The Commodity Selection screen allows you to focus in on the merchandise you want to analyze. USA Trade Online is a full-text searchable database that uses natural-query language. Therefore, quotes around phrases and Boolean operators should not be used. In addition to typing in a word or phrase describing your desired commodity, you can enter a product’s Harmonized System (HS) or North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code directly into the search engine. Please note that the commodity nomenclature used to classify both imports and exports can be unexpected at times, typically a result of a product’s unique history. Fortunately, Census Bureau Commodity Specialists are available at 301-763-3041 to help you find the classification information you need to perform your research.

Alternately, online help related to commodity selection is available at http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/reference/codes/index.html, including information on converting the NAICS and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes to HS codes. You can also contact the Electronic Products Division directly at 301-763-2311 for additional support.


The Difference Between HS and NAICS

The United States defines imports and exports differently at the ten-digit level. The Census Bureau administers export codes (also known as Schedule B) while the U.S. International Trade Commission administers import codes (called the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States of America). These codes are part of the HS coding system established in 1989 and are hierarchically arranged, from a two- to ten-digit level, increasing in detail with level. For example, let’s say you’re interested in fishing rods. As shown below, data on fishing rods is found in Chapter 95 (“Toys, Games & Sport Equipment; Parts & Accessories”). Drilling down through the four- and six-digit levels, you will eventually find specific information on fishing rods only:

Figure A.1: Example of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System

Meanwhile, NAICS was developed jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to provide comparable business activity statistics across North America. It replaced the SIC system in 1997 as the official classification system to be used by U.S. statistical agencies. The NAICS codes are based on broad industry groups, subgroups, and detailed groups of firms in similar lines of business. They include 1,170 industries, of which approximately 565 are service based, broken down into 20 two-digit sectors.

Similar to the HS in that they are hierarchically arranged and increase in detail with each level, NAICS are available on USA Trade Online from 3- to 6-digit.

Figure A.2: Example of NAICS Based Commodity Description and Coding System

Navigating the Commodity Selections

Whether you're analyzing one commodity or several, there are multiple ways to get at them quickly!

As shown below, you can select commodities using the search function, by drilling down through the expandable list of Codes until you find what you want, or by using the various options for selecting multiple commodities. The icons to the left of the two-digit HS or 3-digit NAICS listing on your Commodity Selection screen are your key to more data detail. Simply click on the folder to open or close it. The various options under selecting multiple commodities require a bit more explanation:

• Selection Method:
  1. The default selection method is "Single member" which allows you to select commodities one at a time. Open the folders to get at the next level of detail.
  2. To select a range of commodities, select the under the "Range..." heading. Once "Range" is selected, check the box next to the first commodity in your range of interest before finally checking the box next to the last commodity of interest. This will automatically select all visible commodities within the specified range. Note: Commodities hidden inside folders will not be selected. You must first open the folder and then proceed as instructed in this step. To deselect that specific range, click the under the "Range..." heading.
  3. To select an entire grouping of commodities (such as everything in the "01 Live Animals" classification), click the beside the 2-digit grouping. To deselect that group, simply click the beside the grouping.
     
• HS Commodity District-Level: There are five columns of and under this category. Selecting any of these options automatically activates/deactivates all the commodities at the specified level, with the first column representing the default member selection of "All Commodities". The second column will activate/deactivate all commodities at the 2-digit level. The third column does the same for 4-digit, the fourth for 6-digit, and the fifth for 10-digit.
  
• HS Commodity State-Level: There are four columns of and under this category. Selecting any of these options automatically activates/deactivates all the commodities at the specified level, with the first column representing the default member selection of "All Commodities".The second column will activate/deactivate all commodities at the 2-digit level. The third column does the same for the 4-digit level and so on through to the 6-digit level.
  
• HS Commodity Port-Level: There are four columns of and under this category. Selecting any of these options automatically activates/deactivates all the commodities at the specified level, with the first column representing the default member selection of "All Commodities".The second column will activate/deactivate all commodities at the 2-digit level. The third column does the same for the 4-digit level and so on through to the 6-digit level.
  
• NAICS Commodity State-Level: There are three columns of and under this category. Selecting any of these options automatically activates/deactivates all the commodities at the specified level, with the first column representing the default member selection of "All Commodities".The second column will activate/deactivate all commodities at the 3-digit level. The third column does the same for the 4-digit level.
  
• NAICS Commodity District-Level: There are six columns of and under this category. Selecting any of these options automatically activates/deactivates all the commodities at the specified level, with the first column representing the default member selection of "All Commodities".The second column will activate/deactivate all commodities at the 3-digit level. The third column does the same for the 4-digit level and so on through to the 6-digit level.
  
• Select/Clear all: For data on every commodity individually, do not enter a commodity code. Instead, click the directly underneath the "All" heading. Likewise, you can clear previous selections by clicking the to "Clear All".

Figure B: Overview of Commodity Selection Screen Options

Note: The “All Commodities” option represents the sum of all merchandise trade for either import or export commodities, depending on which report type you chose on the Data Source Selection screen.


Helpful Hints and Related Information

• Remember, the commodity list scrolls down. If you've opened some folders and the commodity list is too long for one page, you can click on the page down arrow at the top of the screen (circled in Figure C) to view the rest of the list:

Figure C: Scrolling Through the Commodity Listings

• USA Trade Online automatically saves any changes you make to your commodity, country, district, state or port (as applicable), and measures criteria before you view the resulting table. Only the "Advanced Selection" option in the time dimension requires you to save your changes first.
• Still can't find what you're looking for? Go to Frequently Asked Questions !