Foreign Trade Data - Export

The Foreign Trade Exports data (EXP) contains transactions level data on the exports of the universe of firms operating in the U.S. that engage in merchandise export to a foreign destination. The export data are the universe of trade transactions data collected by the Customs Bureau during the exportation process, containing value, date, country of origin or destination, quantity, HS code, and other variables. For details, see an example of the shipper’s export declaration and the electronic export information.

Exports measure the total physical movement of merchandise out of the United States to foreign countries whether such merchandise is exported from within the U.S. Customs territory or from a U.S. Customs bonded warehouse or a U.S. Foreign Trade Zone.

The Export data includes goods that are shipped within the same U.S. customs union. Researchers should be aware that the IMP and EXP are inputs to the LFTTD and do not contain any information that is not included in the LFTTD. If researchers propose to request the IMP and/or EXP in addition to the LFTTD, they should provide clear justification for the use of the file(s).