International Merchandise Trade: Confidential Commodities List

The Confidential Commodities List (CCL) is needed to interpret the impact of confidentialisation on the merchandise trade statistics in International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia and other international trade in goods statistics. The CCL data cube registers all import and export commodities which have been subject to confidentiality restrictions since 1 January 1988.

There are additional confidentiality applications that impact ABS international trade statistics that are not listed in this publication. These are presented in the International Merchandise Trade, Australia: Concepts, Sources and Methods which also provides more detailed information on international merchandise trade confidentiality, and restriction types.

The CCL is available from the Data downloads section of this document. The data cube presents information under the following four headings:

• changes and new restrictions to import items in the current month
• changes and new restrictions to export items in the current month
• all import restrictions from January 1988 to the current month
• all export restrictions from January 1988 to the current month.

The Confidential Commodities List (CCL) is needed to interpret the impact of confidentialisation on the merchandise trade statistics in International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia and other international trade in goods statistics.

International trade in goods statistics are subject to confidentiality. Where necessary, a “restriction” is placed, at the commodity level, to suppress the level of detail available. Depending on the nature of the restriction, this may be all detail relating to the product (no commodity details), or a suppression of only some variables (e.g. selected country details). Users of the International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia and other international trade in goods statistics, should use the CCL to determine whether a particular statistic has been subject to confidentiality restrictions (and therefore may not represent the true aggregate value).

The columns in each table of the CCL describe:

• Statistical item (commodity) codes, which are either Harmonized Tariff Item Statistical Code (HTISC) for imports; or the Australian Harmonized Export Commodity Classification (AHECC) for exports
• A date listed in ‘Deleted Date’ shows a superseded statistical item (i.e. the HTISC or AHECC is no longer in use)
• The time frame of the restriction is reflected by the ‘Date of Effect’ and ‘Date of Cessation’ with a blank ‘Date of Cessation’ indicating the restriction applies to the current reference month (e.g. is active)
• Product classifications are mapped using the Standard International Trade Classification (across both Revision 3 and Revision 4) and the likely industry of origin of the good (the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification, ANZSIC 1993 and 2006).
• The specific restriction applied to preserve confidentiality
• The free standing descriptor of the statistical item (i.e. the HTISC or AHECC).

More detailed information on international merchandise trade confidentiality, and restriction types, can be found in the Appendix or the International Merchandise Trade, Australia: Concepts, Sources and Methods.

A glossary of country mnemonics for selected country detail restrictions, is available in Table 7 of the downloadable appendices of the International Merchandise Trade, Australia: Concepts, Sources and Methods.

Confidentiality restrictions are subject to revisions after initial publication. Any revisions to restrictions will be reflected in the next available edition of this publication.

More detailed information on international trade in goods confidentiality can be found in the International Merchandise Trade, Australia: Concepts, Sources and Methods.

For inquiries about these and related statistics, contact the Customer Assistance Service via the ABS website Contact Us page.

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This release previously used the catalogue number 5372.0.55.001