Frequently Asked Questions

The IPP produces the U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes, which measure the changes in the prices of goods and services imported into and exported from the United States by companies from over 150 countries. The Import/Export Price Indexes, along with the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index , form the basis of the three major Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) programs measuring the change in prices of goods and services in the U.S. economy. Each of the three has been designated as a principal federal economic indicator (PFEI).

The U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes measure the change over time in the prices of goods or services purchased from abroad by U.S. residents (imports) or sold to foreign buyers by U.S. residents (exports). Included are changes in the prices of imports and exports for the United States’ top five trading partners — Canada, China, Germany, Japan, and Mexico. Import/export price indexes for goods are published using the following classification systems: Bureau of Economic Analysis System, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), and the Harmonized Classification System. Services indexes are published as import/export or as inbound/outbound and include data for air freight and air passenger fares. Note: Although import and export transaction prices are used to calculate the indexes, the IPP does not publish price information.

The import and export price indexes are primarily used to deflate government trade statistics (using price indexes to make comparisons over time), including:

• Monthly U.S. trade statistics
• Quarterly Balance of Payments Account
• Import and Export components of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Additionally, the indexes are valuable input for:

• Predicting possible future inflation in both domestic production and prices charged to consumers
• Setting fiscal and monetary policy
• Measuring the impact of exchange rates
• Forecasting future prices using historical data
• Negotiating private trade contracts
• Identifying industry specific and global price trends

Video
HTML

Video
HTML

Video
HTML

We need to receive your data by the last business day of the month in order for it to be included in the current month's indexes.

Each item is included for a period of five years.

In addition to providing data through our secure site at https://idcf.bls.gov, you may also submit price data via telephone (202) 691-7101. If you prefer to provide your prices through an alternate means, you may either contact the IPP HelpDesk or the Industry Analyst whose contact info is displayed after logging in to the site. If you provide prices using paper forms, the Industry Analyst to contact is listed at the top right-hand corner of the pricing forms.

Yes. Your company's participation, including sampled products and prices, will be held in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. BLS will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only, in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002. For more information, please see the Confidentiality page.

The U.S. Import/Export Price Indexes produced by the IPP is the only measure that tracks changes in import and export prices. With the ever expanding importance of international trade, measuring these changes is vital to policy makers, businesses, and individuals. There are no substitutes for this measurement.

Contact the IPP.HelpDesk@bls.gov to have your account number/username and a temporary password sent to you. You can also find your account number/username listed in the reminder emails sent to you each month you are scheduled to provide data. Enter the account number/username on the home page of our site at https://idcf.bls.gov and click the “Forgot Password” link to have your current password emailed to you. Once the email is sent you will have three days to log into the web system and create a new password.

If you are submitting data using our secure site and need to reach the IPP Industry Analyst responsible for your data, you may contact the IPP.HelpDesk@bls.gov and your request will be forwarded to the Industry Analyst. You may also call the Industry Analyst directly using the contact information displayed after logging into the site.

Survey respondents using the web application will have a notification message appear for each impacted item specifying that the item is being replaced by administrative trade data. Respondents reporting prices other ways will be contacted directly by an Industry Analyst to discuss the item level impact.

Administrative trade data can only be used to calculate high quality indexes for homogeneous product areas, that is, groups of items that are the same quality over time. This homogeneity requirement makes commodity product areas, such as raw and finished metals, agricultural commodities, and some consumer goods suitable for calculation with administrative trade data. However, product areas where items experience considerable changes or style replacements, such as electronics or automobiles, are not comparable over time so are not suitable for calculation with administrative trade data.

Yes. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates a considerable burden and cost reduction for our survey participants. We estimate our respondents overall will see a reduction in this burden of approximately 8,182 hours, which results in an annualized cost savings of approximately $614,000.

Background information on the BLS research into the use of administrative trade data in the Import and Export Price Indexes (MXPI) can be found at MXP Research.

Detailed information on current MXPI methodology can be found at MXP Methods.

Possibly. While the BLS was able to add 500 previously unpublished indexes and replace about 40% of currently published import and export price indexes with administrative trade data, we still rely on direct collection for much of the MXPI. Your company could be sampled again in the future for trade that remained directly collected.

No. The BLS is not a regulatory agency. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (44 U.S.C. 3572) the BLS will use any administrative import and export records for statistical purposes only.

More information on how the BLS uses and protects statistical data can be found at MXP Confidentiality.