The trade relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom remains one of the most significant bilateral exchanges globally. In 2024, the total goods and services trade between the two countries reached roughly $341.7 billion, making the UK one of the U.S.’s top trading partners.
When it comes to goods alone, U.S. exports to the UK in 2024 were approximately $79.5 billion, and U.S. imports from the UK were around $68.2 billion. This substantial volume reflects decades of industrial, technological, and commodity-based cooperation from fuels and pharmaceuticals to machinery, aircraft, and more.
Below are ten of the most heavily traded categories (goods) between the U.S. and UK, highlighting what moves between the Atlantic, and why these goods matter.
1. Mineral Fuels and Oils
Perhaps the most foundational of traded goods, mineral fuels and oils (which include crude oil, refined oil, and other petroleum products) rank at or near the top of U.S. exports to the UK. According to a breakdown of U.S. export data, in 2024, exports under HS-code 27 (Mineral fuels and mineral oils) to the United Kingdom reached about $13.33 billion.
On the UK side, data from the 2024 trade report shows that the UK imported approximately £15.3 billion of fuels from the U.S. Converting that to USD (at a rough average 2024 rate), this equates to a substantial volume of trade, underlining the enduring importance of energy supplies in transatlantic commerce.
This trade in fuels underlines how much the UK continues to rely on U.S. energy exports from crude oil to refined petroleum products.
2. Machinery and Mechanical Apparatus (Machinery & Transport Equipment)
Machinery (including mechanical appliances, engines, power generators, and transport-related machinery) stands out as a major traded category in both directions. On the U.S. export side, the broader category of machinery and mechanical appliances has consistently ranked among the top export types globally.
From the UK’s trade statistics, in 2024, the UK imported £20.1 billion of machinery and transport equipment from the U.S. Meanwhile, exports from the UK to the U.S. under the same broad category, including items such as mechanical power generators and engines, totaled £29.1 billion.
This symmetrical heavy trade in machinery and associated equipment reveals deep industrial interdependence from manufacturing supply chains to heavy equipment, engines, and transport machinery.
3. Aircraft, Spacecraft, and Parts (Aerospace Equipment)
Aerospace, including civilian aircraft, aircraft parts, and related machinery, is another major traded good between the U.S. and the UK. According to U.S. export-to-UK data, the HS-code 88 (aircraft, spacecraft, and parts) accounted for about $8.80 billion in exports in 2024.
On the UK side, in the machinery and transport equipment imports from the U.S., aircraft made up a significant subset: in 2024, the UK imported £3.1 billion worth of aircraft under that category.
The aerospace trade underscores not only commercial aviation supply chains but also reflects advanced manufacturing cooperation, technology transfer, and high-value goods flow between the two economies.
4. Precious Stones, Metals & Related Commodities
Precious stones and metals (including gold and related high-value commodities) also feature among the top categories of U.S. exports to the UK. According to one trade-data breakdown for 2024, precious stones and metals were valued at around $9.95 billion for U.S. exports to the UK.
Although the UK’s specific 2024 breakdown (in the publicly available summary) emphasizes machinery, fuels, and chemicals, the presence of precious metals among the top exported categories signals the role of raw materials, financial-commodity trading, and investment flows across the Atlantic.
5. Electrical Machinery and Equipment (Electronics & Electrical Goods)
Electrical machinery and various electrical equipment, from electronic components to complex electrical devices, make up another significant segment of the trade between the U.S. and the UK. U.S. exports under HS-code 85 (electrical machinery and equipment) to the UK in 2024 reportedly reached $5.15 billion.
This trade in electrical/electronic goods highlights how interconnected the two economies are in more modern, tech-heavy industrial sectors, supporting everything from manufacturing supply chains to consumer electronics, telecom equipment, and more.
6. Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Products (Chemicals)
Pharmaceuticals and medicinal products, part of the broader chemicals category, comprise a key traded good in both directions. From the U.S. to the UK side, the pharmaceuticals category (HS-code 30) shows export value of roughly $5.50 billion in 2024.
From the UK’s 2024 trade statistics, imports from the U.S. included about £8.0 billion of chemicals overall, of which roughly £4.0 billion represented medicinal and pharmaceutical products.
This trade is vital not only for commerce but also for health-care cooperation, supplying medicines, medical supplies, and related chemical products across the Atlantic, reflecting deep interdependence in the health-pharmaceutical sector.
7. Vehicles (Cars & Motor Vehicles)
Motor vehicles, particularly passenger cars, represent a major export from the UK to the U.S. According to the 2024 trade data, the UK exported £9.0 billion worth of cars to the United States, making the U.S. the largest destination for UK car exports.
That value accounted for 27.4% of all UK car exports in 2024. Meanwhile, the transport-equipment category (which includes vehicles among other machinery) remains a key part of the bilateral trade flow, reflecting robust demand and production across both countries.
Automobiles trade signals the strength of British auto manufacturing and export capacity, and the continued demand in the U.S. for British vehicles, whether luxury cars, specialty vehicles, or other automotive goods.
8. Mechanical Power Generators and Engine Components
Within the broader machinery and transport-equipment trade, a specific sub-category, mechanical power generators (intermediate goods), features prominently. For instance, in the UK’s 2024 exports to the U.S., mechanical power generators accounted for £4.6 billion.
These include turbines, power-generating machinery, internal combustion engines for motor vehicles, and other engine or power-generation components.
This trade underlines the industrial backbone connecting the two economies, where components, not just finished goods, move across borders, enabling complex manufacturing and energy infrastructure exchanges.
9. Refined Oil and Petroleum Products
While crude oil is a part of the mineral fuels trade, refined oil and other petroleum derivatives deserve standalone recognition given their vital role in energy, manufacturing, and fuel supply. According to 2024 UK trade stats, the imports from the U.S. included £4.0 billion of refined oil.
That makes refined oil a substantial portion of the total fuel/oil imports from the U.S. to the UK, underscoring how the transatlantic trade of petroleum is not only about raw crude but also about refined energy products essential for fueling economies, transportation, and industry.
10. Other Industrial Chemicals and Organic Chemicals
Beyond pharmaceuticals, the broader chemicals category, including organic chemicals and other industrial chemicals, represents another significant flow of goods between the U.S. and the UK. In 2024, besides medicinal products, the UK exported a variety of organic chemicals to the U.S., amounting to about £1.4 billion (within the total £10.8 billion chemical exports to the U.S.).
This trade reflects deep integration in chemical manufacturing, supply chains for industrial raw materials, plastics, specialty chemicals, and other industrial-use chemical goods essential for multiple sectors from manufacturing to pharmaceuticals, construction, agriculture, and more.
Conclusion
The transatlantic trade between the United States and the United Kingdom remains vital and vibrant. The top 10 categories above, from mineral fuels and machinery to aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and vehicles, showcase the breadth and depth of that relationship.
As supply chains evolve, as global demand shifts, and as geopolitics reshape trade rules, the enduring strength of trade in these high-value, strategic goods suggests that the U.S.-UK economic bond will remain a central axis of global commerce.
For anyone interested in international trade, global supply chains, or the economic relationship between two of the world’s most advanced economies, understanding which goods move most and why is essential.
