Product description

This section defines the scope of the market brief. It is strongly recommended that very specific products be the subject of a market brief and not broad product groups. For example, pepper rather than spices and shrimp rather than shellfish or seafood. Focusing on specific products and avoiding generalities enhances the practical value of a market brief.

In order to avoid ambiguity about the validity of the information provided, particularly statistical data, it is important to ensure that the product description and corresponding trade classification (e.g. SITC or HS), or tariff code used is correct. It is recommended to provide both the code of the product in question and the corresponding description.

 

Examples:   Sesame Seeds - WORLD OVERVIEW Product description This Market Brief covers sesame seeds which are classified under the following codes:  SITC3   222.5      Sesame seeds  HS        1207.40   Sesame seeds, whole, broken, crushed or shelled.  Sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum) are also known as benniseed, gingelly, sim or til.  Sesamum indicum, is a herbaceous annual that probably originated in Africa. The sesame is cultivated extensively in many regions of the world, including China, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Sudan, Mexico, Guatemala and Nigeria. Seeds are the only part of the plant utilized. Sesame seeds (approximately 50% oil and 25% proteins) are used in baking, candy making, and other food products. Sesame oil, important because of its low cholesterol and high proportion of polyunsaturated fats, is used in oleomargarine, salad oils, and cooking oils. The oil can be also used in the manufacture of soaps, paints, perfumes, pharmaceuticals and insecticides. Sesame paste (Tahini) is popular in the Middle East. Sesame meal, left after oil extraction, is an excellent high-protein (34% to 50%) feed for poultry and livestock.      Dried Flowers - EUROPEAN UNION Product description This Market Brief covers dried flowers which are classified under the following codes:  HS 0603.90-00 Dried, dyed, bleached, impregnated or otherwise prepared cut flowers and buds for bouquets or for ornamental purposes.  HS 0604.99-10 Dried parts of plants for bouquets or for ornamental purposes.  HS 0604.99-90 Dyed, bleached, impregnated or otherwise prepared (excluding fresh and dried), parts of plants (without flowers or buds).  In practice, consignments are not always recorded under the corresponding headings.

How to find codes and descriptors

The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS)
The Standard International Trade Classification (SITC)
The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)
The North American Industrial Classification System(NAICS)
 
 

The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) The Harmonized System (HS) came into force in 1988 and, by now, the majority of countries have adopted this system. The HS is now an internationally accepted classification for products traded. The classification is said to be "harmonized" in relation to the classifications of the United Nations and  the European Communities.  The HS evolved from the customs tariff  nomenclature of the Customs Cooperation Council (now the  World Customs Organization -  WCO). The original customs tariff nomenclature of the Council was the 1955 Brussels Tariff  Nomenclature (BTN). The main requirements for the classification were that goods should be classified according to objective criteria and that classes be simple, precise and objective in application. In particular, the following criteria were used: classification according to raw or basic material, to the degree of processing, by use or function and classification according to economic activities. These principles were maintained in all subsequent revisions of the nomenclature. In 1974, the nomenclature was renamed the Customs Cooperation Council Nomenclature (CCCN).  The HS was implemented in accordance with a Convention adopted by the Council in June 1983, which entered into force as of 1 January 1988.  The HS is a revision and extension of CCCN, modifying existing four-digit headings and introducing six-digit sub headings in many cases.   At present the system contains 21 sections, 97 chapters and 1,241 headings at the four-digit level, 930 of which are further divided in sub headings. In total, for the HS-1996, there are 5,113 separate categories of goods identified by a six-digit code.  Most of the countries which have adopted HS have added one or more digits to further classify products of particular national interest. The Combined Nomenclature (CN) for instance, since 1 January 1998, correspond to the  HS that European Communities have adopted adding 2 digits to the 6 original digits in order to meet European needs.  Primary Source World Customs Organization 26-38, rue de l'Industrie  1040 Brussels  Belgium  Tel: (322) 508 42 11  Fax: (322) 508 42 40  Tlx: 61597  Secondary Sources: Internet:  HS at six-digit level (International) UNCTAD TRAINS HS at more than six-digit level USA Classification: The Trading Floor The US Harmonized Tariff Schedule Combined Nomenclature of the European Union: DSI Data Service Information Department of Customs, Malta: TARIC Database (in English) Agencia Tributaria (AEAT): TARIC (Derechos de Arancel aplicables a una mercancia en una fecha) Diffusione Pubblica della Tariffa Doganale d'Uso integrata - Ricerca nomenclatura per parola APEC countries (21 Pacific- rim countries member of APEC): APEC Tariff Database CD-ROMs: International Trade Codes TRAINS from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), DMS/TCMIS. Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Tel: (4122) 9171234,  Fax:  (4122) 9070051

 

The Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) The Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) has been developed by the United Nations with the purpose of classifying traded products not only on the basis of their materials and physical properties, but also according to their stage of processing and economic functions in order to facilitate economic analysis. As SITC has been developed principally for statistical purposes, it has to maintain a correlation with the tariff nomenclature, given that customs declarations are the principal source of trade data. For this reason, SITC has undergone three revisions, to align itself with the development of the tariff nomenclatures. The latest revision of SITC (Rev.3) establishes a correlation with the HS, while the previous revisions were related to BTN (SITC Rev. 1) and CCCN (SITC Rev. 2), respectively. SITC Rev. 3 was adopted in 1988 and maintains the basic 10-section structure of the previous editions; the sections are subdivided into 67 two-digit divisions, 261 three-digit groups, 1,033 four-digit groups, and 3,118 five-digit headings. Primary Source: United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) Who to contact for more information and information on availability in machine-readable format:  Director  United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)  Attn: Trade Methodology and Analysis Section  Fax: (212) 963-9851/4116  Email: CHL@un.org  Secondary Sources:  Internet:  International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO TradePort  (note that although Tradeport refers to SITC as Standard Industrial Trade Classification, it means Standard International Trade Classification).  PACIFIC CD-ROM: Trade Analysis System on Personal Computer (PC/TAS), International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO, DPMD/TIMNSS, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Tel: (4122) 730 0111,  Fax: (4122) 7334439,  Email: itcreg@intracen.org

International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC)  The International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) in its latest version (Rev.3) was approved in 1989. This revision attempts to reflect the increasing importance of the service industries and classifies the activities into 17 broad categories identified alphabetically, subdivided into 60 divisions with a further breakdown of up to four-digit headings.  ISIC is used in the industrial statistics publications of the UN and in national country classifications. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also provides trade statistics classified by the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC).  EUROSTAT developed its own classification of economic activities, the General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities within the European Communities, known as NACE, which is not comparable to ISIC.  Primary Source:  United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) Who to contact for more information and information on availability in machine-readable format:  Director  United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) Attn: Trade Methodology and Analysis Section  Fax: (212) 963-9851/4116  Email: CHL@un.org  Published as International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Statistical Papers, Series M, No. 4, Rev. 2 (United Nations publications,  Sales Section, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, Sales No. E.68.XVII.8).    North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)  NAICS is a North American Industry System that replaces the American Standard Industrial Classification System (SIC). The system was developed by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to provide comparable statistics across the three countries. It was designed to provide comparability with the International Standard Industrial Classification System (ISIC, Rev. 3), and was constructed based on a single economic concept. Economic units that use like processes to produce goods or services are grouped together. It is a "production-oriented" system that is believed will produce data that can be used for: * measuring productivity, unit labor costs, and the capital intensity of production; * constructing input-output relationships; and * estimating employement-output relationships and other such statistics that require intputs and outputs to be used together  NAICS industries are identified by a 6-digit code, in contrast to the 4-digit (SIC) code. The longer code accommodates the larger number of sectors and allows more flexibility in designating subsectors. It also provides for additional details not necessarily appropriate for all three NAICS countries. The International NAICS agreement fixes only the first five digits of the code.The sixth digit, where used, identifies subdivisions of NAICS industries that accommodate user needs in individual countries. Thus, 6-digit U.S. codes may differ from counterparts in Canada or Mexico, but at the 5-digit level they are standardized.   Primary Source:  National Technical Information Service Technology Administration  U.S. Department of Commerce Spingfield, VA 22161 Telephone: (703) 605-6000 Fax: (703) 605-6900 Webpage:  NTIS - NAICS   For more information call the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at  (1703) 487- 4650  or visit the NTIS home page on the Internet  Secondary sources: Internet: NAICS index,for a product classification research NAICS Home page NTIS - SIC page, American Standard Industrial Classification System still used by some industries. U.S. Department of Labor - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), for a complete list of all SIC codes

Other Sources: Classifications Concordances