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North American Industry Classification System (NAICS):
The United States Census Bureau created a classification system for business entities called the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Several company databases and industry research databases use these to organize their information and it is useful to know these when looking for industry reports. These codes start at 2 numbers to identify broad industry group and move to 6 to identify specific industries. These codes were developed by the federal government and are used by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as well as many other U.S. statistical agencies. In 1997, OMB adopted NAICS as the new system that replaced SIC.
Example Codes:
315240 - Women's, Girls', and Infants' Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing
454110 - Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses
Standard Industry Classification (SIC) System:
The Standard Industry Classification (SIC) System was developed to define businesses in the 1930's, but it has not be updated since 1987 when NAICS was adopted. Some companies still use SIC codes and they tend to be used for historical research.
Translators and Descriptive Search Tools:
Commodity Code Translation Code: Enter codes to move between NAICS, SITC, or HTS codes.
Commodity Description Lookup: Descriptions of NAIC, SITC, HTS codes.
Data Sources on Trade
Visualized Data
- Observatory of Economic ComplexityThe Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) is an online data visualization and distribution platform focused on the geography and dynamics of economic activities. The OEC integrates and distributes data from a variety of sources to empower analysts in the private sector, public sector, and academia.
>>Visualizations of international trade data. Search by country or commodity, product or service. - Atlas of Economic ComplexityThe 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.
>>Build custom data visualizations for any country to reveal 50+ years of global trade flows across 6,000+ goods & services, along with new opportunities to drive growth. - Index MundiIndexMundi is a data portal that gathers facts and statistics from multiple sources and turns them into easy to use visuals.
Our mission is to turn raw data from all over the world into useful information for a global audience. We capture statistics that are scattered or otherwise hidden and present them via user-friendly maps, charts, and tables which allow visitors to understand complex information at a glance.
>>Mostly raw commodities. You can find production volume information here for agricultural and mineral commodities. - Several Trade Data Visualization DatabasesTrade statistics made available through the Statistics Division of the United Nations.
- Our World In DataCharts on poverty, disease, hunger, climate change, war, existential risks, and inequality. Pre-built visualizations on topics; Not interactive.
About>FAQs: citation, reproduction, policies
World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) Visualize Countries’ exports, imports to various countries and also details on products exported along with the corresponding export or import share. You can also visualize trade by products and see which countries exports or imports a particular product the most and their share in total world trade.Visualize the different types of tariff like Most Favored Nation (MFN), Effectively Applied (AHS) and Bound Tariffs. Also visually see the Bound overhang for various countries along with their binding coverage. Network chart to provide global and country trade perspective is also available.
Tabular Data
- StatistaData from economic sources. May be hit-or-miss in terms of having information about your commodity.
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service - PSD onlineProduction, supply and distribution data. Helpful to get statistics on volume produced (of agricultural commodities).
- Early History of Global Commodities: Trade, Exploration & Cultural ExchangePrimary source materials for the study of global commodities in world history. The commodities featured have been transported, exchanged and consumed around the world for hundreds of years.
- USA Trade OnlineProvided 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. The data available through this tool can also support economists in interpreting economic news and performing academic research, as well assist governments and federal agencies in analyzing domestic and international trade policies.
- SageDataCurrent social science datasets. Browse by subject, source, or location. Includes analysis tools and guides on working with data.
For more information go to Data-Planet Datasets and Sources and Data Planet Statistical Datasets.
Peer Reviewed Article Databases
- Business Source CompleteA scholarly business database providing bibliographic and full-text content covering all disciplines of business.
- EconLitComprehensive index to scholarly economics literature.
- Academic Search Complete
This multidisciplinary database covers magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers and is a good place to start for any subject.
- Sociology LibGuideLinks to more general sociology-related databases and resources here.
Trade Associations
Trade association sites can be found by searching Google and often include industry reports and statistics.
Product or Industry + "trade association"
Example: bananas "trade association"
Tables and Graphs
How to include tables and graphs in papers using APA format from OWL Purdue.
Quick tips on writing with statistics from OWL Purdue.