Trade Classification Systems
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HS - Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System - is the (six-digit) classification system or nomenclature from the World Customs Organization that replaces the SITC for international trade statistics. Consult the correspondence tables for HS->SITC and SITC->HS. |
| ISIC - International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ALEXANDER DOC REF, DANA REF HA 40.I6 U6) - is the (four-digit) main classification system from the United Nations for statistics by economic activity (e.g. agriculture, manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade.) |  |
NACE - the general (five to six-digit) industrial classification of economic activities within the European Community, that corresponds with ISIC at the two-digit level.
SITC - Standard International Trade Classification (ALEXANDER DOC REF, DANA REF HF 1041 .S77) - is the most widely-used (five-digit) system for classifying products in external trade data, used in reports from the United Nations and the OECD.
Jon Haveman's Industry Concordances, now maintained by Raymond Robertson, provides many correspondence tables between the major classification systems.
For U.S. trade figures, use the HTS - Harmonized Tariff Schedule (ALEXANDER DOC REF; CAMDEN REF-COM; DANA REF KF 6654.599 .U55) - which expands to the 10-digit level.
You can also search by product keyword on the USITC's Tariff Database.
The United Nations maintains several lists of National Classifications for economic and industrial activity.