HS trade data guide

How to read China HS trade data

China HS trade data becomes useful when the product code, flow, partner country, month, and value are read together. This guide explains the core fields behind ChinaData's public Top 20 HS pages and what to request when you need the full all-country CSV or Excel file.

Core fields

Field	How to read it
HS code	The product classification. ChinaData public pages focus on HS6 product codes; HS8 can be scoped by request.
Flow	Export means China ships the product to a destination country. Import means China receives it from an origin country.
Partner country	Destination country for exports or origin country for imports. This is the core field for market and supplier analysis.
Period	Monthly period used to compare seasonality, shocks, growth, or source changes over time.
Value	Trade value, usually normalized into USD for charts, rankings, and spreadsheet work.
Quantity and unit	Additional physical-volume fields when official source coverage is available for the requested extract.

Questions the data can answer

Which destination countries are buying more of a product from China?

Which origin countries supply China with a product category?

Did a tariff, policy shift, or market shock change monthly trade value?

Is a product opportunity concentrated in a few countries or widely distributed?

Does public Top 20 data justify ordering the full all-country file?

Which related HS codes should be grouped into a research pack?

Inspect public HS examples

HS 850760 Lithium battery exports HS 854143 Solar panel exports HS 870380 Electric vehicle exports HS 854232 Memory chip imports HS 270900 Crude oil imports

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important field in HS trade data?

The HS code defines the product, while flow and partner country define the trade direction. For market work, the useful record usually combines HS code, month, flow, partner country, value, and source notes.

What does partner country mean?

For China exports, the partner is the destination country. For China imports, the partner is the origin country. The wording matters because export and import pages answer different business questions.

Can HS trade data show exact companies?

Aggregate GACC-style HS statistics show product, country, flow, period, value, and sometimes quantity fields. They are not shipment-level buyer or supplier records.

When should I request a custom file?

Request a custom file when public Top 20 partner data is not enough, or when you need all countries, HS8, quantity, missing years, both flows, or a CSV / Excel handoff.

HS code trade data Bridge HS lookup intent into China customs data by product code. GACC statistics guide Understand the official-source workflow and its limits. CSV and Excel guide See what fields to request for a scoped file. Pricing Review common HS data delivery packages.