Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
The statistics describe manufacturers' sales of goods measured in terms of volume and value by detailed types of goods. In addition to this, sales are distributed by industries (NACE groups).
For submission to Eurostat, data are converted from CN to Prodcom codes using the key between the two lists of commodities.
Industrial activity is classified according to Dansk Branchekode 2007, which is the Danish national classification based on NACE rev. 2.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Mining and quarrying (NACE B) and manufacturing (NACE C). Exemptions are units in 10.71.20 (national DB07 activity code for bakeries, these are instead included in the retail trade statistics) and in 32.11.00 (NACE 32.11, striking of coins).
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Industrial sales: Sales or invoice value at current prices, excluding VAT. All sales are included, regardless if its to domestic and export markets.
Own goods: Goods that are extracted, produced, processed or assembled by the reporting enterprise. Own goods are also products manufactured by a subcontractor, if the reporting enterprise owns the inputs for the subcontracted manufacturing. Good for resale are not included.
Commercial (resale) turnover: Commercial (resale) turnover is turnover from sales of goods that are bought and sold with any processing. Repackaging does not constitute processing.
Contract work for other enterprises: Work done for another enterprise, which owns the input for the manufacturing work.
3.5. Statistical unit
The unit for the tables by commodity code is the good/product/commodity.
The tables with industrial classification are based on kind of activity unit. A kind of activity unit consists of all local units within an enterprise that has the same industrial classification. In most cases the enterprise is the same as the kind of activity unit, but for specially large enterprises with activities in several industries the kind of activity unit will be a subdivision of the enterprise. Due to this turnover is divided differently among industries than in statistics based on the enterprise (the economic unit).
3.6. Statistical population
Kind of activity units (KAU's) with main activity in mining and quarrying or in manufacturing.
3.7. Reference area
The statistics cover the turnover of enterprises in Denmark not including the Faroe Islands and Greenland. In some cases, especially for larger enterprises, goods physically produced outside Denmark will be covered. That is if the goods are produced under subcontracting for a Danish manufacturing enterprise.
3.8. Coverage - Time
1995-
3.9. Base period
Not relevant for these statistics.
Values of sales are collected and published as '1000 DKK' in StatBank Denmark. Quantities are collected and published in units linked to different commodity codes.
The responding units report sales during the calendar quarter.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Section 8 of the Act on Statistics Denmark.
The Council Regulation (EEC) No 3924/91 of 19 December 1991 (PRODCOM).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Section 8 of the Act on Statistics Denmark.
The Council Regulation (EEC) No 3924/91 of 19 December 1991 (PRODCOM).
Confidential codes are defined on the CN level according to our confidentiality policy. Data on these specific codes are never published, nor are aggregates which would make it possible to calculate the values of confidential codes. Prodcom codes are often aggregates of CN codes - so if a Prodcom code contains one CN code flagged as confidential, it will be flagged as confidential as well. In tables on turnover in each industry group. confidentiality is obtained by aggregation of industry groupings if it is necessary in order to avoid that information on individual enterprises could be attained.
8.1. Release calendar
The publication date appears in the release calendar. The date is confirmed in the weeks before.
8.2. Release calendar access
The Release Calender can be accessed on our English website: Release Calender.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Statistics are always published at 8:00 a.m. at the day announced in the release calendar. No one outside of Statistics Denmark can access the statistics before they are published.
The statistics are released in quarterly national publications. Prodcom data are submitted annually to Eurostat and published annually.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
These statistics are published in a Danish press release once a year in the beginning of March.
VARER: Industrial commodity statistics (quarterly) by commodity group and unit
VARER1: Industrial commodity statistics (annual) by commodity group and unit
VARER2S: Manufacturers' sales, SITC (quarter) by main SITC groups and seasonal adjustment
VARER3: Manufacturers' sales, SITC (annual) by main SITC groups
OMS5: Manufacturers' sales (quarters) by industry (DB07), type of turnover and seasonal adjustment
OMS6: Manufacturers' sales (annual) by industry (DB07) and type of turnover
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Researchers and other analysts from authorized research institutions, can be granted access to the underlying micro-data by contacting Research Services.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
These statistics are transmitted annually to Eurostat, who disseminates Danish figures together with similar statistics from other countries in Eurostat's database. You can read more about these statistics in European context on the Eurostat website on PRODCOM.
These statistics are also transmitted annually to the UN, where figures are disseminated under Industrial Commodity Statistics.
These statistics are part of The Enterprise Package in combination with Foreign Trade in Goods. The Enterprise Package is a standard solution specifically suited for private companies wishing to follow the foreign trade in certain goods. It may be items that you already deal with or goods you intend to import or export in future. Contact DST Consulting for more information.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not relevant for these statistics.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Results from the quality evaluation of products and selected processes are available in detail for each statistics and in summary reports for the Working Group on Quality.
11.1. Quality assurance
Statistics Denmark follows the principles in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and uses the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF) for the implementation of the principles. This involves continuous decentralized and central control of products and processes based on documentation following international standards. The central quality assurance function reports to the Working Group on Quality. Reports include suggestions for improvement that are assessed, decided and subsequently implemented.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The main non-sampling error is the measurement error concerning classification at the most detailed CN level, as respondents do not always report sales according to the correct codes. Furthermore, data on quantities are generally less reliable than those on values, as some respondents estimate quantities and other do not answer, so that estimations must be made in the statistical production process.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
There are many users of the statistics on manufacturers' sales (Prodcom):
National accounts make use of industrial commodity statistics, for the quarterly as well as the annual national accounts.
Trade associations and many others use information on the development of the sales of products from the manufacturing industry.
The public authorities need knowledge about, for instance, the sales of commodities potentially harmful to the environment.
Researchers and analysts investigate the developments in the industrial structure and the sales of goods, e.g. focussing on 'green products', medico-products etc.
International organisations, like EU and UN, need internationally comparable figures on Danish industrial production
Sales organisations, enterprises and journalists want to know about the Danish market for specific products. This is not shown directly by the statistics, but apparent consumption may be calculated by combining with data on exports and imports.
The statistics are used for an annual control of the industrial classification of all responding units. This control improves the quality of the industrial classification in the Statistical Business Register, used also by all other business statistics.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Important large users of the statistics participate in bi-annual meetings of the Expert Group for Manufacturing Statistics (link in Danish only) Link: https://www.dst.dk/da/OmDS/organisation/udvalg/ekspertudvalg/industristatistik
All codes for goods of the Prodcom-regulation are covered and collected according to the Combined Nomenclature. From 2021 the Prodcom-service codes are also covered in the collection of data, due to new EU-regulation.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
At the time of the first publication of quarterly figures, reports are typically missing from 5.4 percent (on average) of the units included in the statistics. By the fourth publication (one year later), this figure decreases to 1.5 percent (on average). Follow-up procedures for non-response prioritize the largest enterprises.
13.2. Sampling error
Out survey is the concept of a cut-off population as explained in 13.3. Therefore, there are no sampling errors.
13.3. Non-sampling error
The statistical frame population consists of legal units with at least 10 full-time employees (cut-off). This covers approximately 93 percent of total turnover in mining and manufacturing. The published data are not grossed up to cover the full target population, and units below the cut-off are therefore excluded. Consequently, the design does not provide coverage of enterprises with fewer than 10 full-time employees. The frame population is delineated using industry and employment information from the ESR. The quality of these sources is generally high, resulting in only minor overcoverage rate errors. Each year, 100–200 new units are included, of which 20–30 are subsequently exempted—most often because the unit had been assigned an incorrect industry code and is in fact not a manufacturing enterprise. Undercoverage rate errors can happen if enterprises on the edge of the cut-off criterias are not included. This can happen if the enterprises are selected before an enterprise hit the cut-off mark or if an enterprise are registered with a wrong line of business in ESR, but as mentioned, these errors are very rare due to generally high quality sources for Danish enterprises. Multiple listings are not possible for this statistics.
Respondents are required to allocate their product sales across very detailed product codes from the Combined Nomenclature, which contains around 10,000 codes. Reporting under incorrect codes is therefore a common measurement error that is not always detected—although checks against industry codes, atypical unit values, user feedback, and other controls identify a share of such errors. This type of error has the greatest impact at the most detailed level; when codes are aggregated to, for example, 6- or 4-digit levels, the effect is reduced, since most incorrect codes are still relatively close to the correct ones in the nomenclature.
In 2013, a study was conducted comparing the data with External Trade in Goods statistics at the enterprise level. This indicated a tendency for enterprises in the Sales of Goods in Manufacturing survey to use fewer product codes than they do when reporting to External Trade in Goods.
When respondents use incorrect product codes, the reasons are either lack of knowledge about classification or the fact that allocating sales across codes is too time-consuming. The latter is particularly relevant for enterprises producing many different and changing products, e.g. subcontractors producing to order. There is typically some degree of overreporting on so-called “residual codes,” such as “articles of iron and steel, not elsewhere specified”—in the sense that sales are reported under such codes that should more appropriately have been placed under a more specific code.
14.1. Timeliness
The industrial commodity statistics are always published two months after the end of the reference quarter.
14.2. Punctuality
Over the latest 3 years, 100 pct. of announced publication dates have been met. All deadlines for submission to Eurostat have also been fulfilled in this period.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
All EU member states produce Prodcom statistics. Manufacturers' sales of goods is the Danish Prodcom statistics and can be compared to those of other EU member states. Manufacturers' sales of goods differ in a few aspects from the Prodcom statistics as described in the regulation and commonly implemented. Firstly, industrial services are not covered in the detail prescribed by the Prodcom list. This is only up to the year 2020. In 2021 the statistics changed and is now fully comparable with the Prodcom list. Though, coverage is not defined as production on the physical territory of Denmark, but by the economic ownership of goods sold and produced by Danish enterprises (cf. Geographical coverage).
15.2. Comparability - over time
Historically, the statistics date back to 1905 as a survey measuring the industrial production. In 1944, the name was changed to Industrial Production Statistics. In 1967, the name became 'Product statistics for industry', and the statistics no longer measured production, but sales instead. From 1968, the survey has been conducted quarterly, before it became an annual survey. The present name, 'Manufacturers' sales of goods' was introduced in 2007.
The statistics use two sets of classifications: one for products and one for economic activities. Changes in the classifications affect comparability over time.
The classification of products is the 8-digit Combined Nomenclature (CN). The CN is changed every year, which normally only affects 100-600 of the groups. Years with major CN revision typically affect up to 2,000 groups. The latest major revision was in 2012.
CN codes have 8 digits and are regulated by the EU. Prior to 2008, the CN codes were, for selected product categories (e.g. wind mills), further divided as Danish national codes using a 9th and 10th digit. This was discontinued to reduce response burden.
The codes for classification of economic activities are not changed each year, but only with long intervals. The present classification, Dansk Branchekode 2007, was introduced in the statistics in 1st quarter 2009. For the period 2000-2008, the statistics were converted to Dansk Branchekode 2007 to create a consistent time series. Prior to 2000, data are available according to Dansk Branchekode 2003, and older classifications.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The statistics may be compared to a number of other statistics that describe the manufacturing industry. In all cases there are however differences in units, definitions and/or coverage, which need to be considered when comparing. The main related statistics are:
Industrial production and turnover: The statistics is a monthly index based on a sample. The statistical unit used is the Kind of Activity unit, which is also used in the manufacturer's sales statistics. The industrial production and turnover statistics does however not include commercial resale turnover.
External trades in goods: Exports and imports data are available according to the same commodity codes as manufacturer’s sales, so data can be combined. One should be aware that the enterprise is used as the statistical unit in the external trade statistics. Another difference between the two statistics is that the manufacturers sales of goods includes goods produced abroad under subcontracting for Danish enterprises, while the external trade statistics only includes goods that cross the Danish border. On the other hand, commercial resale turnover is divided on commodity codes in the external trade statistics, which is not the case in the manufacturer's sales statistics.
Purchases and sales by firms: The statistics are based on the enterprises’ VAT reporting to the Danish tax authorities. The variable Total sales consists of domestic sales added export sales, and is comparable with the total turnover in the manufacturer’s sales. Inconsistencies between the two statistics is typically due to the fact that the Purchases and sales statistics has the enterprise as the statistical unit and that the two statistics have different definitions on turnover. Another reasons for inconsistencies is that the main purpose of the purchases and sales statistics is to collect information on VAT payments, while the statistical use of the data is secondary. Furthermore, sales that are subject to VAT in another EU country, is exempt from VAT in Denmark and will not be included in Purchases and sales by firms.
Accounts statistics: The statistics provides key economic figures, also for manufacturing industries. The accounts statistics is based on the enterprise as the statistical unit.
The difference between manufacturers' sales and production as measured in the National Accounts is mainly different definitions and calculations in the National Accounts to ensure full coverage (for units with less than 10 employees) and consistency.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Seasonal adjustment of aggregate series is carried out indirectly, so there is full consistency. Annual versions of the statistics are always equal to the sum of the statistics for the 4 quarters of the same year.
The response burden was calculated at 3.569.000 DKK in 2005.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Statistics Denmark revises published figures in accordance with the Revision Policy for Statistics Denmark. The common procedures and principles of the Revision Policy are for some statistics supplemented by a specific revision practice.
17.2. Data revision - practice
With each release of data for a new quarter, data for previous quarters are also released in revised form. Data are always provisional at the first release.
In theory, data for Manufacturers' sales are never final. This means that it is always possible to revise the data if significant errors are found. In practice, data are not revised indefinitely, but are revised in accordance with the following guidelines:
Late data reports are always incorporated, but normally data are never reported more than one year late
When Statistics Denmark finds errors in reported data, they are corrected. Errors are not always detected before the first release, especially errors regarding the detailed distribution according to CN codes and the data on quantities. Errors are normally corrected in all quarters of the year when they are found, plus in all quarters of the three previous years.
Once a year, a revision of industrial classification for reporting units is carried out. Based on reported CN codes and other sources, some units are allocated with a different classification. This is implemented with the first release of the fourth quarter each year, but the three previous quarters are also revised with the altered classification. Normally, between 30 and 70 units change classification.
Data older than the current year plus three previous years are thus only revised in very special cases. The release of 2nd quarter 2014 has been the only recent case of this type, in which turnover for manufacturing of pharmaceuticals was revised for the period 2005Q1-2014Q1, due to changed reporting's that improved the coverage.
Data on manufacturer's sales of goods are submitted to Eurostat annually for the previous reference year. If major revisions have been made since the last data submission, a revised version of previously reported data is also submitted.
18.1. Source data
The frame population for these statistics are all kind of activity units (KAU's) with main activity in mining and quarrying or in manufacturing and having at least 10 employees or a yearly turnover over 100 mio. dkk. The population is selected annually, based on the employment registered for 3rd quarter of the year before the reference year. The information on industrial classification is based on the Statistical Business Register as of the beginning of the reference year. Data is collected from approx. 3000 units who are part of the survey.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
The data are collected quarterly. This is to and including the 4th quarter of 2024, after which the statistics will become an annual statistics. The next time data is collected is for the whole year of 2025.
18.3. Data collection
Data collection is conducted by means of a electronic survey form through idep.web.
18.4. Data validation
The web-questionnaire contains automatic validation of reported data. If data are very different from the data reported by the same company for the last period, the respondent will be asked to check data again and to provide an explanation for the change.
In Statistics Denmark the data are validated through a number of controls that check against last period as well as against other companies reporting under the same codes (unit price control). Reporting under product codes that are not typical for the NACE (activity) of the reporting units, are also subject to control.
Data are also checked against other sources, especially the Industrial Turnover Index (part of STS) and the VAT-based statistics on enterprises' sales - both at micro (enterprise) and macro (NACE) level. These checks are especially useful for finding underreporting.
Certain industries in the statistics for Manufacturers sales of goods for 2018 up to and including the third quarter of 2020 have been consistently adjusted as a consequence of a cross-statistical data revision. These consistency corrections concern the most significant companies and therefore affect different industries, which affect the total industrial production. This may also affect data on commodity codes for the above period.
18.5. Data compilation
After validation, missing reports are imputed. Imputations re-use the latest reports from the units, which have not yet reported. No imputations are made for new units in the statistics, which have not previously reported data.
Missing quantity data are estimated based on reports on the same CN codes from other units in the same quarter. If there are not any other sufficient reported data from which to make estimates, quantity is not estimated for these codes and will be missing in published tables.
For the annual Prodcom submission to Eurostat, all missing quantities are estimated using supplementary sources (Trade in goods, Prodcom data from other countries). Also for Prodcom, data for 'total production' (T-codes in the Prodcom list) are estimated as being equal to 'sold production'. Companies are not required to report total production. Data are also estimated for 'z-components', which are Prodcom codes that are more detailed than CN. This estimation is based on the distribution within the corresponding z-aggregate code in EU.
There is no grossing up.
18.6. Adjustment
Seasonal adjustment is carried out using X-12 ARIMA from the Demetra software.
For aggregated series, indirect seasonal adjustment is carried out. This means that seasonal adjustment is carried out only at the lowest level of detail published data. Aggregate seasonally adjusted series are created by summing of underlying seasonally adjusted series.
Some series have not been considered suitable for seasonal adjustment and are therefore not adjusted.
The statistics describe manufacturers' sales of goods measured in terms of volume and value by detailed types of goods. In addition to this, sales are distributed by industries (NACE groups).
29 August 2025
Industrial sales: Sales or invoice value at current prices, excluding VAT. All sales are included, regardless if its to domestic and export markets.
Own goods: Goods that are extracted, produced, processed or assembled by the reporting enterprise. Own goods are also products manufactured by a subcontractor, if the reporting enterprise owns the inputs for the subcontracted manufacturing. Good for resale are not included.
Commercial (resale) turnover: Commercial (resale) turnover is turnover from sales of goods that are bought and sold with any processing. Repackaging does not constitute processing.
Contract work for other enterprises: Work done for another enterprise, which owns the input for the manufacturing work.
The unit for the tables by commodity code is the good/product/commodity.
The tables with industrial classification are based on kind of activity unit. A kind of activity unit consists of all local units within an enterprise that has the same industrial classification. In most cases the enterprise is the same as the kind of activity unit, but for specially large enterprises with activities in several industries the kind of activity unit will be a subdivision of the enterprise. Due to this turnover is divided differently among industries than in statistics based on the enterprise (the economic unit).
Kind of activity units (KAU's) with main activity in mining and quarrying or in manufacturing.
The statistics cover the turnover of enterprises in Denmark not including the Faroe Islands and Greenland. In some cases, especially for larger enterprises, goods physically produced outside Denmark will be covered. That is if the goods are produced under subcontracting for a Danish manufacturing enterprise.
The responding units report sales during the calendar quarter.
At the time of the first publication of quarterly figures, reports are typically missing from 5.4 percent (on average) of the units included in the statistics. By the fourth publication (one year later), this figure decreases to 1.5 percent (on average). Follow-up procedures for non-response prioritize the largest enterprises.
Values of sales are collected and published as '1000 DKK' in StatBank Denmark. Quantities are collected and published in units linked to different commodity codes.
After validation, missing reports are imputed. Imputations re-use the latest reports from the units, which have not yet reported. No imputations are made for new units in the statistics, which have not previously reported data.
Missing quantity data are estimated based on reports on the same CN codes from other units in the same quarter. If there are not any other sufficient reported data from which to make estimates, quantity is not estimated for these codes and will be missing in published tables.
For the annual Prodcom submission to Eurostat, all missing quantities are estimated using supplementary sources (Trade in goods, Prodcom data from other countries). Also for Prodcom, data for 'total production' (T-codes in the Prodcom list) are estimated as being equal to 'sold production'. Companies are not required to report total production. Data are also estimated for 'z-components', which are Prodcom codes that are more detailed than CN. This estimation is based on the distribution within the corresponding z-aggregate code in EU.
There is no grossing up.
The frame population for these statistics are all kind of activity units (KAU's) with main activity in mining and quarrying or in manufacturing and having at least 10 employees or a yearly turnover over 100 mio. dkk. The population is selected annually, based on the employment registered for 3rd quarter of the year before the reference year. The information on industrial classification is based on the Statistical Business Register as of the beginning of the reference year. Data is collected from approx. 3000 units who are part of the survey.
The statistics are released in quarterly national publications. Prodcom data are submitted annually to Eurostat and published annually.
The industrial commodity statistics are always published two months after the end of the reference quarter.
All EU member states produce Prodcom statistics. Manufacturers' sales of goods is the Danish Prodcom statistics and can be compared to those of other EU member states. Manufacturers' sales of goods differ in a few aspects from the Prodcom statistics as described in the regulation and commonly implemented. Firstly, industrial services are not covered in the detail prescribed by the Prodcom list. This is only up to the year 2020. In 2021 the statistics changed and is now fully comparable with the Prodcom list. Though, coverage is not defined as production on the physical territory of Denmark, but by the economic ownership of goods sold and produced by Danish enterprises (cf. Geographical coverage).
Historically, the statistics date back to 1905 as a survey measuring the industrial production. In 1944, the name was changed to Industrial Production Statistics. In 1967, the name became 'Product statistics for industry', and the statistics no longer measured production, but sales instead. From 1968, the survey has been conducted quarterly, before it became an annual survey. The present name, 'Manufacturers' sales of goods' was introduced in 2007.
The statistics use two sets of classifications: one for products and one for economic activities. Changes in the classifications affect comparability over time.
The classification of products is the 8-digit Combined Nomenclature (CN). The CN is changed every year, which normally only affects 100-600 of the groups. Years with major CN revision typically affect up to 2,000 groups. The latest major revision was in 2012.
CN codes have 8 digits and are regulated by the EU. Prior to 2008, the CN codes were, for selected product categories (e.g. wind mills), further divided as Danish national codes using a 9th and 10th digit. This was discontinued to reduce response burden.
The codes for classification of economic activities are not changed each year, but only with long intervals. The present classification, Dansk Branchekode 2007, was introduced in the statistics in 1st quarter 2009. For the period 2000-2008, the statistics were converted to Dansk Branchekode 2007 to create a consistent time series. Prior to 2000, data are available according to Dansk Branchekode 2003, and older classifications.
