Let us guide you...

• A gold mine of data and service
• What is "merchandise trade"?
• Classifications: The basics
• Examples of customized requests
• Costs
• Request information on a customized request

A gold mine of data and service

We have a wealth of trade data. Some is very general. Some is incredibly specific. Unless you know what you need, all of it can be incredibly confusing.

We, the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau, have over ten (10) years of experience in processing customized trade data requests and even more experience answering the questions that inevitably follow. That makes an unbeatable customer service combination.

Unfortunately, some web sites republish trade data and provide next to nothing in customer support. They dump the information into a database and leave you, the user, to fend for yourself. When you have questions, they point you elsewhere and won't give you answers.

We don't have that problem.

Regardless of the size of your request, we will get it to you as soon as possible and answer any questions you have. After all, we're the source of the data. Who would know better?

Interested? Want to know more?

Let us guide you.

What is "merchandise trade"?

"Merchandise trade" describes the trade in physical goods. Cars, trucks, planes, turbines, animals, etc. make up merchandise trade. Services, however, are not classified as merchandise trade. Money made from movies shown outside the U.S. is counted under services trade -- not merchandise trade.

Also be aware that we only have statistics for U.S. trade.

Classifications: The basics

There are many ways to classify products. What suits one purpose will not suit another. Take a look at what's involved in classifying your products.

Examples of customized requests

We can do a customized request for you. These requests can contain data on specific commodities, countries and customs districts (where the goods cross the border). You can see data on the values, quantities and methods of transportation (to name a few).

Below are examples of some of the possible customized reports:

• Commodity by country: This report focuses on the countries with which the U.S. is trading a specific product. If you're looking for a new country to which you can ship your product, this might be what you're looking for.
  • PDF (100k)
  • TXT (13k)
    
    
• Country by commodity: This report focuses on what is traded between the U.S. and specific countries. If you want to trade in a specific market, this will go you an idea of what kind of competition you may have.
  • PDF (23k)
    
  • TXT (9k)
    
    
• District by commodity: Focus on a geographic location to see what it is shipping with other countries. Useful in analyzing the business of seaports or airports.
  • PDF (128k)
  • TXT (11k)

These are not the only options! If there is data available, we can work it into a report. Just ask!

Costs

There may be costs associated with your customized requests (as low as $10-$15). However, we will inform you about those costs before sending you any data. That way you'll at least know whether or not your information is available. If the costs is no problem, we'll run the request and get it to you as soon as possible. If you'd rather not pay, we may be able to suggest alternative sources.

Request information on a customized request

As you can see, there is a lot of trade information available. We can help you sort through it and decide what you need to achieve your goals.

There are several ways to start the process:

1. Call us at (301) 763-2227
2. E-mail us at ftdreqinfo@census.gov
3. Fill out our Customized Request Information form. Tell us what you think you'll need, and a member of our staff will contact you about your request.