Trade Knowledgebase

Non-Monetary Gold in Trade Classifications (SITC, HS)

comtrade_admin — Tue, 17 May 2016 18:04:01 GMT

Non-Monetary Gold in Trade Classifications (SITC, HS)

The list of products in SITC, Rev.1 is less comprehensive compared to other SITC revisions and Harmonised System (HS). It's mainly due to coverage of SITC, Rev.1 which do not include non-monetary gold. In SITC, Rev.2,3,4, non-monetary gold are included in group 971. In HS, the non-monetary gold are included in sub-headings 7108.11, 7108.12, 7108.13, 7109,00, 7112.30, and 7112.91

BPM6 Definition of Monetary and Non-Monetary Gold

Monetary gold is gold to which the monetary authorities (or others who are subject to the effective control of the monetary authorities) have title and is held as reserve assets. Gold bullion not held as reserve assets is not a financial asset and is included in non-monetary gold (BPM6, para. 5.74).

Non-monetary gold covers all gold other than monetary gold. Non-monetary gold can be in the form of bullion (that is, gold bullion takes the form of coins, ingots or bars with a purity of at least 995 parts per thousand, including such gold held in allocated gold accounts), gold powder and gold in other unwrought or semimanufactured forms. Jewelry, watches, etc. that contain gold are not included under non-monetary gold but under their respective goods category (see BPM6, para. 10.50).

Why there is such a large discrepancy when data is converted from H3 to H1

comtrade_admin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 10:18:40 GMT

Why there is such a large discrepancy when data is converted from H3 to H1?

Question
Hello As part of my investigation into the Comtrade Database, I have noticed some irregularities in UK Chapter 88 data.
When viewing the "As reported" import data for the United Kingdom for Chapter 88, the trade values appear to be consistent. When the same data is fetched from the HS1996 (H1) dataset, there is a very large drop in traded value between 2006 and 2007. This drop sees the total trade value drop from roughtly $15,200,000,000 in 2006 to $7,300,000 in 2007 for H1 data. The equivalent "as reported" (H3) data states roughly $15,200,000,000 in 2006 (same as H1) and $15,900,000,000 in 2007. I have looked at the correlation tables between H1, H2 and H3 data and the only change I have seen is the removal of 2 six digit codes due to low trade volume. As such, I cannot understand why there is such a large discrepancy when data is converted from H3 to H1. Below are the URLs to query for this information:
As Reported http://comtrade.un.org/db/dqBasicQueryResults.aspx?cc=88&px=HS&r=826&y=all&p=0&rg=1&so=9999&rpage=dqBasicQuery&qt=n
HS1996 (H1) http://comtrade.un.org/db/dqBasicQueryResults.aspx?cc=88&px=H1&r=826&y=all&p=0&rg=1&so=9999&rpage=dqBasicQuery&qt=n If you could please provide an answer to this concern, it will help my analysis greatly.

Answer:

We have investigated the query and found out that the large discrepancy came from confidential items (or nonstandard HS codes) in Chapter 88. When we processed the data from the country, we "converted" those nonstandard HS codes in Chapter 88 into 88CF00 (so called memorandum item) while the detailed non-standard codes were removed from the data. When we aggregated 'as reported' import data for the UK into the 2-digit level, these 88CF00 were included in Chapter 88. This is why you found the values for 'as reported' series appear to be consistent for years from 2007 to 2009 at the 2-digit level. On the detailed 6-digit level code 999999 contains the value required to make 6-digit data sum up to the total (meaning this code contains all values of non-standard codes which were removed from the detailed data).

When we do data conversions from H3 to H1, the current practices are that the conversions are exclusively based on the most detailed level data (6-digit standard code to 6-digit standard code) while all higher level data are aggregated from this detailed data. This means in converted data neither chapter 88 nor any other chapter (except 99) does include memorandum item information. Instead the value of chapter 99 is higher. We will review this practice as part of the planned UN Comtrade update.

UN Comtrade Conversion table from HS2007 to SITC,Rev.3

comtrade_admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:02:44 GMT

UN Comtrade Conversion table from HS2007 to SITC,Rev.3

(work in progress)

The purpose of this article is to explain how to convert detailed data (6-digit sub-headings) provided by countries in the 2007 version of the Harmonized System (HS2007) into data according to the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3 (SITC, Rev.3) at the most detailed level possible. This will allow users of UN Comtrade to continue to extract time series data by sections, divisions, group, sub-group and basic headings of SITC, Rev.3, despite the fact that data for later years is provided in HS2007.

Please note that this data conversion is solely implemented for the convenience of data users. It is based on the best judgment of the staff at the United Nations Statistics Division but has no binding character whatsoever. Data users are free to convert the original data provided by countries to different classifications according to their own criteria.

For detailed information, see attachment.

Data Conversion

comtrade_admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:41:57 GMT

Data reported in HS2007 now also converted to SITC, Rev.1 and SITC, Rev.2

As of today data reported in the latest version of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, Forth Edition (2007) (HS2007) is made available converted to the SITC, Rev.1 and SITC, Rev.2. Now, the data reported in HS2007 are converted to all previous HS editions, all SITC revisions and the Classification by Broad Economic Categories (BEC).

Background: HS2007 came into effect 1.1.2007 and many countries provided their detailed trade data for the reporting year 2007 according to the HS2007. For the convenience of users UN Comtrade provides not only the data in the original classification in which it is provided but also converted to earlier HS versions and other trade classifications. It should be noted that the very nature of a revision of a classification does not allow establishing a clear 1:1 correspondence for all codes of a new to the codes of previous versions of a classification and users should bear in mind the potential shortcomings when using converted instead of original data. A detailed note on the methodology used for developing the data conversions together with correlation and conversion tables is available here.

Obtaining data for commodities by 6-digit code

comtrade_admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:18:17 GMT

Obtaining data for commodities by 6-digit code

Q: I am looking for the amount of spandex (or elastane) imports in Russia as well as PEt filament yarn imports in Russia and I don't find this information. Maybe it is done under another HS number? Anyway for any information, aid or advice you could give me, I thank you very much.

A: UN Comtrade contains data up to 6 digits only. The international standard for detailed HS is at the 6 digit levels which does not cover your specific commodity. Therefore, you may wish to contact the countries themselves for data they posses beyond 6 digits. EUROSTAT database contains 8 digit data for the European countries.

You can use the link below to locate the 6-digit code, after which you can query the UN Comtrade database for available data.
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b/2006/browse.html

Trade Statistics Coding Systems

comtrade_admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:06:53 GMT

General Information

Number of Digits

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.

Systems in Use

The two main systems in use today for international trade statistics are the Harmonised System (HS) and the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC).

Revisions

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.

Indexes and Keyword Searching

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 show its context 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 numbers ahead of time and understanding how a term is used will make your search more precise and fast.

By enter key words or HS code, you can search list of products and commodities with their 6 digit, 4 digit, or 2 digit - HS codes at the online database below:
http://www.foreign-trade.com/reference/hscode.htm
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Harmonized (Harmonised) System
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. You can use this guide to determine the numerical code assigned to a particular commodity; the descriptive passages can be helpful to determine the context of a particular commodity within classification. Use the alphabetical index at the end to get an idea of the code, then check that number in the main body of the text to verify its definition and understand how it's being used. This goes to the 10-digit level of detail.

You can also simply do a text search in an the electronic databases, but then you don't necessarily always fully understand the relationships between various commodities.

SITC (Standard International Trade Classification)
Published by the United Nations as the Commodity Indexes for the Standard International Trade Classification. Tends to be not quite as detailed as the Harmonized System. As with the Harmonized Schedules, use the alphabetical index at the back of the second volume to get an idea of the code, then check that number in the main body of the text to verify its definition and understand how it's being used. Use the Revision appropriate to the particular series. The books go to the 5-digit level and can help determine a broad category of commodity. Some of the data sources are more detailed.

You can also simply do a text search in the electronic databases, but then you don't necessarily always fully understand the relationships between various commodities.

Finding 6-digit detailed commodity codes in HS Classification in UN Comtrade

comtrade_admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:09:23 GMT

Finding 6-digit detailed commodity codes in HS Classification in UN Comtrade

Q: Regarding the HS classification, will I always find a 6 digit detailed commodity code in the trade data? Can it happen that there is only one subcategory (at 6 digit level) within a 5 digit code? For example, a case would be for code 12333.

12333 10
123331 10
14334 32

A. The HS classification is completely built on 6-digit codes, which are aggregated first to a 4-digit level, and then to the 2-digit level. Please note that the HS classification does not have a 5-digit level (and also not a 1- or 3-digit level).

Yes, it is possible to have only one sub-category at the 6 digit level. Examples are codes 100300, 251400 or 270900 (the last one is the “Crude Oil” code). These three codes are reflected in exactly the same sense at the 4-digit level, as 1003, 2514 and 2709 respectively. As you may notice, these unique 6 digit codes always end in 00.

You can use the link below to locate the 6-digit code, after which you can query the UN Comtrade database for available data.
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b/2006/browse.html

How do I select the type of classification?

comtrade_admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:54:58 GMT

Which classification system is appropriate to use?

Q: How do I select the type of classification? I'd like to know for example when to use the HS2002 or SITC Rev. 1?

A: In general, the rule of thumb in using the classifications is : use older classifications (SITC, Rev.1 and SITC,Rev.2) to obtain long time-series and use recent classifications (HS-2002 and HS-1996) for more detailed information.

The drawback of use of SITC, Revision 1, is that a lot of modern technology was not available at the time of the introduction of this classification (around 1960), which means for instance that it is difficult to find the classification for PCs, fax machines, color printers or mobile telephones (to name a few).

The newer classifications (like HS-2002) will have more clearly defined commodities for those mentioned items, but have been in use only recently, which means that only a few years of data can be found for that classification.

HS 2002 Classification by Section

comtrade_admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:51:00 GMT

HS 2002 Sections
General Rules for the interpretation of the Harmonized System

Users are encouraged to consult the complete text of HS Nomenclature 2002 Edition from WCO webpage: http://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/nomenclature/instrument-and-tools/hs_nomenclature_older_edition/hs_nomenclature_table_2002.aspx.

SECTION I
LIVE ANIMALS; ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Section Notes.
01 Live animals.
02 Meat and edible meat offal.
03 Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.
04 Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included.
05 Products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included.

SECTION II
VEGETABLE PRODUCTS

Section Notes.
06 Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage.
07 Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers.
08 Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons.
09 Coffee, tea, mate and spices.
10 Cereals.
11 Products of the milling industry; malt; starches; inulin; wheat gluten.
12 Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal plants; straw and fodder.
13 Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts.
14 Vegetable plaiting materials; vegetable products not elsewhere specified or included.

SECTION III
ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE FATS AND OILS AND THEIR CLEAVAGE
PRODUCTS; PREPARED EDIBLE FATS;ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE WAXES

15 Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes.

SECTION IV
PREPARED FOODSTUFFS;
BEVERAGES, SPIRITS AND VINEGAR; TOBACCO
AND MANUFACTURED TOBACCO SUBSTITUTES

Section Notes.
16 Preparations of meat, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates.
17 Sugars and sugar confectionery.
18 Cocoa and cocoa preparations.
19 Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks' products.
20 Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants.
21 Miscellaneous edible preparations.
22 Beverages, spirits and vinegar.
23 Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal fodder.
24 Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes.

SECTION V
MINERAL PRODUCTS

25 Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement.
26 Ores, slag and ash.
27 Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes.

SECTION VI
PRODUCTS OF THE CHEMICAL OR ALLIED INDUSTRIES

Section Notes.
28 Inorganic chemicals; organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals, of rare-earth metals, of radioactive elements or of isotopes.
29 Organic chemicals.
30 Pharmaceutical products.
31 Fertilisers.
32 Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other colouring matter; paints and varnishes; putty and other mastics; inks.
33 Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations.
34 Soap, organic surface-active agents, washing preparations, lubricating preparations, artificial waxes, prepared waxes, polishing or scouring preparations, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, "dental waxes" and dental preparations with a basis of plaster.
35 Albuminoidal substances; modified starches; glues; enzymes.
36 Explosives; pyrotechnic products; matches; pyrophoric alloys; certain combustible preparations.
37 Photographic or cinematographic goods.
38 Miscellaneous chemical products.

SECTION VII
PLASTICS AND ARTICLES THEREOF;
RUBBER AND ARTICLES THEREOF

Section Notes,
39 Plastics and articles thereof
40 Rubber and articles thereof

SECTION VIII
RAW HIDES AND SKINS, LEATHER, FURSKINS AND ARTICLES
THEREOF; SADDLERY AND HARNESS; TRAVEL GOODS,
HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR CONTAINERS; ARTICLES OF ANIMAL GUT
(OTHER THAN SILK-WORM GUT)

41 Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather.
42 Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles of animal gut (other than silk-worm gut).
43 Furskins and artificial fur; manufactures thereof.

SECTION IX
WOOD AND ARTICLES OF WOOD; WOOD CHARCOAL;
CORK AND ARTICLES OF CORK; MANUFACTURES OF STRAW,
OF ESPARTO OR OF OTHER PLAITING MATERIALS;
BASKETWARE AND WICKERWORK

44 Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal,
45 Cork and articles of cork.
46 Manufactures of straw, of esparto or of other plaiting materials; basketware and wickerwork.

SECTION X
PULP OF WOOD OR OF OTHER FIBROUS CELLULOSIC MATERIAL;
RECOVERED (WASTE AND SCRAP) PAPER OR PAPERBOARD;
PAPER AND PAPERBOARD AND ARTICLES THEREOF

47 Pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosic material; recovered (waste and scrap) paper or paperboard.
48 Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or of paperboard.
49 Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans.

SECTION XI
TEXTILES AND TEXTILE ARTICLES

Section Notes.
50 Silk.
51 Wool, fine or coarse animal hair; horsehair yarn and woven fabric.
52 Cotton,
53 Other vegetable textile fibres; paper yarn and woven fabrics of paper yarn.
54 Man-made filaments.
55 Man-made staple fibres.
56 Wadding, felt and nonwovens; special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof
57 Carpets and other textile floor coverings.
58 Special woven fabrics; tufted textile fabrics; lace; tapestries; trimmings; embroidery.
59 Impregnated, coated, covered or laminated textile fabrics; textile articles of a kind suitable for industrial use.
60 Knitted or crocheted fabrics.
61 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted.
62 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, not knitted or crocheted.
63 Other made up textile articles; sets; worn clothing and worn textile articles; rags.

SECTION XII
FOOTWEAR, HEADGEAR, UMBRELLAS, SUN UMBRELLAS,
WALKING-STICKS, SEAT-STICKS, WHIPS, RIDING-CROPS AND
PARTS THEREOF; PREPARED FEATHERS AND ARTICLES MADE
THEREWITH; ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS; ARTICLES OF HUMAN HAIR

64 Footwear, gaiters and the like; parts of such articles,
65 Headgear and parts thereof
66 Umbrellas, sun umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat-sticks, whips, riding-crops and parts thereof
67 Prepared feathers and down and articles made of feathers or of down; artificial flowers; articles of human hair.

SECTION XIII
ARTICLES OF STONE, PLASTER, CEMENT, ASBESTOS, MICA
OR SIMILAR MATERIALS; CERAMIC PRODUCTS;
GLASS AND GLASSWARE

68 Articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials.
69 Ceramic products.
70 Glass and glassware.

SECTION XIV
NATURAL OR CULTURED PEARLS, PRECIOUS OR SEMI-PRECIOUS
STONES, PRECIOUS METALS, METALS CLAD WITH PRECIOUS METAL
AND ARTICLES THEREOF; IMITATION JEWELLERY; COIN

71 Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal and articles thereof; imitation, jewellery; coin.

SECTION XV

BASE METALS AND ARTICLES OF BASE METAL

Section Notes.
72 Iron and steel.
73 Articles of iron or steel.
74 Copper and articles thereof
75 Nickel and articles thereof.
76 Aluminium and articles thereof
77 (Reserved for possible future use in the Harmonized System)
78 Lead and articles thereof
79 Zinc and articles thereof.
80 Tin and articles thereof.
81 Other base metals; cermets; articles thereof.
82 Tools, implements, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof of base metal.
83 Miscellaneous articles of base metal.

SECTION XVI

MACHINERY AND MECHANICAL APPLIANCES;
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT; PARTS THEREOF; SOUND RECORDERS AND
REPRODUCERS, TELEVISION IMAGE AND SOUND RECORDERS AND
REPRODUCERS, AND PARTS AND ACCESSORIES OF SUCH ARTICLES

Section Notes.
84 Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof
85 Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles,

SECTION XVII

VEHICLES, AIRCRAFT, VESSELS AND ASSOCIATED
TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT
Section Notes.

86 Railway or tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereat railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds.
87 Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling-stock, and parts and accessories thereof.
88 Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof.
89 Ships, boats and floating structures.

SECTION XVIII

OPTICAL, PHOTOGRAPHIC, CINEMATOGRAPHIC, MEASURING,
CHECKING, PRECISION, MEDICAL OR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS
AND APPARATUS; CLOCKS AND WATCHES; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS;
PARTS AND ACCESSORIES THEREOF

90 Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof
91 Clocks and watches and parts thereof.
92 Musical instruments; parts and accessories of such articles.

SECTION XIX

ARMS AND AMMUNITION; PARTS AND ACCESSORIES THEREOF

93 Arms and ammunition; parts and accessories thereof.

SECTION XX

MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES

94 Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; lamps and lighting fittings, not elsewhere specified or included; illuminated signs, illuminated nameplates and the like; prefabricated buildings.
95 Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof
96 Miscellaneous manufactured articles.

SECTION XXI

WORKS OF ART, COLLECTORS' PIECES AND ANTIQUES

97 Works of art, collectors' pieces and antiques.
98 (Reserved for special uses by Contracting Parties) 99 (Reserved for special uses by Contracting Parties)

UN Comtrade Reference Tables

comtrade_admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:08:35 GMT

UN Comtrade Reference Tables

Trade FLow (Regime) Codes

1	Imports
2	Exports
3	Re-Exports
4	Re-Imports

WCO/UN Comtrade Supplementary Quantity Units

In addition to net weight, all detailed UN Comtrade data also have supplementary quantity units. These units of measurement are based on the standards of quantity recommended by the World Customs Organization (WCO):

UN Comtrade Code	WCO Abbreviation	Description
1	-	No quantity
2	m²	Area in square meters
3	1000 kWh	Electrical energy in thousands of kilowatt-hours
4	m	Length in meters
5	u	Number of items
6	2u	Number of pairs
7	l	Volume in liters
8	kg	Weight in kilograms
9	1000u	Thousand of items
10	U (jeu/pack)	Number of packages
11	12u	Dozen of items
12	m3	Volume in cubic meters
13	carat	Weight in carats

Commodity and Country

You can download the references for commodities (HS or SITC versions) and countries in Microsoft Excel , TXT , Microsoft Access formats from the attached zip files.

For the HS code description, see
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradekb/Knowledgebase/Harmonized-Commodity-Description-and-Coding-Systems-HS

Please note that the following are the variable descriptions for the commodities files:

CmdCode:

Commodity code

CmdDesc:

Commodity description

IsLeaf:

Basic code without children

Parentcode:

High level of that commodity code

pfDesc:

Commodity classification

PfCode:

Commodity classification code

yr:

Year

rtCode

Reporter Code

ptCode:

Partner Code

qtCode:

Quantity code

H5=2017, H4=2012, H3=HS2007, H2=HS2002, H1=HS1996, H0=1992, S4=SITC.4, S3=SITC.3, S2=SITC.2, S1=SITC.1, BE=BEC

The following are the variable descriptions for country files:

Cty Code:	Country code
Cty Name English:	Country name in English
Cty Fullname English:	Country full name in English
Cty Abbrevation:	Country name abbreviated
Cty Comments:	Applicable comments regarding country
ISO2-digit Alpha:	ISO 2 digit alpha code
ISO3-digit Alpha:	ISO 3 digit alpha code
Start Valid Year:	Year starting for country code validation
End Valid Year:	Year ending for country code validation

For all country code and name, see
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradekb/Knowledgebase/Comtrade-Country-Code-and-Name or http://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradekb/Knowledgebase/50347/Country-Code

Additional correspondence tables from UNSD Classifications website

comtrade_admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:41:29 GMT

Additional correspondence tables can be found at the UNSD Classifications website:
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/regot.asp?Lg=1

HS, SITC and BEC conversion and correspondence tables

comtrade_admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:33:39 GMT

HS, SITC and BEC correspondence tables
Complete HS, SITC and BEC correspondence tables along with detailed note on its conversion methodology can be found at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/trade/conversions/HS%20Correlation%20and%20Conversion%20tables.htm

13 Jun 2017: HS 2017 Conversion and correlation tables are released.

Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding Systems (HS)

comtrade_admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:23:12 GMT

Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding Systems (HS)
The Harmonized System is an international nomenclature for the classification of products. It allows participating countries to classify traded goods on a common basis for customs purposes. At the international level, the Harmonized System (HS) for classifying goods is a six-digit code system.

The HS comprises approximately 5,300 article/product descriptions that appear as headings and subheadings, arranged in 99 chapters, grouped in 21 sections. The six digits can be broken down into three parts. The first two digits (HS-2) identify the chapter the goods are classified in, e.g. 09 = Coffee, Tea, Maté and Spices. The next two digits (HS-4) identify groupings within that chapter, e.g. 09.02 = Tea, whether or not flavoured. The next two digits (HS-6) are even more specific, e.g. 09.02.10 Green tea (not fermented)... Up to the HS-6 digit level, all countries classify products in the same way (a few exceptions exist where some countries apply old versions of the HS).

The Harmonized System was introduced in 1988 and has been adopted by most of the countries worldwide. It has undergone several changes in the classification of products. These changes are called revisions and entered into force in 1996, 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017. Detailed amendments to each HS nomenclature are available at attachment links below.

Information on Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding Systems (HS) can be found at the World Customs Organization website at: http://www.wcoomd.org/home_wco_topics_hsoverviewboxes.htm

You can download HS codes and descriptions (and other classifications such as SITC and BEC) from UN Comtrade Commodity Classifications.

By entering key words or HS code, you can search list of products and commodities with their 6 digit, 4 digit, or 2 digit - HS codes at the online database below:
http://www.foreign-trade.com/reference/hscode.htm

Harmonized System 2017

Amendments to Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, which have been accepted as result of the Customs Co-operation Council Recommendation of 27 June 2014 and 11 June 2015, will enter into force on 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2018, respectively. The complementary amendments (of 11 June 2015) is to take into account of the necessary corrections and some further amendments in respect to heading 44.01 and certain subheadings of Chapter 44, inadvertently omitted from the Council Recommendation of 27 June 2014. The HS Contracting Parties are, however, encouraged to apply these amendments from 1 January 2017.

The recommendations include 242 sets of amendments in various sectors as follows: agricultural, chemical, wood, textile, base metal, machinery, transport and other sectors. The amendments were not only motivated by changes in technology (i.e., addition of heading for light-emitting diode (LED) lamps) or patterns of international (i.e., deleting of some subheadings due to low trade volume) trade but also to clarify certain texts to render them more consistent with scientific or customary terminology of with trade practice. More detailed information with regard to the amendments is available from WCO website.

Correspondence Tables

The amendments (split, merge, change in scope) between the latest HS edition and its previous edition are maintained by WCO. UNSD then harmonizes those relationships in to 1-to-1, 1-to-n, n-to-1 and n-to-1 and extends the correspondences to earlier HS editions, SITC and BEC. The information and its methodological papers are available for download from UNSD Commodity Correspondence Tables.

WCO Reused Codes

It is unlikely that discontinued HS codes are to be used in later editions, nevertheless it is possible. Please note that the scope of reused codes may be different or similar. See the list at HS Reused Codes.

UNSD HS Legacy Codess

In early editions of HS 1988 and HS 1996, UNSD created sets of non-standard HS codes to keep track detailed of Petroleum products that was available in (submitted data sets of) SITC Rev.3, but not in HS 1998 (such as Kerosene jet fuel). These legacy codes were no longer used in HS 2002. However, some of these legacy codes are now being used by WCO as a valid HS codes. Therefore, users should be aware that scope of legacy codes in earlier HS 1988 and 1966 are not the same with current HS codes. See the list of UNSD HS Legacy Code.

IMTS: Supplement to the Compiler's Manual (2008)

comtrade_admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:33:49 GMT

IMTS: Supplement to the Compiler's Manual (2008)

The International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Supplement to the Compilers Manual has been prepared with the support of the inter-agency Task Force on International Merchandise Trade Statistics (TFIMTS) as agreed at its 2003 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. The primary purpose of the Supplement is to assist United Nations Member States in the implementation of the guidelines adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission and laid out in International Merchandise Trade Statistics : Concepts and Definitions , Revision 2 (IMTS, Rev.2 ) and International Merchandise Trade Statistics : Compilers Manual . The Supplement may also serve as a guide to users who wish to understand better the nature of trade data.

The Supplement covers a number of topics deemed to be beneficial to trade data compilers, including an overview of compiling practices, the revised International convention on the simplification and harmonization of customs procedures (revised Kyoto Convention), the 2007 edition of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, specific compilation issues such as goods for processing and re-exports, an overview of the differences between IMTS and general merchandise in balance of payments statistics, the lessons learned from the Intrastat system of the European Union, and the topic of linking trade and business statistics.

The Supplement is directed to all institutions which play a role in the collection, compilation and dissemination of trade statistics - the term “compiler” as used in the Supplement refers to those institutions. It recognizes that customs departments around the world are the primary producers of basic data on trade transactions, whereas national statistical offices are mostly responsible for processing and dissemination of the trade statistics. Much of the text is written in respect of individual countries or areas. However, as customs unions have become more prevalent in recent years, a separate chapter has been added specifically on collection of data within a customs union.

The printed version of Supplement to the Compilers Manual is available at:
https://unp.un.org/Details.aspx?pid=17694