The National Statistics Office (NSO) will start adopting the 2004 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification (PSCC) coding system beginning with its July 2006 series of Foreign Trade Statistics (FTS). The move is in compliance with NSCB Resolution No. 03, series of 2005 entitled "Approving and Adopting the 2004 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification" by all concerned government agencies and instrumentalities.

The PSCC is a classification system for all imports and exports commodities being used for tariff and statistics purposes. The 2004 PSCC is an integration of the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) that was based on the 2002 version of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) issued by the World Customs Organization, and the 1993 PSCC (as amended in 1999) that was based on the Standard International Trade Commodity Revision 3 issued by the United Nations Statistical Office in 1986.

The 2004 PSCC is a 10-digit classification system. The first 6-digit level adheres to the HS code; the 7th and 8th digit level corresponds to the ASEAN subheading and commodity description; and, the 9th and 10th digit level are assigned to commodities that are not in one-to-one correspondence with the AHTN. New export products have also been incorporated in the latest classification system as per request by various government agencies.

The adoption of the 2004 PSCC beginning with the July 2006 foreign trade data will ensure uniformity and comparability of statistics on economic activities compiled in the country. The NSO has been using the amended 1993 PSCC in classifying commodities in its FTS.

Detailed tables of FTS at commodity levels are available upon request from the NSO-Industry and Trade Statistics Department, 10 days after the monthly press releases. In view of the adoption of the new classification system, the NSO shall issue two sets of detailed tables: 7-digit following the 1993 PSCC and, 10-digit using the 2004 PSCC, simultaneously until the December 2006 foreign trade data. However, beginning with the January 2007 FTS, only the 2004 PSCC groupings will be maintained by the NSO.

Below are 21 sections that comprise the 2004 PSCC and the 10 sections of the 1993 PSCC