Imputed Quantities and Unit Values in the LFTTD: the Case of Carbon Black Exports

Jose Asturias

CES Technical Notes Series from Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau

Abstract: Researchers commonly compute unit values from the Longitudinal Firm Trade Transactions Database (LFTTD) by dividing a shipment's value by its reported quantity. Although the LFTTD is built from customs filings, the quantity variable is sometimes imputed when it is not reported or fails filing checks. Researchers face a choice when working with these records. If they drop imputed records, it matters how much of the data is lost. If they keep them, unit values partly reflect the assumptions used to construct the imputed quantities. In this technical note, we examine the prevalence of imputed quantities and how it has changed over time, using exports of carbon black as a case study, and describe how imputed records can be identified and the assumptions underlying them.

Keywords: LFTTD (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-09
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