---
title: "HS commodity codes in US trade"
method: GET
path: "/api/v1/census/trade/commodities"
tags: ["Global Economy & Trade"]
---

# HS commodity codes in US trade

`GET /api/v1/census/trade/commodities`

The Harmonized System codes the monthly US trade series publishes at one level (HS2 chapters, HS4 headings, HS6 subheadings) with the Census short description. `parent` narrows HS4 or HS6 to the codes under one shorter code.

## Query parameters

- `flow` string — exports or imports
- `level` string — HS2, HS4 or HS6
- `parent` string, nullable — Keep only codes under this shorter HS code (27 -> 2701..2716).

## Response `200`

HS codes and descriptions at the requested level.

- EnvelopeCensusTradeCommoditiesData
  - `data` CensusTradeCommoditiesData, required
    - `flow` string, nullable — exports or imports (the two datasets publish slightly different code lists).
    - `level` string, nullable — HS2, HS4 or HS6.
    - `parent` string, nullable — The shorter HS code the list was narrowed to; null when not narrowed.
    - `as_of` string, nullable — Latest published month the list was read from, YYYY-MM.
    - `count` union — Number of items in this result set.
      - integer
      - number
    - `data` CensusTradeCommoditiesDatum[], nullable — HS codes in code order.
      - `code` string, nullable — HS code at the requested level.
      - `description` string, nullable — Census short description of the HS code.
    - `dataset` string, nullable — Census dataset path the list comes from.
    - `source` string, nullable — Upstream data source identifier.
  - `meta` SugraMeta, required — Metadata attached to every /api/v1/* response envelope.
    - `endpoint` string, required — Requested endpoint path.
    - `data_time` string, required — ISO 8601 UTC timestamp of the source data, not of the request.
    - `response_time` string, required — ISO 8601 UTC timestamp when this response was produced.
    - `provider` string, required — API name and version.
    - `source` string, nullable — Identifier of the primary upstream source used for this response.
    - `attribution` string, nullable — Human-readable attribution mandated by an upstream source (e.g. a securities regulator or self-regulatory organization). Present only on responses whose source requires the owner and source to be clearly identified. Do not remove or alter it when using the response.
    - `fallback_used` boolean, nullable — True when the primary source failed and a fallback produced the data.
    - `fallback_chain` string[], nullable — Ordered list of sources attempted, in the order they were tried.
    - `cached` boolean, nullable — True when this response was served from the internal cache.
    - `stale` boolean, nullable — True when the cached response was returned after the upstream rate-limited or errored. Clients can use this to detect degraded data.

## Other responses

- `401` — Missing or invalid `x-api-key` header. JSON body with a stable `code` distinguishing `missing_api_key` (no header sent) from `invalid_api_key` (header sent, key not accepted); any other 401 source carries the generic `unauthorized` with its detail as `reason`. Plus `hint`. `plan` is always null on 401 - an unauthenticated request has no plan; quota exhaustion is 429, not 401.
- `422` — Validation Error
- `429` — Daily rate limit exceeded. Check `X-RateLimit-Reset` for the next window.
- `502` — The upstream source answered with an error or a malformed body. `detail` carries the source, the upstream status and a retry hint.
- `503` — Upstream unreachable (typed `detail` object with source and retry hint) or the legacy blanket unavailability (string `detail`).
- `504` — The upstream source did not answer within the client deadline.

## Changes

- **2026-08-29** `18b96293341c` — 1 info
  - endpoint added

[Change history](https://skmtc.dev/sugra/apis/sugra-api/changes/api/v1/census/trade/commodities/get.md)

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/sugra/apis/sugra-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/sugra/apis/sugra-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-production.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/sugra/sugra-api/revisions/87582f2e0110/schema)