DEFINITIONS AND METHODOLOGY

Total imports include all goods which have entered the country (Canada or the United States) by crossing territorial (customs) boundaries, whether for immediate domestic consumption or for storage in Customs bonded warehouses.

In the case of Canada, re-imports are included. These are goods re-entering (returned to) Canada after having been exported abroad without having been materially altered or substantially enhanced in value while abroad.

In the case of the United States, General Imports are employed and goods entering U.S. Foreign Trade Zones are included as well as those destined for bonded warehouses. The term General Imports is used to distinguish them from Imports for Consumption which only reflect goods entering into the U.S. consumption channels.

Total Exports include all goods leaving the country (through Customs) for a foreign destination. It consists of the sum of Domestic Exports and Re-Exports.

Domestic Exports consist of the exports of all goods grown, produced, extracted or manufactured in the country (Canada or the United States)leaving the country (through Customs) for a foreign destination. Exports of imported merchandise which has been substantially enhanced in value are also included.

Re-Exports (called Foreign Exports in the U.S.) refer to the export of goods that have previously entered the country (Canada or the United States) and are leaving in the same condition as when first imported. Exports of imported merchandise which has been minimally processed but NOT substantially enhanced in value are also counted as re-exports.

The balance of trade represents the difference between exports and imports of goods between the country (Canada or the United States) and one (or more) of its international trading partners.

If the country imports more goods than it exports, the trade balance is negative (trade deficit). If the country exports more goods than it imports, the trade balance is positive (trade surplus).

Manufacturing Shipments - also known as shipments of goods of own manufacture - consist of all goods produced by Canadian establishments in the Manufacturing Sector (NAICS 31-33)

These are establishments primarily engaged in the physical or chemical transformation of materials or substances into new products. These products may be finished, in the sense that they are ready to be used or consumed, or semi-finished, in the sense of becoming a raw material for an establishment to use in further manufacturing.

Related activities, such as the assembly of the component parts of manufactured goods; the blending of materials; and the finishing of manufactured products by dyeing, heat-treating, plating and similar operations are also treated as manufacturing activities.

Manufacturing establishments are known by a variety of trade designations, such as plants, factories or mills

The manufactured goods include those made under contract as well as those for custom and repair work, but excludes consignment shipments.

Data is collected by Statistics Canada on an annual basis through its Annual Survey of Manufactures.

Export Intensity is defined as the ratio of Domestic Exports to Manufacturing Shipments X 100.

The more an industry is export oriented, the higher is this ratio.

In Trade Data Online, Export Intensity is expressed as a percentage, i.e. as the % of Manufacturing Shipments exported abroad.

The Apparent Domestic Market is calculated by adding Manufacturing Shipments to Total Imports and subtracting Total Exports.

Caution should be exercised when interpreting statistics relating to apparent domestic market. The reason it is called apparent and not real domestic market is due to at least two factors which can distort the results.

1. Trade data are valued at the border on a commodity-by-commodity basis and may be different from the value at the plant gate due to such factors as freight, handling charges, third-party mark-ups and the like. In short, the value at the factory door may be lower than at the border and in some cases where a very larger proportion of the product is exported, it may appear as though one exports more than one produces. While this would appear illogical, it is not due to errors in recording necessarily.

2. Some large plants manufacture products classified to industries other than their own yet all of their plants output, for statistical purposes, is attributed to the industry to which it is classified. In this case, the market for a particular set of goods may be smaller than it appears to be.

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Displays the data for the latest 5 complete years (e.g. 1997 to 2001) with results sorted based on the values for the last year in descending order.

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Displays the data for the latest 10 complete years (e.g. 1992 to 2002). The results sorted based on the values for the last year in descending order.

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Displays the data for specific complete years identified by the user in a pop-up window (e.g. 1990, 1994 and 1999).

The results are sorted based on the values for the last selected year in descending order.

Displays the cumulative year-to-date (YTD) data for the latest current year and compares the results to the equivalent period for the previous year (e.g. January-June 2002 compared to January-June 2001 ).

The results are sorted based on the values for the current year in descending order.

Displays data individually for each of of the last 24 months (e.g. July 2001, August 2001, September 2001_____ on to_____ April 2002, May 2002, June 2002).

The results are sorted based on the values for the last current month in descending order.

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All values in Trade Data Online are available:

• in Canadian dollars;
• in U.S. dollars;
• as percentage of the total (unless Trade Balance is selected as the Trade Type).

These values are:

• in current dollars (unadjusted for inflation);
• not seasonally adjusted;
• refreshed to reflect revisions issued by Statistics Canada or the U.S. Census Bureau.

Export Intensity for manufacturing industries is always expressed as a percentage (% of Manufacturing Shipments exported), not in dollars.

Depending on the report or graph, values may be rounded. When this occurs, the display will clearly indicate whether the values are in thousands of dollars or millions of dollars.

Both Canadian and U.S. data are available in either current Canadian or U.S. dollars.

Canadian data are obtained (from Statistics Canada) in Canadian dollars and are converted to U.S. dollars using a rate obtained from the Bank of Canada.

U.S. data are obtained (from the U.S. Census Bureau) and converted to Canadian dollars using the same exchange rates as above.

Canadian imports are valued F.O.B. (free on board), place of direct shipment to Canada. Thus, the freight and insurance costs incurred in bringing the goods to Canada from the point of direct shipment are EXCLUDED.

Values are determined using GATT valuation principles, which, in general, reflect the transaction value or price paid between unrelated buyers and sellers. Import data from all countries are collected in Canadian dollars.

Canadian exports to the United States are collected by the U.S. as import data from Canada, converted to Canadian dollars using an average monthly rate provided by the Bank of Canada and sent to Statistics Canada for publication as Canadian exports

Canadian exports to countries other than the United States are recorded at the values declared on export documents which usually reflect the transaction value (e.g. actual selling price).

U.S. imports reflect the value of imports as appraised by the U.S. Customs Service (in accordance with the legal requirements of the Tariff Act of 1930 as currently 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 goods to the U.S.

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U.S. exports are valued F.A.S. (free alongside ship) at the port of export, based on the transaction price INCLUDING inland freight, insurance and other charges incurred in placing the merchandise alongside the carrier at the U.S. port of exportation.

The value as defined EXCLUDES the cost of loading the goods aboard the exporting carrier and the freight, insurance, transportation costs and other charges applied BEYOND the port of exportation.

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Canadian Manufacturing Shipments are based on net selling values EXCLUDING discounts, returns, allowances, sales taxes, excise duties and taxes, and transportation charges by common or contract carriers. Transfers to other units are treated as shipments.

Data is collected by Statistics Canada on an annual basis through its Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM).

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International trade is recorded between two geographical entities : the trader which is country which records imported goods coming in or exported goods leaving through customs and the trading partner (which can be a country, a collection of countries or a pre-defined trading block).

When CANADA is the choice of trader, it is possible to also select specific provinces or regions (such as Atlantic Canada. If the trading partner is the UNITED STATES, a breakdown by state is available.

However, when the UNITED STATES is the trader, a breakdown by state is not available.

This is explained in detail below.

Import statistics are attributed to their country of origin; that is, the country in which the goods were grown, extracted or manufactured.

Export statistics are attributed to the country which is the last known destination of the goods at the time of export.

Canadian import statistics are collected by the province of clearance; that is, the province (or territory) in which goods were cleared by Customs either for immediate consumption in Canada or for entry into a bonded Customs warehouse. This may not always coincide with the province in which they are consumed.

Canadian export statistics are collected by province of origin and indicate the province (or territory) in which the goods were grown, extracted or manufactured. This may not always coincide with the province where the goods were cleared by Customs.

On April 1, 1999, the map of Canada was changed for the first time since Newfoundland joined Canadian Confederation in 1949. The historic division of the Northwest Territories, brought about because of the Nunavut Land Claim Settlement, created the new territories of Nunavut in the east and the new Northwest Territories in the west.

Thus, prior to this date, there are no import or export statistics associated with Nunavut, and all trade for the new region was included with that of the Northwest territories as a whole.

Canadian trade data is available by province and territory. These are re-grouped into regions that can also be selected to create reports and charts.

The pre-defined regions are :

• Atlantic Canada
  • Newfoundland
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Prince Edward Island
• Central Canada
  • Ontario
  • Quebec
• Prairies
  • Alberta
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
• British Columbia and Territories
  • British Columbia
  • Northwest Territories
  • Nunavut
  • Yukon

U.S. trade (imports and exports into/from the United States is recorded at the border through U.S. Customs) and includes trade for all U.S. states as well as for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Other territories are not included.

A breakdown by state is only available for Canadian trade data (when the United States is selected as the trading partner for Canada).

When CANADA or one of its provinces, territories or regions is selected in the TRADER selection area, United States and U.S. states, territories and regions will be displayed as options in the TRADING PARTNER selection area.

When UNITED STATES is selected in the TRADER selection area, Canada (but not its provinces or territories is displayed as a potential option in the in the TRADING PARTNER selection area.

In the case of Canadian trade with the United States, it is possible to select:

• the total for the United States;
• data for individual U.S. states;
• data for U.S. regions which are pre-defined groups of U.S. states

The trading partners are the countries (or territories) with which Canada (or the United States) carry out trade.

The following options are available :

This will show the total trade with all the countries/territories in the world.

There are two selections in the list :

• All Countries (Total) which displays only a one line total in the report;
• All Countries (Detailed) : which displays a detailed list for all the countries with a grand total at the bottom of the report.

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This will show the trade with the Top 10 trading partners ranked according to the latest year, month or year-to-date period.

Reports will display a SUB-TOTAL for these 10 countries/territories, and display under OTHERS the total trade with the countries not in the Top 10. The TOTAL for all countries appears below.

The name of individual countries (e.g. Afghanistan, China, Japan etc.) will appear in the list and can be selected. In a few cases, some countries are combined - for example, trade with the Vatican City State is included with that for Italy.

Multiple countries can be selected as desired by highlighting them as selections. A SUB-TOTAL for the selections made will be displayed as well as a sub-total for OTHERS not selected and a TOTAL for all countries.

The United States (and individual states) will appear in the TRADING PARTNER list if Canada or provinces are selected in the TRADER area.

If the U.S. is selected as a TRADE SOURCE, it will be removed from the TRADING PARTNER list (as it makes no sense to specify trade with itself). Similarly, CANADA will appear in the TRADING PARTNER list only when the UNITED STATES is selected as the TRADER.

A U.S. state breakdown and the ability to specify a particular U.S. state or U.S. region is available, but only for Canadian trade.

For U.S. trade with other countries, state data are NOT available on this site.

A SUB-TOTAL and OTHERS will be displayed on some reports, with the OTHERS referring to Countries OTHER than the U.S.

A number of pre-defined country groupings appear in the list of trading partners. These can be continent-based (e.g. South America) or based on recognized economic associations (e.g. OPEC countries).

Pre-defined country groups are listed alphabetically with individual countries but are displayed in upper case to distinguish the two.

There are two instances for each group, depending on whether you wish to display only the Total for the group or a detailed list for all the countries it contains.

SUB-TOTAL and OTHERS will be displayed at the bottom of reports along with a TOTAL for all countries.

If the Distribution by Province option is specified in the TRADER selection area, reports will always show the values for the Canadian provinces and territories.

The data will pertain to the specified TRADING PARTNER but no individual country detail will appear in the report which in this case shows the provincial breakdown instead.

As a result, there will no differences in reports for Total and Detailed listings; e.g. the report would be identical whether All Countries (Total) or All Countries (Detailed) is selected.

If a detailed country breakdown is desired, this can be done by selecting :

• one Canadian province or territory one at a time in the TRADER selection area;
  AND
• highlighting country groups, multiple countries, TOP 10 COUNTRIES or ALL COUNTRIES (Detailed) options in the TRADING PARTNER selection area.

The identity of the countries/territories appearing the TRADING PARTNERS selection area is a reflection of the country classifications used by Statistics Canada and the U.S. Census Bureau to tabulate trade statistics.

1. The country classifications used in Trade Data Online, which are derived from ones employed by Statistics Canada and the U.S. Census Bureau, are designed for the purposes of economic geography and therefore do NOT reflect the views or intentions of the Government of Canada nor of the Government of the United States on international issues of recognition, sovereignty or jurisdiction.

2. To assist search and display in selection lists, country names appear in short form. For example, the People's Democratic Republic of Laos will simply appear as Laos for ease of use. Similarly, the Republic of Korea will appear as Korea, South in the list and so on.

3. There are minor differences between Canadian and U.S. country classifications, mainly reflecting how a number of smaller states are treated (e.g. whether Vatican City State is included with Italy or not)

• Canada
• Greenland
• Mexico*
• St.Pierre-Miquelon
• United States

* Notes :

1. Mexico is geographically part of Central America but tied to North America by NAFTA.

• Belize
• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Panama

• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Aruba
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• Martinique
• Montserrat
• Netherlands Antilles
• Saint Lucia
• St. Kitts-Nevis
• St.Vincent-Grenadine
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos Islands

* Notes :

1. Mexico is geographically part of Central America but tied to North America by NAFTA.
2. Trade with Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands included with United States.

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Chile
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Falkland Islands
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Surinam
• Uruguay
• Venezuela

• Andorra*
• Austria
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Faeroe Islands*
• Finland
• France
• Germany*
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Liechtenstein*
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Monaco*
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• San Marino*
• Spain
• Svalbard Islands*
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• Vatican City State*

• Albania
• Armenia*
• Azerbaijan*
• Bosnia-Hercegovina*
• Bulgaria
• Belarus (Byelorussia)*
• Croatia*
• Czech Republic*
• Czechoslovakia (former)*
• Estonia*
• Georgia*
• Germany, East (former)*
• Hungary
• Kazakhstan*
• Kyrgyzstan*
• Latvia*
• Lithuania*
• Macedonia*
• Moldova*
• Montenegro*
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia*
• Serbia*
• Slovakia*
• Slovenia*
• Tajikistan*
• Turkmenistan*
• USSR (former)*
• Ukraine*
• Uzbekistan*
• Yugoslavia (former)*

* Notes :

1. Canadian trade trade with Andorra and Monaco reported with France.
2. Canadian trade with San Marino and Vatican City State reported with Italy.
3. Canadian trade with Faeroe Islands reported with Denmark.
4. Canadian trade with Liechtenstein reported with Switzerland.
5. Canadian trade with Svalbard Islands reported with Norway.
6. Trade with Former East Germany reported separately in 1990.
7. Countries of the Former U.S.S.R. reported separately after 1992 include: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus (Byelorussia), Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan
8. Countries of the Former Yugoslavia reported separately after 1994 include: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia. Trade with Serbia and Montenegro reported jointly after 1994.
9. Countries of the Former Czechoslovakia reported separately after 1993 include: Czech Republic and Slovakia.
10. Canadian trade trade with Andorra and Monaco reported with France.
11. Canadian trade with San Marino and Vatican City State reported with Italy.
12. Canadian trade with Faeroe Islands reported with Denmark.
13. Canadian trade with Liechtenstein reported with Switzerland.
14. Canadian trade with Svalbard Islands reported with Norway.
15. Trade with Former East Germany reported separately in 1990.
16. Countries of the Former U.S.S.R. reported separately after 1992 include: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus (Byelorussia), Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan
17. Countries of the Former Yugoslavia reported separately after 1994 include: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia. Trade with Serbia and Montenegro reported jointly after 1994.
18. Countries of the Former Czechoslovakia reported separately after 1993 include: Czech Republic and Slovakia.

• Bahrain
• Cyprus
• Egypt
• Eritrea*
• Ethiopia*
• Iran
• Iraq
• Iraq/Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone*
• Israel
  • Gaza Strip*
  • West Bank*
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Syria
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• Yemen Republic*
• Yemen, Democratic*

* Notes :

1. Canadian trade with Iraq/Saudi Arabia 'Neutral Zone' reported with Saudi Arabia.
2. Trade with Eritrea reported separately from Ethiopia in isolated instances
3. Trade with Democratic Yemen reported with Yemen (Republic) after 1991.
4. Trade with Gaza Strip and West Bank reported separately from Israel in isolated instances.
5. Djibouti is classified with Africa (Excluding Middle East).

• Algeria
• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Bouvet Island
• British Indian Ocean Territories
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Central Africa
• Chad
• Comoros
• Congo, Republic (Brazaville)*
• Congo, Democratic Republic (former Zaire)*
• Cote D'Ivoire
• Djibouti
• Equatorial Guinea
• French Southern Territories
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Reunion
• Rwanda
• Sao Tome - Principe
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• St. Helena
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Togo
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Western Sahara
• Zaire (see Congo)*
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

* Notes :

1. Former Zaire now called Democratic Republic of Congo; separate from Republic of Congo (Brazaville).

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Brunei Darussalam
• Burma (see Myanmar)*
• Cambodia*
• China
• East Timor*
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia*
• Japan
• Korea, North
• Korea, South
• Laos
• Macau
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mongolia*
• Myanmar (Burma)*
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Sri Lanka
• Taiwan (Taipei)
• Thailand
• Vietnam

* Notes :

1. Canadian trade with Mongolia reported with China.
2. Trade with East Timor reported with Indonesia.
3. Myanmar formerly called Burma.
4. Cambodia formerly called Kampuchea.
5. Trade with Hong Kong and Macau still reported separately from that for China.

• American Samoa
• Australia
• Christmas Island*
• Cocos (Keeling) Islands
• Cook Islands
• Fiji
• French Polynesia
• Guam
• Heard and McDonald Island*
• Kiribati*
• Mariana Islands*
• Marshall Islands*
• Micronesia*
• Nauru
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Niue
• Norfolk Island
• Palau*
• Papua New Guinea
• Pitcairn
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Tokelau
• Tonga
• Tuvalu*
• U.S. Minor Islands*
• Vanuatu
• Wallis and Futuna Islands

* Notes :

1. Canadian trade with Christmas Island-(Australian part) and Heard and McDonald Islands reported with Australia.
2. Canadian trade with Christmas Island (Chilean part) and Tuvalu reported with with Kiribati.
3. Canadian trade with Palau, Mariana Islands. Marshall Islands and Micronesia reported with U.S. Outlying Islands.

• Antarctica
• High Seas

Canadian imports from the United States are attributed to the state of origin (based on the Origin of Movement methodology used by the U.S. Census Bureau.)

Canadian exports to the United States are attributed to the state of destination.

With regards to state attribution, the term Not Specified represents instances where exporters have reported more than one state of origin or where the designation US has been reported.

Transactions originating in a Foreign Trade Zone for which no number or State designation is reported also are included under Not Specified.

U.S. state breakdowns are only available for Canadian trade data when the United States is chosen as a trading partner.

No state breakdown is available on this site for U.S. trade data although information is available from other sources.

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For Canadian trade, individual states or pre-defined U.S. regions can be selected to create reports and charts. There is also an option to list all the individual U.S. states and territories .

The pre-defined regions are listed below.

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Vermont

• Alaska
• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Montana
• Nevada
• Oregon
• South Dakota
• Utah
• Washington
• Wyoming

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• California
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• West Virginia

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• North Dakota
• Wisconsin

• Puerto Rico
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• Other unspecified U.S. state

There are a number of other territories in the world associated with the United States in one way or another.

These are listed separately in the TRADING PARTNER list and include those listed below.

• American Samoa
• Guam
• U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
  • Johnston Island
  • Marcus Island
  • Mariana Islands
  • Marshall Islands
  • Midway Islands
  • Micronesia
  • Pacific Islands
  • Palau
  • Wake Island

• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• Palau

These territories are NOT included under the classification Other unspecified U.S. states or territories in the list of U.S. states.

U.S. Foreign Trade Zones are enclosed areas, operated as public utilities, under control of U.S. Customs with facilities for handling, storing, manipulating, manufacturing, and exhibiting goods. The merchandise may be exported, destroyed, or sent into Customs territory from the zone, in the original package or otherwise. It is subject to Customs duties if sent into Customs territory, but not if reshipped to foreign points.

Bonded warehouses are authorized by Canadian or U.S. Customs for storage of goods on which payment of duties is deferred until the goods are exported or consumed domestically.

These goods are not subject to duties if reshipped to foreign points.

There are several pre-defined country groupings in the TRADING PARTNER selection area. Some reflect purely geographical regions and continent assignations.

Others based on economic or other association are described below.

Countries which are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group:

• Australia
• Brunei
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Hong Kong
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Korea (South)
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Peru
• Philippines
• Russia
• Singapore
• Taiwan (Taipei)
• Thailand
• United States
• Vietnam

Countries which are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group, but are not situated in the 'Americas':

• Australia
• Brunei
• China
• Hong Kong
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Korea (South)
• Malaysia
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Russia
• Singapore
• Taiwan (Taipei)
• Thailand
• Vietnam

This group excludes the following countries:

• Canada
• Chile
• Mexico
• Peru
• United States

which are located in North, Central or South America.

Countries which are members of the Association of Southwest Asian Nations (ASEAN):

• Brunei Darussalam
• Burma (Myanmar)
• Cambodia
• Indonesia (including East Timor)
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Vietnam

These are Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs)  also known as Newly Industrialized Economies (NIEs) and include the following countries of Southeast Asia:

• Hong Kong
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Taiwan.

According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, this term is used to refer to a developing country that has reached a relatively advanced stage of economic growth and have experienced rapid growth of GDP, industrial production and exports in recent years. (The present selection of countries considered as NICs is the one used by Statistics Canada and most other authoritative sources. However, the term is often extended to other countries by others.)

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This group includes:

• China
• Mongolia
• Hong Kong
• Taiwan

Macau is not included but can be added by selecting both the group and the country when running reports.

Includes the 15 member states, including the original 12 EEC countries:

• Belgium
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Ireland
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Spain
• United Kingdom

and the newest members that joined in 1995:

• Austria
• Finland
• Sweden

Member countries of the Group of Seven :

• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• United Kingdom
• United States

whose leaders have met at annual economic summits since 1975 to coordinate economic olicies.

To obtain reports for the G8, you can also select Russia as a TRADING PARTNER selection.

Countries which are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - a group of industrialized countries whose objectives are to promote members' economic and social welfare and to stimulate and harmonize members' economic development efforts in developing countries. They include:

• Australia (including Christmas Island and the Heard and McDonald Islands)
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Cocos (Keeling) Islands
• Cook Islands
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France (including Monaco and Andorra)
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy (including San Marino and Vatican City State)
• Japan
• Korea (South)
• Luxembourg
• Mexico (as of July 1994)
• Nauru
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Niue
• Norfolk Island
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland (including Liechtenstein)
• Tokelau
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• United States (including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands)

The OECD was established in 1961 and its headquarters are in Paris.

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Countries that belong to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) - An association of oil-exporting countries:

• Algeria
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Kuwait
• Libya
• Nigeria
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates
• Venezuela

Formed in 1960, its major purpose is to coordinate the petroleum production and pricing policies of its members.

The Harmonized System is used to classify the commodities that are traded. For all practical purposes, in Trade Data Online, the terms products, goods, commodities and merchandise are considered synonymous and are largely used interchangeably - although the term PRODUCT is the one that was selected for use in the application.

The following options are available:

This will give the total values for imports and exports (recorded at the border by Customs) of all products entering/leaving Canada or the United States

This will call a window where specific products can be identified and selected through a keyword search applied against the product descriptions and a thesaurus of synonyms and related terms.

This will call a window where specific products can be identified and selected through a code search applied against the numeric HS code. A macimum of 6-digits can be entered.

This is most useful for those familiar with the HS product classification.

This will call a window where specific products can be identified by browsing through the list of HS sections and chapters. These can be chosen in their entirety or the DRILLDOWN option can be used to view and select the 6-digits HS codes contained in each section or chapter.

There are 3 possible selections, all based on a ranking in terms of the dollar value of imports or exports.

• Top 25 Products - H66 codes;
• Top 25 Product Groups - HS4 codes;
• Top 25 Chapters - HS2 codes.

Multiple selections can be made through keyword or code searches or using the browse list option.

In the reports generated from these selections, the data can be either :

• summed for all the codes grouped together; or
• shown individually for each selected code.

HS codes selected through a particular retrieval method (e.g. browse list) are retained in memory if a different search method (e.g. keyword search) is later employed. This gives the ability to build up and modify lists of selected codes using different techniques in the course of a session.

Both export and import statistics are classified and published according to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System or Harmonized System (HS) and country-specific extensions thereof.

The Harmonized System (HS) is an international commodity classification (with six-digits codes) developed under the auspices of the World Customs Organization (WCO), an independent intergovernmental body formerly called the Customs Cooperation Council.

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The Harmonized System is based on a fundamental principle that goods are classified by what they are and not according to their stage of fabrication, made in Canada status, or any other such criteria. In some cases, end-use is considered when a product is specifically constructed for it.

The Harmonized System nomenclature is logically structured by economic activity or component material. For example, animals and animal products are found in one section; machinery and mechanical appliances which are grouped by function are found in another.

The nomenclature is divided into 21 Sections, which (in general) group goods produced in the same sector of the economy.

Each Section is comprised of one or more Chapters, with the entire nomenclature being composed of 97 Chapters. Chapter 77 is reserved for possible future use; and Chapters 98 and 99 are used for administrative purposes to record special transactions.

The chapters of Sections I to XV (except Section XII) are grouped by biological genus (e.g. live animals, animal products, fish, dairy products, etc.) or by the component material from which articles are wholly or mainly made (e.g. Section VIII contains Chapter 41 - Raw Hides and Skins and Chapter 42 - Articles of Leather, etc.)
In Sections I to XV (except Section XII), the groups of products formed according to their basic material are structured or divided in two ways:

• Horizontal - For the groups of products formed according to their basic material, there is no apparent hierarchical order (e.g. Chapter 39 - Plastics and Articles Thereof or Chapter 44 -Wood and Articles of Wood); i.e. there is no discernable reason why plastic should precede wood.

• Vertical - For those chapters in which goods are grouped by raw material, there is, however, a vertical structure in which articles are often classified according to their degree of processing. For example, Chapter 44 contains items such as rough wood, wood roughly squared and some wooden finished products such as wooden tableware.

  Articles may also be classified according to the use or function. This classification (i.e. by function), mainly occurs in Section XII and Sections XVI - XXI. For example, Section XVII contains:

  • Chapter 86 - Railway Locomotives, etc.
  • Chapter 87 - Vehicles other than Railway, etc.
  • Chapter 88 - Aircraft, etc.
  • Chapter 89 - Ships, etc.

In order to illustrate the hierarchical structure of the HS, the following example is given:

HS 06 - Chapter (HS2)

Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage;

HS 0601 - Heading (HS4)

Bulbs, tubers, tuberous roots, corms, crowns and rhizomes,dormant, in growth or in flower; chicory plants and roots other than roots of heading no. 12.12;

HS 060110 - Subheading (HS6)

Bulbs, tubers, tuberous roots, corms, crowns and rhizomes, dormant;

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Chapters 98 and 99 of the Harmonized System are used to record special transactions such as :

• low value transactions;
• repairs to equipment;
• goods returned to the country of origin;
• confidential transactions;
• private donations and gifts;
• military equipment and supplies;
• settler's personal and household effects;
• articles sent to diplomatic posts;
• duty-free shop item purchases;
• and so on.

Trade for these will always be reflected in the total, but no details on these is available as this information is not recorded against any specific product (HS) code in Chapters 1-98

Canada and the United States both compile their merchandise trade statistics in terms of the Harmonized System (HS); however, they use different annotations beyond the basic 6-digits codes.

The 6-digits codes of the Harmonized System are extended to 10-digits codes to track imports. These codes correspond to the Canada Customs Tariff.

For collecting information on exports, the international 6-digits codes are extended to 8-digits codes by Statistics Canada.

Canada adopted this system in 1998.

Canadian trade data at the 8 and 10-digits level of detail may be purchased online from Statistics Canada's International Merchandise Trade Database.

The 6-digits codes of the Harmonized System are extended to 10-digits codes to track imports. This corresponds to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUSA or HTS) (Annotated for Statistical Purposes), an official publication of the U.S. International Trade Commission. The HTSUSA is the U.S. import version of the extended HS and comprises approximately 14,000 commodity classifications.

For tracking exports, 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. This classification is maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is based on the HS extended to 10-digits codes.

The U.S. adopted this system in 1989.

There may be some instances where U.S. and Canadian Customs agencies do not agree on the 6-digits Harmonized System (HS) code under which a particular commodity or group of commodities should be classified.

In these case, each statistical agency may classify the goods under the 6-digits code designated by its national Customs agency.

The following options are available:

This will give the total values for imports and exports (recorded at the border by Customs) of all products entering/leaving Canada or the United States. As such, only manufacturing and primary resource industries contribute to merchandise trade and trade in services is therefore not represented.

This will call a window where specific industries can be identified and selected through a keyword search applied against the industry name as well as a thesaurus of synonyms and related terms.

This will call a window where specific industries can be identified and selected through a code search applied against the NAICS code. This is most useful for those familiar with the industrial classification.

This will call a window where specific industries can be identified by browsing through the list of NAICS codes.

Entire sectors, sub-sectors and/or industry groups can be chosen in their entirety or the DRILLDOWN option can be used to view and select industries and national industries within these broader categories.

This selection will list the Top 25 industries (5-digits NAICS codes) ranked in terms of the dollar value of imports or exports.

When specific NAICS codes are selected through keyword or code search or using the browse list option, multiple industry selections are then possible and reports can generated for these industries combined together or shown individually

NAICS codes selected through a particular retrieval method (e.g. browse list) are retained in memory if a different search method (e.g. keyword search) is later employed. This gives the ability to build up and modify lists of selected codes using different techniques in the course of a session.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies.

Like the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) which it replaced in 1987, NAICS is a system for arranging producing units into industries. The classification has been developed as a method of grouping businesses that produce the same or similar product and/or services and uses a hierarchical structure, getting more specific at lower levels

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More precisely, the NAICS is a system for arranging producing units at the establishment level into industries. When all the relevant data relating to the production sectors of the economy are added together with complete coverage and no duplication, a fully integrated system of economic statistics exists.

This is the primary aim of industrial classification systems.

Trade data compiled by NAICS codes should be interpreted with caution, in view of the fact that this Classification is based on the primary activity or output (i.e. production) of establishments.

It should be noted that there is a fundamental difference between trade and production-based data. Production-based data captures secondary production which occurs at the establishment level and differs from the plant's principal manufacturing activity to which they are classified.

Trade data, on the other hand, classifies all products as they cross the border regardless of the principal activity of the producing establishment. This data is captured as a commodity rather than as an industry good.

In an effort to quantify industry trade, Statistics Canada associates the exported commodity's Harmonized System (HS) code with a NAICS code using internal concordances. A simple example would be the case of an exported automobile engine which would be attributed to the Canadian Motor Vehicle Gasoline Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing industry even though it may have been produced by a plant classified within the Automobile and Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Manufacturing industry.

Readers should therefore note that this is a crude estimation of industry trade and is susceptible to errors. However, in the absence of a better measurement method, this type of estimation is one of the few means available to estimate industrial trade.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) provides the structure for which the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico, and the United States compile comparable data.

The NAICS structure consists of sectors, sub-sectors, industry groups and industries. This structure reflects the levels at which data comparability was agreed upon by the statistical agencies of the three countries. For some sectors, differences in the economies of the three countries prevent full compatibility at the NAICS industry level.

Below the agreed-upon level of compatibility, each country may add additional detailed industries, as necessary to meet national needs, provided that this additional detail aggregates to the NAICS level.

Notes :

* The level of the hierarchy does not reflect the number of digits in the numeric code. For example, the second level of the NAICS Canada hierarchy is represented by a 3-digit numeric code.

** Usually a 2-digit number defines a NAICS Canada sector. However, a set of 2-digit numbers was needed to define Manufacturing (31-33), Retail Trade (44-45), and Transportation and Warehousing (48-49).

The full NAICS Canada classification is published by Statistics Canada

The information presented in Trade Data Online is Customs-based.However, trade statistics are sometimes also reported on a Balance of Payment (BOP) basis which is different altogether. BOP-based trade statistics are frequently seasonally adjusted which also may lead to additional differences in the numbers.

The principal difference between the two trade concepts is that :

Customs-based trade statistics cover the physical movement of goods as they are reflected on customs documents;

Balance of Payments (BOP) trade statistics are based on the flow of money. The balance of payments (BOP) is an accounting of a country's international transactions over a certain time period, typically a calendar quarter or year. It shows the sum of the transactions (purely financial ones, as well as those involving goods or services) between individuals, businesses, and government agencies in that country and those in the rest of the world.

Every international transaction results in a credit and a debit. Transactions that cause money to flow into a country are credits, and transactions that cause money to leave a country are debits.

For instance, if someone in Canada buys a South Korean stereo, the purchase is a debit to the Canadian account and a credit to the South Korean account. If a Brazilian company sends an interest payment on a loan to a bank in the United States, the transaction represents a debit to the Brazilian BOP account and a credit to the United States BOP account.

Adjusted current account data are intended to cover all economic transactions between residents and non-residents, which involve merchandise trade, but will also cover trade in services. This information is available at an aggregate level only.

No data on a BOP basis is available in Trade Data Online.

Information on Canada's international trade on a Balance of Payment (B.O.P) basis is published by Statistics Canada.

Similarly, the U.S. Census Bureau also publishes similar data.

In accordance with a 1987 Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) between the two countries, the United States (U.S. Census Bureau) is substituting Canadian import statistics for U.S. exports to Canada.

Similarly, Canada (Statistics Canada/Canada Customs and Revenue Agency) is substituting U.S. import statistics for Canada in lieu of its Canadian exports to the U.S.

Please note that this does not include shipments destined for third countries by routes passing through Canada or shipments of certain goods to Canada for storage prior to exportation to a third country.

These substitutions are done to improve the quality of the information as Customs-based trade statistics are more accurate at measuring imports than they are at measuring exports. This is the case because Customs is typically more vigilant with respect to goods entering the country then they are with goods leaving the country.

The use of Canada's import data to produce U.S. export data requires some adjustments to make the two comparable.

U.S. exports are valued at the U.S. seaport, airport, or border port of export in the U.S. and include inland freight charges. Canadian imports are valued at the point of origin in the U.S. and do not include inland freight to the U.S. port of exit. To compensate, Canada adds an estimated 4.5 percent of the value to each transaction to cover inland freight (except for shipments where freight is not a consideration, e.g., large aircraft, vessels and drilling platforms.)

Data users are cautioned that comparison of U.S. exports with corresponding Canadian import data at detailed commodity levels is NOT RECOMMENDED as corrections, differences in classification interpretation and in editing and processing environments make these comparisons uncertain.

Export and import figures are subject to the possibility of errors, of which the most common may be:

• incorrect reporting and/or processing of information as to commodity (HS code) classification;
• incorrect reporting and/or processing of information as to value;
• carryover (trade records received and/or processed too late for inclusion with records for that transaction month);
• shipments not classified by commodity because of low value, return to originating country, invalid HS code, or other reasons.
• overestimation of trade with transshipment countries such as Hong Kong and the Netherlands (resulting in equal underestimation for other countries)

To address these issues, both Statistics Canada and the U.S. Census Bureau revise their import and export statistics. However, Statistics Canada is more aggressive in this respect and with every monthly update, previous figures for the current year are revised and republished in their entirety. Corrections to data in previous years are also made on a regular basis or as required.

Revisions are incorporated in Trade Data Online as soon as these are received from the statistical agencies supplying the data.

• Canada Customs
• Statistics Canada : Other Data Sources
• U.S. Census Bureau : Guide to Foreign Trade Statistics