Information to help you navigate through the Canadian Importers Database.
Product search
Select a product
The products are classified according to the International Harmonized System (HS). This product classification covers more than 5000 different products, which are described in 96 chapters.
Each chapter (covering a general area, e.g. Chapter 69 - Ceramic Products) is further divided into headings and sub-headings. Numerical HS codes with 2, 4 and 6 digits are used to describe the various levels of this hierarchical classification.
You can select the product you are interested in using:
- Keyword search enables you to conduct a keyword search applied against the product descriptions as well as a thesaurus of synonyms and related terms.
- Code search enables you to conduct a code search applied against the numeric Harmonized System codes.
You can browse the product list allows you to find a specific product by browsing through a complete list of chapters of the harmonized system.
Search result
The search results for the selected product (HS6) are displayed:
- in a table displaying the market concentration
- in a table displaying the major Canadian importers
You then have two choices:
- produce a report for the selected product (HS6) by country of origin
- produce a report at a more aggregated level to display a 10 digits product
In all cases, you can view the "major importers" by province/territory.
Unsuccessful searches
The most common reasons for unsuccessful searches are:
- there is no data for this selection;
- there is a spelling error;
- you entered a company name rather than a product name;
- you entered the name for a service rather than a product name;
- you entered a brand name rather than a generic product name;
- confidentiality rules prohibit the release of the information.
You may get results if you choose a more general product. For example, if you find that results for trombones (HS 9205100020) are not available, you might have better success with the more general term brass instruments (HS 920510).
Major importers
Major importers are the businesses which collectively account for up to 80% of all imports of a specific product or a selected city.
Please note that "major importers" for a specific product are determined on a national basis. The lists of businesses for a province/territory are a subset of the list generated for Canada.
Market concentration
Market concentration is the distribution of market share among competitors.
Value of imports
The value of imports is displayed in Canadian dollars.
Cumulative of imports
The cumulative of imports represents the percentage of the market share of the value of imports.
List by city
This search allows you to see the major importers for a given city in Canada.
Enter the city name and click on the "Search" button to obtain a list of corresponding cities.
Report
The report by city includes the "major importers", those which collectively account for up to 80% of the total imports (in terms of $).
The following confidentiality provisions apply:
- import quantities or dollar values for individual companies are not divulged;
- the companies are listed in alphabetical order;
- no list of names is given unless there are at least three importers for the given city;
- if one company accounts for 80% or more of the total imports for a given city, no report is released;
- the names of individuals are not divulged;
- importers whose importer numbers are unavailable are excluded from the list.
No market concentration summary is provided in the report by city. However, the total value of imports is shown under the city name.
No reports are available for many smaller cities, particularly those outside Canada for non-resident importers, because the import market is often dominated by only one or two players.
List by county
This search allows you to see the "major importers" for a given country.
Select a country of origin and click on the "View major importers" button.
You can select the country of origin using:
- List by country when you use the "List by country" option, the list of "major importers" pertains to all products imported from the selected country.
- Importers by product when you already selected a product using the "Importers by product" option, you may view the "major importers" of that specific product by country of origin.
Report
The report by country includes the "major importers", those which collectively account for up to 80% of the total imports (in terms of $) for Canada.
The following confidentiality provisions apply:
- import dollar values for individual companies are not divulged;
- the companies are listed in alphabetical order;
- no list of names is given unless there are at least three importers for the given city;
- if one company accounts for 80 % or more of the total imports for a given city, no report is released;
- the names of individuals are not divulged;
- importers whose importer numbers are unavailable are excluded from the list.
Country classification
The identity of the countries appearing in the selection list is a reflection of the country classifications used by Statistics Canada to tabulate trade statistics.
Please note:
- The country classifications used in Canadian Importers Database, which are derived from Statistics Canada, are designed for the purposes of economic geography and therefore do not reflect the views or intentions of the Government of Canada on international issues of recognition, sovereignty or jurisdiction.
- To assist the search and display in selection lists, country names appear in short form.