U.S. Government Trade Resources
International Trade Administration – Your U.S. Government resource for competing in the global marketplace.
U.S. Department of Commerce – The Department of Commerce’s mission is to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity for all communities.
U.S. Census Bureau – The Census Bureau’s mission is to serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy.
U.S. Census Bureau Economic Indicators – The U.S. Census Bureau Index of Economic Activity (IDEA) is an aggregation of 15 of the Census Bureau’s primary economic data series that provides a single time series constructed as a weighted combination. This monthly index is constructed from time series of actual and estimated monthly growth rates. As the underlying data are subject to revision, the IDEA is calculated daily, incorporating the most recent values, new estimates, and revisions in each component series.
Census Bureau Schedule B Search Engine – A Schedule-B is a U.S.-specific classification code for exporting goods from the United States. It is administered by the Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division, which keeps records of exports by country as well as the quantity and value in U.S. dollars. The Schedule-B is built upon the first 6-digits of the HS code, and an additional 4-digits for statistical analysis.
Country Commercial Guides – Reports on market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs prepared at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department, and other U.S. agencies’ professionals.
Global Diversity Export Initiative – The U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, organizes trade programs and events to support minority businesses interested in exporting.
U.S. Trade Online – The Official Source of Trade Statistics
Provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, USA Trade® Online is a dynamic data tool that gives users access to current and cumulative U.S. export and import data. With multiple data sets and capabilities, USA Trade® Online can assist different types of customers from a wide range of industries and fields. Manufacturers and other businesses wishing to expand their business globally can utilize USA Trade® Online to identify new markets, evaluate existing markets, and perform other market research tasks.
Export Training Video – Watch an export training video on how to classify your commodity.
International Trade Statistics – International Trade is the official source for U.S. export and import statistics and is responsible for issuing regulations governing the reporting of all export shipments from the United States.
Export Solutions – Export Solutions provides practical advice and business tools to help U.S. companies expand in global markets.
Bureau of Economic Analysis – Info housed by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis is your source of accurate and objective data about the nation’s economy.
International Trade in Goods and Services – BEA’s international trade statistics are best known for capturing the “trade balance.” That’s the difference between U.S. exports (sales of goods and services to residents of other countries) and U.S. imports (purchases of goods and services from residents of other countries). BEA also estimates the United States’ trade deficits or surpluses with individual nations. And we have breakdowns of the types of goods and services traded with those nations. BEA and the Census Bureau jointly release monthly trade in goods and services statistics. MONTHLY RELEASE A MUST HAVE
BEA International Trade and Investment Country Facts – The International Trade and Investment Country Facts application provides information on U.S. trade in goods and services, direct investment, and the activities of multinational enterprises for individual countries and country groupings.
BEA Industry Facts – Looking for the lowdown on your favorite industry? BEA’s Industry Facts provide industry-specific information on value-added, intermediate inputs, and gross output in real and current dollars. Now with Industry Facts, you can access consolidated data tables or print a one-page overview of your industry’s latest statistics. Select an industry below and start learning!
BEAR FACTS – State by State Facts -BEA Regional Fact Sheet about personal income and gross domestic product (GDP). Get all your state data, it is a great source when trying to get information on GDP by County, State and Personal Income.
Global Tariff Finder Tool – Use the Customs Info Database tariff and taxes lookup tool to find duties and taxes for shipments to over 170 markets. A tariff or duty (the words are used interchangeably) is a tax levied by governments on the value including freight and insurance of imported products. Different tariffs applied on different products by different countries.
Customs Info Database Global Tariff Lookup Tool – Watch this Video Tutorial to learn how to find and calculate duties and taxed. You can also watch it directly on YouTube click here
FTA Tariff Tool – The FTA Tariff Tool is an online resource to help you determine the tariff, or tax at the border, that certain foreign countries will collect when your product crosses into their country. In trade agreements, countries commit to lowering tariff rates over time to zero. The FTA Tariff Data Tool is a database with all the rates the United States’ Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners have committed to implementing and maintaining.
Search FTA Rates – What is your product’s HS Code? You need to know your product’s HS code. The HS code can be a 6, 8- or 10-digit number used for a category of products.
Research Center – Discover the world of trade and analysis from ITA’s team of trade specialists and partners around the world. Visual Data Center, Top Market Series, Search for Industries, Research by Country, Country Commercial Guides, Market Diversification Tool, and More
SELECT USA – Select USA is the federal government program housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce charged to promote and facilitate business investment into the United States. Since its inception, Select USA has facilitated more than $146 billion in client-verified investment projects, supporting more than 166,000 U.S. jobs.
Global Edge – Created by the International Business Center and the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University (IBC), globalEDGE™ is a knowledge web portal that connects international business professionals worldwide to a wealth of information, insights, and learning resources on global business activities.
California Center For International Trade Development – The CITD specializes in export assistance serving California through export training, one-on-one counseling, customized market research, and hosting various buying missions. CITD is an invaluable resource to California-based food processing, agri-business, and manufacturing industries by providing a wide array of services at no or low cost and advocating on behalf of the industry. Use this resource site and put these on your site.
International Trade Centre – Building trade-led growth for a more equitable world. Our support for micro, small and medium-sized businesses’ ability to compete can lift individuals, communities and countries out of poverty and create a more equitable world.
We connect micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to global and regional value chains, a major contributor to economic growth and poverty reduction.
ITC offers a range of online tools to make global trade more transparent and facilitate access to markets. These tools will help you identify export and import opportunities, compare market-access requirements, monitor national trade performance, and make well informed trade decisions.
Global Textile Academy – The textiles and clothing industry has an immense influence on the global economy, trade and employment rates, as well as social and environmental aspects.
To continue enhancing the sector’s development, ITC’s Fibres, Textiles and Clothing (FTC) programme created this platform so all professionals interested in the textiles and clothing industry can have access to the material and training provided to ITC’s beneficiaries and partners.
In this ever-changing sector, keeping yourself and your business informed on the latest trends, due diligence and trade requirements, and the industry forecast is crucial and will support businesses through the sector’s challenges. Join the Global Textile Academy to access a range of materials on the entire fiber to the clothing value chain.
The Atlas of Economic Complexity – The Atlas of Economic Complexity is an award-winning data visualization tool that allows people to explore global trade flows across markets, track these dynamics over time and discover new growth opportunities for every country. Built at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, The Atlas is powered by Harvard’s Growth Lab’s research and is the flagship tool of The Viz Hub, the Growth Lab’s portfolio of visualization tools.
OECD– The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is a unique forum where the governments of 37 democracies with market-based economies collaborate to develop policy standards to promote sustainable economic growth. The OECD provides a setting where governments can compare experiences, seek answers to common challenges, identify good practices, and develop high standards for economic policy.
DATA WEB- dataweb.usitc.gov – The Premier Source of Free U.S. Trade & Tariff Data. USITC Data Web provides U.S. merchandise trade and tariff data in a user-friendly web interface. Trade data for 1989 to the present are available on a monthly, quarterly, annual, or year-to-date basis and can be retrieved using a sophisticated querying tool with features such as user defined country and commodity groups.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Basic Importing and Exporting. Both CBP and the importing/exporting community have a shared responsibility to maximize compliance with laws and regulations. In carrying out this task, CBP encourages importers/exporters to become familiar with applicable laws and regulations and work together with the CBP Office of Trade to protect American consumers from harmful and counterfeit imports by ensuring the goods that enter the U.S. marketplace are genuine, safe, and lawfully sourced.
Export University – Export resources to help you succeed globally. Export‐U delivers the training you need to make profitable export sales. Our webinars show you how to find the best export markets for your goods and how to sell into them. And now, our all-new Exporter’s Resource Database offers a wealth of trade information to help you succeed at exporting.
Export University Glossary – All the Trade Terms from A to Z. A must-have for small businesses in the world of International Trade.
Incoterms – The Incoterms® are a set of 11 individual rules issued by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) which define the responsibilities of sellers and buyers for the sale of goods in international transactions. Of primary importance is that each Incoterms rule clarifies the tasks, costs, and risks to be borne by buyers and sellers in these transactions. Familiarizing yourself with Incoterms will help improve smoother transactions by clearly defining who is responsible for what and each step of the transaction. Watch The Video—Click here
The seven Incoterms® 2020 rules for any mode(s) of transport are:
EXW – Ex Works (insert place of delivery)
FCA – Free Carrier (Insert named place of delivery)
CPT – Carriage Paid to (insert place of destination)
CIP – Carriage and Insurance Paid To (insert place of destination)
DAP – Delivered at Place (insert named place of destination)
DPU – Delivered at Place Unloaded (insert of place of destination)
DDP – Delivered Duty Paid (Insert place of destination).
Note: the DPU Incoterms replaces the old DAT, with additional requirements for the seller to unload the goods from the arriving means of transport.
The four Incoterms® 2020 rules for Sea and Inland Waterway Transport are:
FAS – Free Alongside Ship (insert name of port of loading)
FOB – Free on Board (insert named port of loading)
CFR – Cost and Freight (insert named port of destination)
CIF – Cost Insurance and Freight (insert named port of destination)