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Data Sets

Bilateral Fiber and Textile Trade: How to Use the Database

The bilateral fiber and textile trade database is a rich source of information on the trade of fiber, textiles, and clothing among countries and regions. This page provides two examples of how to use the database. Each sample question is followed by the steps necessary to get the data from the database. Information on the source data, product categories, and countries and regions in the database can be found in the Documentation.

What is the value of textiles and clothing supplied to the United States by industrialized and developing countries in 2002?

How important was cotton-based clothing in world trade of textiles and clothing during 1992-02?

Question: What is the value of textiles and clothing supplied to the United States by industrialized and developing countries in 2002?

To answer this question, make the following selections from the drop-down boxes in the screen below “query the database.”

Database category Selection to make
Year 2002
Product Textile & Clothing: All
Exporter Click on Industrialized Countries. Hold down the control key, scroll down to and click on Developing Countries.
Importer United States

Screenshot of selection box with indicated selections made

Click “Submit.”

The results page presents the Year, Product, Exporter, Importer, Value of trade (between each selected exporter and importer), and three share values (Exporter share of importer market, Importer share of exporter shipments, and Product share of bilateral trade) for the selections made.

Screenshot of results page  with  the selected data

Under the Value column heading, the results show that developing countries provided the United States with $75.3 billion worth of textiles and clothing while industrialized countries provided $10.5 billion.

Note, if numerous products, exporters, or importers are selected, users can change the presentation of the results by choosing different options under Report Format (Standard, Exporter, Importer, Product, and Year) and/or Top Markets (All, Top 10, Top 20, and Top 50).

  • The Exporter, Importer, Product, and Year report formats present the data in separate tables if more than one selection was made in that category. For example, if 2000-02 are selected as years and Year is selected as the report format, the results will be presented in a table for 2002, 2001, and 2000.
  • The Top 10, Top 20, Top 50 markets rank the selected bilateral trade flows by value. For example, if numerous product categories were chosen when examining trade flows between developing countries and the United States, users could display the top 10, 20, or 50 ranked by value of trade.

Question: How important was cotton-based clothing in world trade of textiles and clothing during 1992-02?

To answer this question, make the following selections from the drop-down boxes in the screen below “query the database.”

Database category Selection to make
Year Click on 2002. Hold down the shift key, scroll down to and click on 1992.
Product Clothing: Cotton
Exporter World, excluding intra-EU trade
Importer World, excluding intra-EU trade

Screenshot of selection box with indicated selections made

Click “Submit.”

The results page presents the Year, Product, Exporter, Importer, Value of trade (between each selected exporter and importer), and three share values (Exporter share of importer market, Importer share of exporter shipments, and Product share of bilateral trade) for the selections made.

Screenshot of results page  with  the selected data

Under the "Product share of bilateral trade" column heading, the results show that trade in cotton-based clothing accounted for 21-25 percent of total merchandise trade during 1992-02. This query can also be made using “World, including intra-EU trade.”

Note, if numerous products, exporters, or importers are selected, users can change the presentation of the results by choosing different options under Report Format (Standard, Exporter, Importer, Product, and Year) and/or Top Markets (All, Top 10, Top 20, and Top 50).

  • The Exporter, Importer, Product, and Year report formats present the data in separate tables if more than one selection was made in that category. For example, if 2000-02 are selected as years and Year is selected as the report format, the results will be presented in a table for 2002, 2001, and 2000.
  • The Top 10, Top 20, Top 50 markets rank the selected bilateral trade flows by value. For example, if numerous product categories were chosen when examining trade flows between developing countries and the United States, users could display the top 10, 20, or 50 ranked by value of trade.

For more information, contact: Mark J. Gehlhar or Thomas L. Vollrath

Web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov

Updated date: August 27, 2004