Esther Onega
Humanties & Social Sciences Services in
Alderman and Clemons Libraries
434-924-1011
onega@virginia.edu
University of Virginia Library
PO Box 400113
Charlottesville VA 22904-4113
434.924.3021
fax: 434.924.1431
Later guides are accessible here.
Code Classifications: The basics - an explanation of the hierarchy.
Guide to Foreign Trade Statistics - Includes conversion table (from reported units of quantity to U.S. harmonized units of quantity), country groupings and reference aids.
Paper copies available in Alderman Gov Docs U.S Y 4.F 76/1:C 83/3/; or online (1993-2001). Congress abolished these reports in 2002. Reports include information on exchange rate policies, significant barriers to U.S. exports and investment, debt management policies, structural policies and worker rights for countries with whom the U.S. has significant economic or trade relationships.
Part 1 is an overview of NAFTA while part 2 covers the major North American industries as defined by SIC Code (2, 3, and 4 digit). Statistics generally cover the mid-1990s and include number of establishments, value, employment, and earnings. Also try: Encyclopedia of American Industries.
Use this for definitions.
Global trade opportunity leads, current exchange rates, current and historical trade leads, and market and country research.
Reports on trade barriers (tariff and non-tariff) on a country by country basis for nations trading with the United States. Includes import policies; standards, testing, labeling, and certification; government procurement; export subsidies; lack of intellectual property protection; sevices barriers; investment barriers; anticompetitive practices with trade effects tolerated by foreign governments; and trade restrictions affecting electronic commerce.
An industry by industry overview of the U.S. economy. Contains some statistics.
designed for the business person, includes trade leads and market research.
(exports) helps U.S. businesses select commodities and markets, ensures access to international markets as required by trade agreements, and protects against unfair competition.
an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement.
trade data (including state data), trade analysis, and industry information.
responsible for developing and implementing trade policies which promote world growth, and create new opportunities for American businesses, workers, and agricultural producers. This site contains information about trade agreements and policy.
a foreign assistance agency that delivers its program commitments through overseas grants, contracts with U.S. firms, and the use of trust funds at several multilateral development bank groups. Seeks to establish a favorable trading environment.
established in 1964, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) aims at the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.
the technical cooperation agency of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) for operational, enterprise-oriented aspects of trade development.
the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business. Also has country trade profiles and country trade policy reviews. Also available is Understanding the WTO.
is responsible for interpretation and application of the Harmonized System (HS) of trade classification, and updates to the classification system. Use this site to find a country's tariffs.
a wealth of information, including stats on EU trade with the 50 U.S. states. Look at the sitemap for specific topics and links. Also includes European Union's trade policy.
includes working papers, briefs, and reports.
Use this to search for a foreign government's Department of Trade.
Trade Agreements and Regulations
from the USTR, arranged by country, has general info on export and import policies, tariffs, and intellectual property rights.
links to in depth information about all aspects of trade including agreements, statistics, social policy, and more.
a multilingual collection of legal information on international trade; includes the full text of international trade instruments.
(from the EU) - gives background information on barriers to trade for several dozen countries worldwide. Information can be obtained for specific products ("sectors") within a country.
in the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. This is the U.S. Government's focal point for monitoring foreign compliance with trade agreements to make sure that U.S. firms and workers get the maximum benefits from these agreements.
from SICE Foreign Trade Information System from the OAS - trade agreements affecting the American hemisphere.
Alderman Gov Docs ITC 1.24 (with gaps and title change).
Summary of selected trade agreements, bilateral trade agreements between the US and its major trading partners, and the administration of U.S. trade laws and regulations. Online 1994- (put the title in the search box).
Trade by Commodity Classifications
Trade statistics are organized using various numerical coding systems. The longer the string of digits, the greater the degree of specificity of the commodity. One or two digit numbers represent greatly aggregated data for broad categories of commodities. Seven or ten digit numbers represent fairly specific commodities.
The two main systems in use today for international trade statistics are the Harmonised System (HS) and the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC). Before the United States adopted the HS in 1989, some of its published data was organized according to the Tariff Schedules of the United States of America (TSUSA), so this system might be needed for doing some historical research.
These codes schemes are occasionally revised. You should be aware of the revision being used for the data that you are studying and use the appropriate revision of the code book.
Although you can get a code number quickly from the alphabetic index in the printed code books, the definitions in the actual body of the text will give you a better idea about how that commodity is being defined and will show its relationship to other commodities. In electronic sources, you can generally search for matching text to find commodities, without necessarily using the guides to the coding scheme. However, knowing the specific codes ahead of time and understanding how a term is used will make your search faster and more precise.
Look in the back of each revision for a concordance between versions.
Used by the United States before its adoption of the Harmonized Schedules in 1989. Data through 1988 was disseminated using both SITC and TSUSA categorizations. You must refer to the following book to translate any source using TSUSA categories.
Continuity of Import and Export Trade Statistics after Implementation of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System. Alderman Gov Docs U.S. ITC 1.12:332-250
Annex 1 = use TSUSA number (7 digit) to find new HS number (8 digit)
Annex 2 = use proposed HS number (8 digit) to find old TSUSA number (7 digit)
International system for classifying external trade statistics.
Revision 2 (1975): UNSO 9/C56m/976 Alderman Gov Docs International
Revision 3 (1985): UNSO 3/ST 56 M/53-rev.3 Alderman Gov Docs International and online
Developed by the World Customs Organization and now in use internationally. The HS assigns 6 digit codes for general categories. Countries which use the HS are allowed to define commodities at a more detailed level than 6 digits, but all definitions must be within that 6 digit framework. The U.S. defines products using 10 digit HTS codes. Exports codes (which the U.S. calls Schedule B) are administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Import codes are administered by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).
The latest version of the Harmonized System (HS) adopted by the United States is published by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) as the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Annotated (HTSA). This goes to the 10 digit level of detail.
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. (ITC) Alderman Gov Docs U.S. T 17.26:576 : [1989] and online. Look here for the database layout. Previous years (1989-) available here.
Country data reported to the UN as of 1988 must be submitted according to the HS coding system. In 1996 there was a major revision of the HS system. An outline of the HS coding system.
Developed by the UN to provide a framework for the international comparison of statistics dealing with goods, services, and assets and to enhance harmonization among various fields of economic and related statistics. It provides less detail than other specific classification systems; e.g. HS, SITC, ISIC.
CPC Version 1.0. Alderman Gov Docs UNSO 3/ST 56 M/77/ver.1.0/1998 and online
Foreign Trade Statistics [U.S. Census Bureau]
U.S. merchandise imports, exports, and trade balances; state and regional exports. Data is by 2 and 4 digit HS, 1, 2, and 3 digit SITC, and 2, 3, and 4 digit NAICS for 1989-. Find all products traded between the U.S. and another or totals for 1 product for all countries. Values only, not quantities.
Import and export data for the period from 1992 to 2001. Both files have 2, 4, 6, and 10 digit HS commodity data as well as partner country data. Neither has district-level detail. Port level data is now available. This database is passworded; come to Clapp Library and a librarian will input the password for you. We are not permitted to give it out. For more current data by 1, 3, or 5 digit codes, click here.
World Trade Flows scroll down to International Trade Data [NBER] - worldwide bilateral trade data by commodity for 1962-2000 and organized by 4-digit SITC rev. 2.
Dataintal - trade information on imports and exports from 29 countries of the Americas by country of origin and destination, volume and value according to the tariff nomenclature of each country (HS92 and HS96, 4 digit), SITC Rev. 3 (2 digit), ISIC Rev. 3 (2 digit) for the period 1994-1999 and SITC Rev. 2 and UNCTAD for 1980-1999. Values in U.S. dollars. Note: requires the downloading of software.
Direction of Trade Statistics. Alderman Gov Docs IMF 1/T 67/yr. (1974-2004) Newest in Alderman Goc Docs Reading Room. 1999- available online. Quarterly and annually. Total exports and imports (in U.S. dollars), between countries. Totals only, no breakdowns.
European Union Market Access Database - trade flows between the EU and non-EU countries, accessed by HS code (4 or 6 digit) or product description. Value only in Euros.
FAO Trade Yearbook. Alderman Gov Docs International FAO 1/T 67/v. (1988,1993). Imports and exports by 4 digit SITC code; volume and value (U.S. dollars). Also 2003 and 2005 available online. Put FAO Trade Yearbook in search box.
Monthly and quarterly data appear in the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, available online.
Vol. 1 = Trade by Country
Vol. II = Trade by Commodity
Trade by sector and by region; selected countries only. Tables downloadable to Excel. Includes merchandise trade and selected services. Some data back to 1980. Choose the statistics database option to build your own tables. Product groups defined according to SITC rev. 3 and values are in U.S. dollars.
NOTE: When choosing variables, you MUST expand folders. You will NOT get data if you just check the box without expanding the folders. Source OECD has a glossary of statistical terms. On the left navigation bar, choose OECD Statistics. Statistics are for OECD and selected non-OECD countries, regions, and various country groupings.
International Trade and Competitiveness - aggregate values; prices by major industry (in local currency).
International Trade by Commodity - value (U.S. dollars) and quantity, for partner countries, 1 to 5 digit specificity. classifications include HS1988 (1990-), HS96 (1996-), SITC Rev. 2 (1961-), and SITC Rev. 3 (1991-).
Statistics included here may be in the UN Common Database. Part 4 of this series lists a country's total imports and exports in U.S. dollars, index numbers of imports, exports, terms of trade, and purchasing power, and values of manufactured goods in U.S. dollars.
Trade by detailed commodities and trading partners, converted to 6 different commodity classifications, covering 40 years. A true gold mine! Various ways to access the data. Quantity and value (in U.S. dollars). There is no option to download, but you may be able to cut and paste into Excel.
Commodity by Industry Classifications
Industry statistics are organized using various numerical coding systems. These coding systems have been assigned to business establishments to identify the primary business of the establishment. The longer the string of digits, the greater the degree of specificity of the commodity. One or two digit numbers represent greatly aggregated data for broad categories of commodities. Seven or ten digit numbers represent fairly specific commodities.
The two main systems in use today are the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC). Before the United States, Canada, and Mexico agreed upon the NAICS in 1997, commodities in the United States were organized according to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), so this system might be needed for doing some historical research. Due to structural improvements and the addition of new industries, it can be very difficult to get time series.
These codes schemes are occasionally revised. You should be aware of the revision being used for the data that you're studying and use the appropriate revision of the code book.
Although you can get a code number quickly from the alphabetic index in the printed code books, the definitions in the actual body of the text will give you a better idea about how that commodity is being defined and will show its relationship to other commodities. In electronic sources, you can generally search for matching text to find commodities, without necessarily using the guides to the coding scheme. However, knowing the specific codes ahead of time and understanding how a term is used will make your search faster and more precise.
Look in the back of each revision for a concordance between versions.