HOWCO GROUP PLC

Active
Company number SC079844Public limited companyIncorporated 1982

Key figures

£25,799,000-47.6%
Net assets 2024/25
-47.6%
Average annual change 2023/24–2024/25
020 m40 m60 m2023/242024/25

† HOWCO GROUP PLC filed these accounts on paper, so Companies House publishes them only as a scanned image. The figures for the years marked † were read automatically from the scan and kept only where the statements add up (for example net assets equal total equity), but a reading error is still possible — check the original accounts at Companies House.

Ratios

2024/25

Sector comparison

SIC 24200

Where the company stands among the 615 active companies whose first SIC code is 24200 (Manufacture of tubes, pipes, hollow profiles and related fittings, of steel).

Net assets£25,799,000
Higher than 99% · median £51,124
Total assets£117,903,000
Higher than 99% · median £191,472
Employees1,001
Higher than 99% · median 2
Company age44.2 years
Older than 95% · median 5.8 years
Largest in this sector by net assets
  1. MARCEGAGLIA (UK) LIMITED£41.6m
  2. TOP TUBES LIMITED£26.5m
  3. HOWCO GROUP PLC£25.8m
  4. PADLEY & VENABLES LIMITED£24.4m
  5. FINE TUBES LIMITED£22.2m
  6. LINDAB LIMITED£15.8m
  7. ERYNGIUM LIMITED£15.6m
  8. GAME HOLDINGS LIMITED£11.4m
  9. VALLOUREC OIL & GAS UK LTD.£9.6m
  10. PIPE MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS LTD£9.4m

Positions are approximate. Figures come from each company's latest accounts; money and employee figures are compared only with companies that filed accounts in pounds for a period ending in the last two and a half years and are not dormant, so those groups are smaller than 615. The line on each bar marks the median.

Summary: HOWCO GROUP PLC

What kind of company is it?

HOWCO GROUP PLC is a public limited company registered with Companies House under company number SC079844. It was incorporated on 23 Aug 1982. Its status is active. The registered office is in Glasgow (G3). Its nature of business (SIC 2007) is manufacture of tubes, pipes, hollow profiles and related fittings, of steel (24200).

How is the company doing financially?

The latest accounts in the database are for 2024/25 (period ending 29 Mar 2025); the company files full accounts. Turnover was £152,225,000. Profit for the year was £7,370,000. Net assets were £25,799,000, down 47.6% on the previous year. Total assets were £117,903,000 and total liabilities £91,066,000. The company had an average of 1,001 employees. Figures are available for 2 financial years (2023/24–2024/25).

How does it compare with similar companies?

Compared with 615 active companies whose first SIC code is 24200: By net assets it ranks higher than 99% of them (median £51,124). By total assets it ranks higher than 99% of them (median £191,472). By number of employees it ranks higher than 99% of them (median 2). It is older than 95% of them (median age 5.8 years).

Does it supply the public sector?

The company is named as the supplier in one public contract award notice, from UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED. Contracts awarded to it alone have a combined published value of £39.9k.

What do public registers and reports show?

HMRC lists it as an importer of goods, mainly rubber, iron and steel, iron and steel articles. HMRC lists it as an exporter of goods, mainly iron and steel, iron and steel articles, nickel. In its latest payment practices report it took an average of 88 days to pay suppliers, and 0% of invoices were not paid within agreed terms. Its gender pay gap report for 2025/26 shows median hourly pay for women 6% lower than for men.

Who runs and controls the company?

One person with significant control is registered.

When are its next filings due?

The next accounts are due by 31 Dec 2026. The next confirmation statement is due by 14 Apr 2027.

Filed accounts2023/24–2024/25
2023/24 †2024/25 †
Turnover192,592,000152,225,000
Profit for the year10,505,0007,370,000
Total assets136,708,000117,903,000
Total liabilities86,952,00091,066,000
Net assets / total equity49,235,00025,799,000
Average number of employees—1,001

A dash (—) means no accounts were filed for that year or the item is not in the accounts; 0 is a zero stated in the accounts. Small companies usually file only a balance sheet, so the profit and loss account is often missing.

Public contracts

1 contract

HOWCO GROUP PLC is named as a supplier in 1 public contract award notice from UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED. Its published value is £39.9k.

Contract
  1. UKRI - RE21244 - Collimator Assy‡UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED · £39,854

From contract award notices on Contracts Finder (since 2016) and Find a Tender (since 2021), published by the Cabinet Office under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Values are as published by the buyer and usually cover the whole contract term; the total leaves out awards shared between several suppliers, where the published figure is a ceiling for all of them, placeholder values and single figures of £1 billion or more. Notices marked ‡ do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name. Contracts below the publication thresholds and those of devolved buyers that publish elsewhere are not included.

Statutory reporting

Payment practices1 Apr 2019 – 30 Sep 2019
Average time taken to pay invoices
88 days
Invoices not paid within agreed terms
0%
Standard payment terms
60–90 days
Member of a payment code
No
  • Within 30 days 5%
  • 31 to 60 days 10%
  • After 60 days 85%
Earlier periods (1)
Period ending
Days to pay
Within 30 days
Late
31 Mar 2019
70
0%
0%

View the latest report on GOV.UK

Gender pay gap2025/26
Median hourly pay
women 6% lower
Mean hourly pay
women 1% higher
Median bonus pay
women 36% higher
Employer size
250 to 499 employees
Lower pay quarter18% womenLower middle16% womenUpper middle11% womenUpper pay quarter15% women
Earlier years (8)
Year
Median hourly pay
Mean hourly pay
2024/25
women 7% lower
women 1% lower
2023/24
women 1% lower
women 9% higher
2022/23
women 14% lower
women 4% higher
2021/22
women 2.5% lower
women 8.7% higher
2020/21
women 7.5% lower
women 1.2% lower
2019/20
women 10.3% lower
women 7.3% lower
2018/19
women 6.8% lower
women 12% lower
2017/18
women 17.5% lower
women 12.2% lower

A positive gap means women's average hourly pay is lower than men's across the whole employer; it is not a comparison of pay for the same work. View on the Gender pay gap service

Figures the company reported itself to the government's Check payment practices service, Gender pay gap service and Modern slavery statement registry (Open Government Licence v3.0). Only large companies and employers with 250 or more staff have to report, so most companies have nothing here.

Registers and licences

International trade‡

Listed by HMRC as an importer of goods in 12 of the last 12 months on record, most recently August 2026. Main goods: rubber, iron and steel, iron and steel articles, nickel and machinery.

Listed by HMRC as an exporter of goods in 12 of the last 12 months on record, most recently August 2026. Main goods: iron and steel, iron and steel articles, nickel, machinery and tools and cutlery.

From HMRC's monthly lists of importers and exporters. Traders can ask to be left off the lists, so absence does not mean a company does not trade.

Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Care Quality Commission, Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs, under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Entries marked ‡ come from lists that do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name.

History

6 events
  1. Financial year 2024/25 endedAccounts: turnover £152.2m, net assets £25.8m, 1,001 employees
  2. Financial year 2023/24 endedAccounts: turnover £192.6m, net assets £49.2m
  3. Eryngium Limited registered as a person with significant control
  4. Sumitomo Corporation ceased to be a person with significant control
  5. Sumitomo Corporation registered as a person with significant control
  6. Company incorporatedPublic limited company

Dates as recorded at Companies House: incorporation, name changes, officer appointments and resignations, current and former persons with significant control, and the end of each financial year with figures in the database.