Converter from SITC to ISICMarc-Andreas Muendler∗University of California, San Diego, CESifo and NBERJanuary 8, 2009This report describes the construction of a concordance between SITC (Stan-dard International Trade Classification, revision 2) and ISIC (InternationalStandard Industrial Classification, revision 2). The concordance completesthe existing OECD concordance between SITC and ISIC manufacturing in-dustries, using HS (Harmonized System) crosswalks between SITC and ISICfor all industries engaged in merchandize trade. The concordance is availableas file sitc2isic.csv at url http://econ.ucsd.edu/muendler/resource.∗[email protected] (www.econ.ucsd.edu/muendler).11 Construction of ConcordanceThe objective is to create a many-to-one mapping from SITC (StandardInternational Trade Classification) revision 2 at the 4-digit industry level toISIC (International Standard Industrial Classification) revision 2 at the 3-digit industry level. The basis of the novel concordance is an existing OECDconcordance for manufacturing industries between SITC rev. 2 at the 5-digitlevel and ISIC rev. 2.1The OECD concordance from SITC to ISIC partly maps to ISIC in-dustries that are not defined in revision 2 and does not provide a mappingfor numerous SITC sectors. The World Trade Flow data in 2000 (Feenstra,Lipsey, Deng, Ma, and Mo 2005), for instance, include 1,046 SITC sectorsat the 4-digit level but the existing OECD concordance provides no ISIC -mapping for 187 SITC sectors at the 4-digit level, or almost one in fivesectors.This report do cuments how crosswalks between the Harmonized Systemon the one hand and both SITC and ISIC on the other hand can be used tocorrect and complete the OECD’s SITC -to-ISIC mapping.1.1 Harmonized System and SITCA crosswalk from the Harmonized System product classification at the 10-digit level to SITC rev. 2 at the 5-digit level is part of the National Bureauof Economic Research Trade Data CD 1 (Feenstra, Lipsey, Deng, Ma, andMo 2005).2For the present purposes, I aggregate the Harmonized Systeminformation to the 6-digit level, aggregate SITC rev. 2 to the 4-digit level, andclear items to create a one-to-one mapping so that ultimately a many-to-onemapping from SITC to ISIC can be obtained. Table 1 shows how productsat the HS 6-digit level with otherwise conflicting one-to-many mappings areassigned a one-to-one restriction for SITC rev. 2 at the 4-digit level.1Available from url http://www.macalester.edu/research/economics/page/haveman/Trade.Resources/Concordances/FromSITC/sitc2.isic2.txt (download April 11, 2007).2Available from url http://www.macalester.edu/research/economics/page/haveman/Trade.Resources/Concordances/FromHS/NBER/hts.sitc2 (download April 11, 2007). Ac-cording UN Comtrade sector descriptions for SITC rev. 2 are available in text formatfrom url http://comtrade.un.org/cf/files/folders/19/download.aspx (download December4, 2006).2Table 1: Specific One-to-One Mappings from Harmonized System to SITCHarmonized System SITC151920 Industrial Fatty Alcohols 4313210690 Other Food Preparations 0980220290 Other Non-alcoholic Beverages 1110271000 Petroleum Oils, Oils Obtained from Bituminous Minerals 3344392321 Sacks and Bags of Polymers of Ethylene 8939981000 Importations of Religious, Educ., Scientific and other Institutions 8745981700 Imports Free of Duty under Special Classification Provisions 9310Note: Products at the Harmonized System 6-digit level with otherwise conflicting one-to-many mappings to SITC (rev. 2) at the 4-digit level.1.2 Harmonized System and ISICThe crosswalk from the Harmonized System product classification at the 6-digit level to ISIC rev. 2 at the 3-digit level is from “A Dataset on Tradeand Production 1976-99” in Hoekman, Mattoo, and English (2002).3Notreatments are necessary.1.3 Completion of SITC -to-ISIC mappingCompletion of the many-to-one mapping from SITC rev. 2 at the 4-digitindustry level to ISIC rev. 2 at the 3-digit industry level proceeds in sixsteps.Link from ISIC to SITC through Harmonized System. Joiningthe HS-to-ISIC crosswalk (section 1.2) and the HS-to-SITC crosswalk (sec-tion 1.1) at the HS 6-digit level results in a raw SITC -to-ISIC concordance.However, linking at the HS 6-digit level yields numerous non-unique map-pings from SITC to ISIC (135 non-unique mappings out of 845 mappingsoverall). These non-unique mappings are refined in subsequent steps.Removal of non-unique mappings based on OECD concordance.In a first treatment step, non-unique mappings are dropped from the raw3Available from url http://www.macalester.edu/research/economics/page/haveman/Trade.Resources/Concordances/FromHS/hs isic.txt(download April 11, 2007), courtesyof Cristina Gamboa (Fedesarrollo Colombia).3SITC -to-ISIC concordance if these non-unique mappings contradict the ex-isting OECD concordance for manufacturing industries after aggregating theSITC rev. 2 information to the 4-digit level. This first treatment removes15 mappings (109 non-unique mappings out of now 830 mappings overallremain).Removal of non-unique mappings to “unclassified” ISIC indus-tries. In a second treatment step, non-unique mappings are dropped fromthe raw SITC -to-ISIC concordance if these non-unique mappings point to“unclassified” ISIC industries (ISIC industry 999). This second treatmentremoves 7 mappings (100 non-unique mappings out of now 823 mappingsoverall remain).Removal of non-unique mappings to “other” ISIC manufacturingindustries. In a third treatment step, non-unique mappings are droppedfrom the raw SITC -to-ISIC concordance if these non-unique mappings pointto “other” ISIC manufacturing industries (ISIC industry 390). This thirdtreatment removes 6 mappings (93 non-unique mappings out of now 814mappings overall remain).Manual removals. In a fourth treatment step, non-unique mappings aredropped from the raw SITC -to-ISIC concordance for SITC sectors as speci-fied in Table 2. Table 2 lists the SITC -to-ISIC mappings that are retained forSITC sectors with otherwise non-unique mappings. This fourth treatmentremoves 14 mappings (65 non-unique mappings out of now 803 mappingsoverall remain).Removal of non-unique mappings to ISIC non-manufacturing pro-ducts. In a fifth treatment step, non-unique mappings are dropped fromthe raw SITC -to-ISIC concordance if these non-unique mappings point toISIC non-manufacturing industries whenever there is a manufacturing-non-manufacturing. Non-manufacturing industries have ISIC rev. 2 codes below300. This