Data dictionary
This section is Guidance
This data dictionary details each field contained in the bulk datasets that are published on UK Trade Info.
Users of this data dictionary should be aware that it needs to be used in conjunction with the accompanying technical specification documents.
Description of flows
|
File |
January 2009 to December 2020 |
Jan 2021 onwards |
|
Imports (I) |
Imports into UK from countries outside the EU |
Imports into UK from countries outside the EU |
|
Exports (E) |
Exports from UK to countries outside the EU |
Exports from UK to countries outside the EU plus Exports from GB to countries inside the EU |
|
Arrivals (A) |
Imports in the UK from countries inside the EU |
Imports in the UK from inside the EU |
|
Dispatches (D) |
Exports from UK to countries inside the EU |
Not published in Data Downloads datasets |
Explanatory Keys
Key to Flows
|
Reference |
Meaning |
|
I |
UK Customs imports |
|
E |
UK Customs exports |
|
A |
UK arrivals |
|
D |
UK dispatches |
|
|
* Inclusion of any of the four references above indicates that the field is present and contains data |
|
# |
Field present – but contains zeros /spaces |
Key to ‘Size & Type’ field
|
Reference |
Meaning |
|
Number (e.g. 4) |
Number of characters |
|
A |
Alpha |
|
N |
Numeric |
|
C |
Combined alpha & numeric |
e.g. 4N means it is a 4 character numeric field.
Field names A-I
Field name: ACCOUNT- CCYYMM
Full name: Month of Account
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 6N
Description: Identifies the month of account of an item in format CCYYMM. For non-amendment records this will be the same as the file month; for amendment records it will be the month to which the amendment relates.
Field name: ADDR-1
Full name: Address-Line 1
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 30C
Description: First line of postal address
Field name: ADDR-2
Full name: Address-Line 2
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 30C
Description: Second line of postal address
Field name: ADDR-3
Full name: Address-Line 3
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 30C
Description: Third line of postal address
Field name: ADDR-4
Full name: Address-Line 4
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 30C
Description: Fourth line of postal address
Field name: ADDR-5
Full name: Address-Line 5
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 30C
Description: Fifth line of postal address
Field name: COD-ALPHA
Full name: COD alpha
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 2A
Description: Alpha code for Country of Destination (Exports) or Country of Dispatch (Imports). For codes see GOV.UK.
Country of Destination (Exports) - country of ultimate destination. This is the final country to which the goods are being exported from the UK irrespective of any changes to the means of transport en route (provided they are not subject to a commercial transaction in an intermediate country).
Country of Dispatch (Imports) - country from which the goods were originally dispatched to the UK (regardless of transhipment through intermediate countries en route). This is not necessarily the country of origin/manufacture or the last country from which the goods were shipped to the UK. Where a change of ownership occurs en route or where the sale occurs via an intermediary country, the Country of Dispatch is the country where the last commercial transaction took place (i.e. the intermediary country, even though the goods never physically resided in that country).
Field name: COD-SEQUENCE
Full name: COD sequence
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 3N
Description: Numeric sequence for Country of Destination or Country of Dispatch. See above for definition.
Field name: COMCODE
Full name: Commodity code
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 9N
Description: 9 digit commodity code comprising: 1-8 Combined Nomenclature; 9 zero (formerly national sub-division) The following pseudo commodity codes exist for specific categories of trade:
9920 9900 - Parcel Post
9930 2400, 9930 2700 and 9930 9900 - Ships & Aircraft stores with effect from 1.1.02, valid for Customs and Intrastat trade.
9950 0000 Low Value*
9990 9908 Continental Shelf
* aggregated under pseudo code 9950 0000 and cannot be allocated to a specific comcode or to country. For values see OTS Methodology Paper. Consult the UK Trade Tariff or the Combined Nomenclature for a full list of commodity codes and descriptions.
Industrial Plant
With effect from January 2011, HMRC implemented simplified procedures in line with the legislation for the declarations of Industrial Plant (IP). Users are no longer required to gain authorisation for this procedure in writing prior to moving goods.
Traders now submit the declarations for Industrial Plant movements directly using the appropriate 8 digit IP commodity code . The first four digits for this commodity code are always ‘9880’, followed by the fif th and sixth digits which correspond to the HS2 (chapter) heading to which the goods of the component parts belong. The seventh and eighth digits are always 00. The concession is available for Exports, Dispatches and Arrivals.
The following IP codes are as follows: 98806300, 98806800, 98806900, 98807000, 98807200, 98807300, 98807600, 98808200, 98808400, 98808500, 98808600, 98808700, 98809000, 98809400
Quantity requirements are net mass (Q1) only.
Field name: COMMODITY-ALPHA-1
Full name: Commodity code alpha description
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E), Arrivals (A), Dispatches (D)
Size and type: 61A
Description: Description of the commodity code – line 1
Field name: COMMODITY-ALPHA-2
Full name: Commodity code alpha description
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E), Arrivals (A), Dispatches (D)
Size and type: 48A
Description: Description of the commodity code – line 2
Field name: COO-ALPHA
Full name: COO - ALPHA
Flow(s): Imports (I)
Size and type: 2A
Description: Alpha code for Country of Origin. The Country of Origin is the country where the goods were originally produced, which may be different from the Country of Dispatch (Country of Origin will be different from Country of Dispatch if goods have been sold to another country before being consigned to the UK).
This field is mandatory for imports collected via customs declarations. It is not collected for Intrastat Arrivals i.e. EU to Northern Ireland imports.
For periods prior to 2022, Country of Origin was not collected for imports from the EU as these were declared via the Intrastat system. We strongly advise users to exercise caution when using Country of Origin for EU imports analyses, making any comparisons between 2022 data and earlier periods.
Field name: COO-SEQ
Full name: COO sequence
Flow(s): Imports (I)
Size and type: 3N
Description: Numeric sequence for Country of Origin. See above for definition and usage.
Field name: ELIGIBILITY
Full name: Eligibility
Flow(s): Imports (I)
Size and type: 2C
Description: Identifies the trade regime an import was eligible to be imported under. The trade regimes are Most Favoured Nation (MFN), General System of Preferences (GSP), Preference, GSP and Preference, Unknown.
Field names M-U
Field name: MODE-OF-TRANSPORT
Full name: Mode of Transport
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 3N
Description: Mode of transport by which goods leave or arrive in the UK.(00 for TRADEIND ‘5’ items).
10 - sea transport (not vehicle on ferry)
20 - rail transport
30 - road transport
40 - air transport
50 - mail
60 - RORO
70 - fixed installations, e.g. pipeline and Channel Tunnel
80 - inland waterway transport
90 - own propulsion, e.g. imported vehicle driven across land boundary
Field name: NET-MASS
Full name: Net Mass
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E), Arrivals (A), Dispatches (D)
Size and type: 14C
Description: Weight of the item in kilograms excluding packaging. Format: Leading sign + 13 digits.
Field name: PERIOD-REFERENCE
Full name: Period reference
Flow(s): Arrivals (A), Dispatches (D)
Size and type: 7N
Description: Identifies the month of account of an item in format 0YYYYMM. For non-amendment records this will be the same as the file month; for amendment records and late supplementary declarations it will be the month to which the amendment or supplementary declaration relates.
Field name: PORT-ALPHA
Full name: Port alpha
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 3A
Description: Alpha code for the port of import/export.
Field name: PORT-SEQUENCE
Full name: Port sequence
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 3N
Description: Numeric code for port of import/export.
Field name: SITC
Full name: SITC-5
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 5N
Description: Standard International Trade Classification - a United Nations commodity classification system based on a five digit numeric code. Current version is ‘Revision 4’. Each 8 digit Combined Nomenclature code correlates to an SITC 5 digit code. SITC data is commonly published at different levels. Each level is designated as follows:
1 digit - Section
2 digit - Division
3 digit - Group
4 digit - Sub-group
5 digit - Item
Field name: STAT-VALUE
Full name: Stat Value
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E), Arrivals (A), Dispatches (D)
Size and type: 16C
Description: Invoice or contract price of the goods (£ sterling) as used for statistical purposes. The export value is the cost of the goods to the purchaser abroad. The import value is the value of the goods including the cost, insurance and freight.
Format: Leading sign + 15 digits.
Field name: STATREG
Full name: Statistical Regime
Flow(s): Imports (I)
Size and type: 1C
Description: Identifies the type of trade movement based on the Customs Procedure used. The statistical regimes are Normal, Inward Processing, Outward Processing and Unknown.
Field name: SUPP-ARRIVALS DISPATCHES IMPORTS EXPORTS
Full name: Suppression code
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E), Arrivals (A), Dispatches (D)
Size and type: 2C
Description: Indicates whether the commodity code is subject to suppression and the level of suppression which applies (2 character field, leading sign + 1 digit):
0 - no suppression
1 - complete suppression
2 - suppression of countries and ports
3 - suppression of countries, ports & total trade
Field name: SUPPUNIT
Full name: Supp Unit
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E), Arrivals (A), Dispatches (D)
Size and type: 14C
Description: Second quantity (e.g. number) required for certain commodities, as specified in the Tariff / Combined Nomenclature.
Format: Leading sign + 13 digits.
Field name: TYPE
Full name: Line of Trade Type
Flow(s): Imports (I), Exports (E)
Size and type: 1N
Description: Indicates what line of trade type:
1 = Declared Line of Trade
2 = Below Threshold Trade Allocations
3 = HS2 (Chapter) Esimates - Includes both Non-Response Estimate and MTIC
4 = SITC Esimates - Includes both Non-Response Estimate and MTIC
It is important to note that due to the nature of how estimates are compiled HS2 estimates and SITC estimates should be filtered depending on data requirements.
E.g.
Total Trade broken down by HS2 level should be using indicators: (1), (2) and (3)
Total Trade broken down by SITClevel should be using indicators: (1), (2) and (4)
Field name: USE
Full name: Use
Flow(s): Imports (I)
Size and type: 3C
Description: Identifies the trade regime an import was imported under and if the associated duty rate was zero or non-zero. The trade regimes are Most Favoured Nation (MFN), General System of Preferences (GSP), Preference, GSP and Preference, Unknown.