UNITS OF QUANTITY IN AUSTRALIA'S INTERNATIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE STATISTICS
8.4 In Australia's international merchandise trade statistics, the unit of quantity shown against a particular commodity code is that specified in the AHECC (8 digit level) or Customs Tariff (10 digit level) classification. Where feasible this is the WCO standard unit as specified in the HS. Where the WCO standard unit is not used for that commodity in the Australian industry, the unit of quantity will generally be the normal unit of quantity used for a particular commodity in the associated industry. For example, commodities which are exported in bulk have a unit of quantity of tonnes rather than kilograms.
8.5 In some cases, a single commodity code covers a diverse range of goods e.g. 'parts'. In these instances the unit of quantity is NR (not recorded) and quantity data are not provided.
8.6 For duty purposes and to meet the needs of users of the data, some commodities have second units of quantity. This is catered for in output by creating a companion tariff code against which only the second quantity is recorded. Only import commodity codes in Chapter 22 have a second unit of quantity, i.e. litres (L) where the first unit of quantity is litres of alcohol (LA).
8.7 Net weight is only recorded where that is the specified unit of quantity, but gross weight is recorded for all export transactions and all import declarations (see paragraphs 8.11-8.13 in Quantity and Gross Weight). Conversion factors to the WCO standard units of quantity are not provided.
8.8 Where new statistical codes are added following a Classification Feasibility Study, the unit of quantity will be the WCO recommended unit unless it is not used or recognised in the Australian industry. In that case the unit of quantity will be determined in consultation with importers and exporters.
8.9 Table 8.2 lists the units of quantity used in Australia's international merchandise trade statistics. Some of these units of quantity are used in historical output only.
TABLE 8.2: UNITS OF QUANTITY
|
| Abbreviation | Unit of Quantity |
|
| BC(a) | Basic carton(b) |
| BL(a) | Bale |
| CC(a) | Cubic centimetre |
| CM(a) | Centimetre |
| CT(a) | Carton(c) |
| CU | Cubic metre |
| DP(a) | Dozen pairs |
| DR(a) | Dozen rolls |
| DZ(a) | Dozen |
| G | Gram |
| GB(a) | Gross boxes |
| GS(a) | Gross |
| IU(a) | Inter unit |
| KG | Kilogram |
| KL(a) | Kilolitre |
| KM(a) | Kilometre |
| L | Litre |
| LA | Litre alcohol |
| M | Metre |
| MC | Metric carat |
| MM(a) | Millimetre |
| MU(a) | Mega |
| NB(a) | Number of bundles |
| NO | Number |
| NR | Not recorded |
| NU(a) | Number of drums |
| PD(a) | Dozen packs |
| PR | Pair |
| RL(a) | Number of rolls |
| RM(a) | Ream |
| SF(a) | Super feet |
| SM | Square metre |
| SR(a) | Set |
| T | Tonne |
| TH | Thousand |
| ZP(a) | Dozen pieces |
|
| (a) These units of quantity are not used in the current classification. |
| (b) A basic carton consists of 24 x 825g cans or equivalent. For industry purposes there are 50 basic cartons to the tonne. |
| (c) A carton consists of 24 x 425g cans or equivalent. For industry purposes there are approximately 100 cartons to the tonne. |
Source: Australian Harmonized Export Commodity Classification (AHECC) - Electronic Publication (cat. no. 1233.0)
8.10 Because the unit of quantity is recorded against the most detailed classification code, any quantity aggregation must be undertaken with care. For example, aggregating data for commodities with mixed units of quantity (as in Table 8.3 below) will produce meaningless quantity totals.
TABLE 8.3: AGGREGATING UNITS OF QUANTITY
|
| AHECC Code | Description | Unit of Quantity |
|
| 44 | Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal | n/a |
| 4401.21.20 | Wood in chips or particles: coniferous | Tonnes (T) |
| 4406.10.00 | Railway or tramway sleepers (cross-ties) of wood: not impregnated | Cubic metres (CU) |
| 4413.00.00 | Densified wood, in blocks, plates, strips or profile shapes | Not recorded (NR) |
|
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