The foreign trade statistics program is unique among the Census Bureau's economic statistics programs in that the information is not collected from forms sent to respondents soliciting responses as in the case of surveys. Rather, the information is compiled from automated forms and reports filed initially with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection through the Automated Commercial Environment, for virtually all shipments leaving (exports) or entering (imports) the United States. Furthermore, exports to Canada are compiled from Canadian import data.

The development of sounder collection bases and greater detail in publicly available trade data occurred because of an increased need for accurate trade data for commercial, economic and political purposes. The Government uses the foreign trade statistics in developing the merchandise trade figures in balance of payments accounts: to appraise and analyze major movements and trends (commodity and geographic) in international trade; to evaluate and plan such programs as export expansion, agricultural development and assistance, and programs under the Foreign

Assistance Act and the Merchant Marine Act; and to measure the impact of tariff and trade concessions under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). The foreign trade data are also used extensively as the statistical base to implement and analyze operations under various international agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), etc.

Trade data are also used to meet a wide variety of legal and regulatory requirements. Similarly, detailed export data are necessary to effectively administer export control and regulatory policies. Such export restrictions may be for national security or foreign policy reasons, for implementing export quotas or embargo programs, or for administrating short supply programs. Non-government users in industry, finance, research institutions, transportation, and other fields, use the foreign trade data to appraise the general trade situation and outlook, in share-of-the-market analyses and market penetration studies, in product and market development, for measuring the impact of competition, and as one of the statistical bases for determining marketing policies.

Schedule B Search Engine (Export Codes)

Look up Schedule B numbers or classify your commodities with this interactive search engine. Search through over 9,000 Schedule B numbers based on the international Harmonized System (HS) commodity classification system.

Harmonized Tariff Schedule Reference Tool (Import Codes)

Use this reference tool to browse and search through all the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes as published and maintained by the United States International Trade Commission. The HTS contains both legal (enacted or proclaimed) and nonlegal (statistical or reference) provisions. All goods imported into the United States are subject to the provisions of the HTS, as well as to regulations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs) and laws that Customs enforces.

Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS)

CROSS is a historical database of binding Customs rulings for Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) classifications of imported goods dating back to 1989.

Global Reach Blog

The official International Trade blog of the U.S. Census Bureau.