Trade and customs data
Trade and customs data reveals what moves between economies, a powerful signal for supply chains, markets and policy. This guide covers sourcing it.
Why trade data matters
Import-export flows show demand, dependency and disruption across products and partners. Trade data underpins supply-chain strategy, market sizing and economic analysis.
The data landscape
- Trade flows: volumes and values by product and partner.
- Classifications: HS codes and product taxonomies.
- Tariffs and rules: duties and trade measures.
- Shipment-level: bills of lading where available.
Common use cases
Supply-chain dependency and risk, market and competitor analysis, sourcing and tariff planning, and economic research.
Sourcing considerations
Official statistics (Eurostat, UN Comtrade) provide aggregated flows; shipment-level data from some jurisdictions adds granularity but with coverage limits. HS-code harmonisation and revisions need care.
Delivery and governance
Most use cases use batches. Provenance and classification documentation matter. Shipment-level data may carry commercial sensitivities.
In a managed model
A managed partner can combine aggregated and shipment-level trade data, harmonise classifications, and deliver analysis-ready datasets.
Aggregated vs shipment-level
Trade data comes in two broad forms: official aggregated statistics (Eurostat Comext, UN Comtrade) showing flows by product and partner, and shipment-level data (bills of lading where available) offering granular detail with coverage limits. The two answer different questions, macro dependency versus specific consignments, and HS-code harmonisation and periodic reclassifications need care when combining or comparing over time.
Uses and provenance
Trade data supports supply-chain dependency analysis, market sizing, sourcing and tariff planning, and economic research. Classification consistency and documented provenance matter, and shipment-level data can carry commercial sensitivities, so confirm licensing before relying on it.
- Trade data reveals demand, dependency and disruption.
- Combine aggregated flows, classifications, tariffs and shipment-level data.
- Official statistics aggregate; shipment-level adds granularity with limits.
- Harmonise HS codes and handle revisions.
Sources & further reading
- Eurostat (Comext) and UN Comtrade: trade statistics.
- WTO and WCO: tariffs and HS classification.
- National customs authorities.
- Commercial shipment-data providers.
We combine aggregated and shipment-level trade data, harmonised and analysis-ready. Get a no-obligation quote.