or not lined or trimmed; hairnets of any material, whether or not lined or trimmed (excl. headgear for animal
Common questions about trade in Harpenden
How many businesses import or export from Harpenden?
HMRC customs records show 97 businesses in Harpenden (AL5) filed declarations over the last six months — 768 import declarations and 299 export declarations in total. This page is rebuilt every 24 hours as new HMRC data is published.
What do Harpenden businesses import most?
The most common category is machinery and mechanical appliances. Across all Harpenden traders the leading goods are beauty or make-up preparations and preparations for the care of the skin (other than medicaments), incl. sunscreen or suntan preparations (excl. medicaments, lip and eye make-up preparations, manicure or pedicure preparations and make-up or skin care, meat or offal of fowls of the species "gallus domesticus", prepared or preserved (excl. sausages and similar products, finely homogenised preparations put up for retail sale as infant food or for dietetic purposes, in containers of a net weight of <=, frozen cuts and edible offal of fowls of the species gallus domesticus, frozen fruit and nuts, uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling in water, whether or not sweetened (excl. strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, loganberries, black, white or red currants and gooseberries). You can filter the full list by HMRC category once logged in.
Is trade from Harpenden growing?
Import activity is down 12.4% compared with the previous six months. Our model, which reads two years of monthly history, expects the next three months to soften by roughly 7.0%. That figure is our estimate, not an HMRC projection.
How do I get contact details for Harpenden importers?
Create an account to see all 97 businesses, open their Companies House records, run AI research on their website and buying signals, and reveal validated email and LinkedIn contacts.
Nearby in Hertfordshire
Other Hertfordshire locations with active customs entries.