Business Librarian
International Trade Organizations
- World Trade Organization
The WTO is an international organization run by member governments, including the United States, that operates the global rules of trade. The WTO website is an excellent source of statistics, reports, and information about international trade. - International Trade Administration
The ITA is a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. This site provides a wealth of resources related to exporting and international trade, including data, regulatory information, and country reports.
Incoterms, Harmonized System, and Schedule B
- Know Your IncotermsIncoterms, or 'international commercial terms', are a set of 11 rules which define the terms of business arrangements between sellers and buyers engaged in both domestic and international trade.
- Understanding Harmonized System CodesThe Harmonized System (HS) is a standardized numerical method of classifying traded products for duties, taxes, and tariffs. This page introduces HS Codes and links to related resources.
- Customs Info Database Tariff Lookup ToolInternational Trade Association's user guide to looking up foreign tariffs for U.S. exports.
- Schedule B Search EngineUS Census Bureau's Schedule B Search engine. The first 6 digits of Schedule B numbers are HS codes.
- Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United StatesTariff rates and categorizations for all imports to the United States.
Export Controls and Regulations
- World Customs OrganizationWCO is an independent intergovernmental body representing Customs administrations from 186 countries and territories.
- International Trade Compliance InstituteResources for understanding compliance & regulatory controls impacting international trade.
- Bureau of Industry and Security
The BIS is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, providing resources for export controls and regulatory compliance. - Regulations & AgreementsFrom the International Trade Administration, resources about U.S. export regulations, foreign import regulations, and trade agreements.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Trade
CBP - Trade enforces regulations related to intellectual property, safety, and trade duties. - USDA Exporting Goods Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for monitoring exports of meat, poultry, anima, and plant products. Find regulations and policies here.
Trade Agreements
- USMCA: United States-Mexico-Canada AgreementThe United States, Mexico, and Canada updated NAFTA to create the new USMCA, which went into effect in 2020.
- Trade and Related Agreements Database (TARA)TARA includes more than 200 active, binding agreements between the United States and its trading partners covering manufactured products and services.
- WTO Regional Trade Agreements DatabaseThe World Trade Organization's RTA Database is a repository of all legal texts, preferential tariff and trade data, and more provided to the WTO by the countries, territories, and/or regions that negotiate the agreements. Includes interactive maps and graphs.
- European Economic Area (EEA) AgreementThe EEA Agreement brings together the EU Member States and the three EEA EFTA States — Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — in a single market, referred to as the Internal Market.
- Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)The RCEP is a free trade agreement among Southeast Asian and Pacific countries.
