Air Shipping Weight (SWT): The weight of goods, in kilograms, transported by airborne carriers. Air Value: The value of goods transported by airborne carriers. In the Census port-level and state-level trade data, the air value will not necessarily equal the total value at airports. Census classifies some shipments under non-air methods of transportation (i.e. passenger hand carried). Note: In USA Trade Online, method of transportation is available in the port-level and state-level data only.
Balance: The balance measure is total export value minus general imports consumption value. Note: In USA Trade Online, balance is available for NAICS district-level reports only.
Bonded Warehouses: Bonded warehouses are authorized by U.S. Customs for storage or manufacturing of goods on which payment of duties is deferred until the goods are removed into Customs Territory. These goods are not subject to duties if reshipped to foreign points.
Charges (Import Charges): The import charges represent the aggregate cost of all freight, insurance, and other charges (excluding U.S. import duties) incurred in bringing the merchandise from alongside the carrier at the port of exportation in the country of exportation and placing it alongside the carrier at the first port of entry in the United States. In the case of overland shipments originating in Canada or Mexico, such costs include freight, insurance, and all other charges, costs and expenses incurred in bringing the merchandise from the point of origin (where the merchandise begins its journey to the United States) in Canada or Mexico to the first port of entry. CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) Value (Imports Only): The CIF (cost, insurance, and freight) value represents the landed value of the merchandise at the first port of arrival in the United States. It is computed by adding "Import Charges" to the "Customs Value" (see definitions above) and therefore excludes U.S. import duties. Note: USA Trade Online reports CIF Import Value for NAICS district-level reports only. Containerized Shipments: Containerized import shipments are identified by the reported method of transportation code, and therefore all shipments are either identified as containerized or non-containerized. This excludes containerized import shipments into Foreign Trade Zones, which are not identified by U.S. Customs and as such are not included in this release. Export shipments are reported with an indicator that can either identify an export shipment as containerized or non-containerized. Filers may not always report an indicator, resulting in missing containerized information on export shipments. No attempt is made to estimate the value or shipping weight of containerized exports with missing indicators. Therefore, the containerized export data may be understated. Note: USA Trade Online makes containerized shipments available in the port- and state-level data only.
Containerized Shipping Weight (Containerized SWT): The weight of goods, in kilograms, transported in any van-type container. Note: USA Trade Online makes containerized shipments available in the port- and state-level data only.
Containerized Value: The dollar value of goods transported in any van-type container. Note: USA Trade Online makes containerized shipments available in the port- and state-level data only. Country of Destination (Exports Only): Country of destination for exports is the country where the goods are to be consumed, further processed, or manufactured, as known to the shipper at the time of exportation. If the shipper does not know the country of ultimate destination, the shipment is credited to the last country to which the shipper knows that the merchandise will be shipped in the same form as when exported. Country of Origin (Imports Only): Country of origin for imports is the country where the merchandise was grown, mined, or manufactured, in accordance with U.S. Customs Regulations. In instances where the country of origin cannot be determined, transactions are credited to the country of shipment. Certain foreign trade reports show country sub-codes to indicate special tariff treatment afforded some imported articles.
Customs Value (Imports Only): The Customs value is the value of imports as appraised by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in accordance with the legal requirements of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. This value is generally defined as the price actually paid or payable for merchandise when sold for exportation to the United States, excluding U.S. import duties, freight, insurance, and other charges incurred in bringing the merchandise to the United States. The term "price actually paid or payable" means the total payment (whether direct or indirect, and exclusive of any costs, charges, or expenses incurred for transportation, insurance, and related services incident to the international shipment of the merchandise from the country of exportation to the place of importation in the United States) made, or to be made, for imported merchandise by the buyer to, or for the benefit, of the seller. In the case of transactions between related parties, the relationship between buyer and seller should not influence the Customs value.
In those instances where assistance was furnished to a foreign manufacturer for use in producing an article which is imported into the United States, the value of the assistance is required to be included in the value reported for the merchandise. Such "assists" include both tangible and intangible assistance, such as machinery, tools, dies and molds, blue prints, copyrights, research and development, and engineering and consulting services. If the value of these "assists" is identified and separately reported, it is subtracted from the value during statistical processing. However, where it is not possible to isolate the value of "assists", they are included. In these cases the unit values may be increased due to the inclusion of such "assists".
District and Port Classification: The names and codes of the Customs districts and ports are listed in Schedule D, Classification of U.S. Customs Districts and Ports for Foreign Trade Statistics. The geographical limits of each district are published in the U.S. Customs Regulations. Schedule D is published as a statistical annex in HTSUSA and as a part of Schedule B. Statistics for two or more Customs Districts may be combined and published under an arbitrary designation or shipping weight may be excluded from an individual Customs District as a solution to disclosure situations. Consequently, statistics for individual ports may be understated due to the suppression of the weight of the affected commodities. District of Entry (Imports): The district in which merchandise clears Customs for entry into consumption channels, bonded warehouses or Foreign Trade Zones. District (or Port) of Exportation (Exports Only): For vessel or air shipments, the district (or port) in which the merchandise is loaded on the vessel or aircraft which takes the merchandise out of the country. For rail, truck, pipeline, or other overland transportation, the district (or port) through which the merchandise crosses the U.S. border into foreign territory. Aircraft exported under their own power are credited to the district from which they are flown out of the United States. District of Unlading (Imports): The district where merchandise is unloaded from the importing vessel or aircraft. Note: USA Trade Online port value is reported using district of unlading. All other USA Trade Online data are reported using District of Entry. The following types of import shipments are included for statistical purposes in special U.S. Customs port groupings and are not reported by their geographical location: - Vessels under their own power or afloat, - Low valued imports (under $250 in value) Dutiable Value of Imports and Calculated Duty: The "dutiable value" represents, in general, the Customs value of foreign merchandise imported into the United States which is subject to duty. The "calculated duty" represents the estimated import duties collected. Estimated duties are calculated based on the applicable rate(s) of duty as shown in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes.
Exports: Exports measure the total physical movement of merchandise out of the United States to foreign countries whether such merchandise is exported from within the U.S. Customs territory or from a U.S. Customs bonded warehouse or a U.S. Foreign Trade Zone. Note: USA Trade Online reports export data on the basis of Total Exports unless otherwise specified. Exports, Domestic: Exports of domestic merchandise include commodities which are grown, produced or manufactured in the United States, and commodities of foreign origin which have been changed in the United States, including U.S. Foreign Trade Zones, from the form in which they were imported, or which have been enhanced in value by further manufacture in the United States. Note: Trade Online reports NAICS export data on the basis of Total Exports, FAS Value. Exports, Foreign or Re-exports: Exports of foreign merchandise (re-exports), consist of commodities of foreign origin which have entered the United States for consumption or into Customs bonded warehouses or U.S. Foreign Trade Zones, and which, at the time of exportation, are in substantially the same condition as when imported. Note: USA Trade Online reports NAICS export data on the basis of Total Exports, FAS Value.
Exports, Total: Total exports are calculated by adding domestic exports to foreign exports (also called re-exports).
Harmonized System: The United States reports import and export statistics on a 10-digit classification system called the Harmonized System. The system is defined at the 2-, 4-, 6-, and 10-digit level for both imports and exports. At a six-digit level, the Harmonized System codes are the same between imports and exports (and are the same as used by most industrialized countries of the world). At the 10-digit level, however, there are variations between imports and exports. Note: In USA Trade Online, port-level and state-level data are only available to the 6-digit level. All other data are available to the 10-digit level. In the United States, the import classification system is called the "Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States" while the export system is called the "Schedule B". (More detail about each of these classification systems is provided elsewhere.) Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Annotated: The HTS comprises a hierarchical structure for describing all goods in trade for duty, quota, and statistical purposes. This structure is based upon the international Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), administered by the World Customs Organization in Brussels; the 4- and 6-digit HS product categories are subdivided into 8-digit unique U.S. rate lines and 10-digit non-legal statistical reporting categories.
Imports: Imports of merchandise include commodities of foreign origin as well as goods of domestic origin returned to the United States with no change in condition or after having been processed and/or assembled in other countries.
Imports for Consumption: "Imports for Consumption" measure the total of merchandise that has physically cleared through Customs either entering consumption channels immediately or entering after withdrawal for consumption from bonded warehouses under Customs custody or from Foreign Trade Zones. Many countries use the term "special imports" to designate statistics compiled on this basis.
Imports, General: "General Imports" measure the total physical arrivals of merchandise from foreign countries, whether such merchandise enters consumption channels immediately or is entered into bonded warehouses or Foreign Trade Zones under Customs custody. Note: USA Trade Online reports import data on the basis of General Imports--not Imports for Consumption--customs value (with the exception of NAICS district-level data).
N.A.I.C.S.: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) replaced the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system in 1997 as the industry classification system used by the statistical agencies of the United States. Under NAICS, economic units that use like processes to produce goods or services are grouped together, creating a "production-oriented" system. N.E.S.O.I.: Not Elsewhere Specified Or Included.
Port of Export (Exports Only): For shipments by air or sea, it is the U.S. Customs port where the merchandise is loaded on the vessel or aircraft that takes the merchandise out of the country. For other overland transportation, it is the U.S. Customs port through which the merchandise crosses the U.S. border into a foreign country.
The following types of export shipments are included for statistical purposes in special U.S. Customs port groupings and are not reported by their geographical location: - Vessels under their own power or afloat - Low valued exports (under $2500 in value) - Mail shipments - Exports of bituminous coal from the port districts of Charleston, SC; Mobile, AL; and Norfolk, VA - Exports of cotton linter pulp from the port districts of Savannah, GA; and Wilmington, NC Port of Unlading (Imports Only): For shipments by air or sea, it is the U.S. Customs port where merchandise is unloaded from the importing vessel or aircraft; it is not necessarily the same port that the shipment clears U.S. Customs. For overland shipments, it is the port that the shipment clears U.S. Customs, which may or may not be the same port where the shipment is unloaded.
The following types of import shipments are included for statistical purposes in special U.S. Customs port groupings and are not reported by their geographical location: - Vessels under their own power or afloat, - Low valued imports (under $250 in value)
Schedule B: The export statistics are initially collected and compiled in terms of approximately 8,000 commodity classifications in Schedule B, Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities Exported from the United States. Schedule B is a U.S. Bureau of the Census publication and is based on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System). Shipping Weight (SWT): Shipping weight represents the gross weight in kilograms of shipments, including the weight of moisture content, wrappings, crates, boxes, and containers (other than cargo vans and similar substantial outer containers). Shipping weight information is available for shipments by vessel and air only. In some instances, shipments between the United States and countries abroad enter or depart through Canada or Mexico. Such shipments are recorded under the method of transportation by which they enter or depart the United States regardless of the transportation mode between Canada or Mexico and the country of origin or destination. Note: In USA Trade Online, shipping weights are available in the port-level and state-level data only.
State Exports: State export data are grouped by the state from which the merchandise starts its journey to the port of export (the state of origin of movement).
Unit Price: Unit price is the average price paid per unit of a commodity (that is, total value divided by quantity). Units of quantity differ among commodities, and unit price information is not available for commodities that do not require a unit of quantity be reported. Units of Quantity: The unit of measure that merchandise is counted either in numbers or weight such as yards, meters, pieces or numbers. The Harmonized System collects information based on the metric standard. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (U.S. Customs, or CBP): U.S. Customs is the government agency responsible for goods, services, and personnel crossing U.S. borders. Their web site is http://www.cbp.gov
Value of Exports: Exports are valued on a free alongside ship (FAS) basis, which reflects transaction price by including inland freight, insurance and other charges incurred in placing the merchandise alongside the ship at the port of export. The value, as defined, excludes the cost of loading the merchandise aboard the exporting carrier and also excludes freight, insurance, and any charges or transportation costs beyond the port of exportation. Value of Imports: The import data is based on U.S. Customs value, generally defined as the price actually paid or payable for merchandise when sold for exportation to the United States, excluding U.S. import duties, freight, insurance and other charges incurred in bringing the merchandise to the U.S. Vessel Shipping Weight (Vessel SWT): Represents the gross weight in kilograms of shipments made by seafaring vessel, including the weight of moisture content, wrappings, crates, boxes, and containers (other than cargo vans and similar substantial outer containers). In some instances, shipments between the United States and countries abroad enter or depart through Canada or Mexico. Such shipments are recorded under the method of transportation by which they enter or depart the United States regardless of the transportation mode between Canada or Mexico and the country of origin or destination. Note: In USA Trade Online, method of transportation is available in the port-level and state-level data only. Vessel Value: The value of goods that enter or leave the country by seafaring vessel. In some instances, shipments between the United States and countries abroad enter or depart through Canada or Mexico. Such shipments are recorded under the method of transportation by which they enter or depart the United States regardless of the transportation mode between Canada or Mexico and the country of origin or destination. Note: In USA Trade Online, method of transportation is available in the port-level and state-level data only.
Year-to-Date (YTD): YTD refers to data for January of the current year through the current data month. For example, if merchandise trade data were just released for July 2005, the YTD totals would be for the first seven months (January-July 2005).