Trade data can help companies identify the best countries to target their exporting efforts. Companies can gauge the size of the market for their product as well as develop a price strategy to become competitive.
The official U.S. import and export statistics reflect government and non-government shipments of merchandise between foreign countries and the U.S. Customs Territory (i.e. the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico), U.S. Foreign Trade Zones, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, without regard to whether or not a commercial transaction is involved.
The first step to accessing export and import statistics is to classify the product with one of the following commodity classification codes: Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), Schedule B Number, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), or Standard International Trade Classification (SITC). Each of these classification systems allow you to assign 6-10 digit codes to commodities so that trade data can be collected and analyzed in a consistent manner. For help with any of the terms or concepts, please visit Basics of Trade Data.
Trade Stats Express is a service provided by the International Trade Administration (ITA). “Get the latest annual and quarterly trade data with TradeStats Express.™ Retrieve, visualize, analyze, print and download your customized output.” More on ITA trade products.
USA Trade Online is another trade data service provided by the US Census Bureau. It offers the most current export and import statistics and provides a wealth of detail such as the unit price (quantity/value) of specific products in foreign countries. More on Census Bureau trade products.
The main difference between these two trade data sites is the level of detail each provides in data. TradeStat Express is great for accessing broader information, while USA Trade Online provides a greater level of detailed trade data.
TradeStats Express
USA Trade Online
Commodity Codes Available
HS (2, 4 digit levels)
NAICS (up to 4 digits)
SITC (up to 3 digits)
HS (2, 4, 6, 10 digit levels)
NAICS (up to 6 digits)
Output Display Options
Maps, Graphs, Tables
Graphs, Tables
Download Formats
CSV, Gif for Maps and Legends, Zip files
Delimited, Excel, XML Programs
Time periods availability
Quarterly, Annually
Monthly, Quarterly, Annually
Level of Detail
Trade/Economic Groups
Geographic Regions
Quantity, Value
Port Level Detail
Method of Transportation
Shipping Weight
Market Level Ranking
Most Current Data Available
Months after Official Release
45 Calendar Days after Reported Month; Schedule of Release
Training Materials
Training Videos,
Help Page,
Instructional Manual,
Live Webinars,
Training Course,
Instructional Manual
Cost
Free
Subscriptions Available. Free at local Federal Repository Libraries.
Global Reach Blog
Global Reach is the official blog of the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau. The blog has several posts related to commodity classification, international trade data our data product USATradeOnline.
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