Vocab — UN/CEFACT Web Vocabulary
The UN/CEFACT Web Vocabulary (Vocab) is a conceptual navigation framework for the international supply chain. It is not itself a data model to implement against — it organises the domain’s concepts into seven domains so a reader can locate any concept and see how it relates to its neighbours.
The spine runs through the physical supply chain: a Product (Production) becomes a Trade Item (Trade), is aggregated into a Shipment and then a Consignment (Transport), and is declared to authorities as a Declaration / Cargo Report (Regulatory). Identity (parties, facilities, locations) is referenced by every domain; Conformity attests to products and facilities; Finance settles the trade.
Boxes are clickable — hover for a definition, click to open that domain’s page. (Interactivity requires the published site or opening the SVG directly; a static Markdown preview shows the image only.)1. Production Model
What a product is, what it is made of, and the events that act on it.
| Entity | Definition | Key relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Product | A specific product with its identification, manufacturer and other details. | is made from Material; is packaged in Package; includes replaceable Component; has legal document → Product Passport; subject of Claims and Lifecycle Events. |
| Component | A replaceable sub-product forming part of a product. | included in Product. |
| Material | The origin/source of raw materials in a product (country of origin, mass fraction). | Product is made from it. |
| Package | Details of product packaging (dimensions, materials, labels). | Product is packaged in it. |
| Claim | A performance claim about a product, facility or organisation, made against a defined Criterion. | of one or more Products; verified via Conformity. |
| Lifecycle Event | Abstract event describing a product lifecycle step; subtypes Make (transform inputs→outputs), Move (transfer between facilities), Modify (intervene without changing identity). | impacts Product; occurs at Facility. |
| Product Passport | A digital Product Passport (DPP) credential for a product. | legal document of Product. |
2. Conformity Model
Independent attestation that products/facilities meet defined rules.
| Entity | Definition | Key relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Attestation | A conformity attestation issued by a competent body, defining one or more assessments against a specification. | includes Assessment(s); has legal document → Certificate. |
| Assessment | A specific assessment of a product/facility against a specification. | assessed conformity with Criterion. |
| Criterion | A specific rule within a standard or regulation (e.g. a carbon-intensity calculation rule). | defined by Scheme; referenced by Claim and Assessment. |
| Scheme | A formal governance scheme under which an attestation is issued. | defines Criterion; supports compliance with Regulation. |
| Certificate | The issued conformity credential/document evidencing an attestation. | legal document of Attestation. |
3. Trade Model
The commercial contract between buyer and seller and the goods it covers.
| Entity | Definition | Key relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Trade Agreement | The sales contract by which a buyer and seller agree the supply of goods or services. | is made between buyer and seller; includes Trade Items; has legal document → Invoice; paid / financed / insured via the Finance domain. |
| Trade Item | The lowest level of commercial information in a trade — a product/service line with code, quantity, unit price (and tariff code cross-border). | includes a Product; may be packed in one Shipment Package; carried in a Shipment. |
| Shipment | An identifiable collection of trade items transported together from seller (consignor) to buyer (consignee). | is shipped from exporter to importer; may include several → realised through Consignment(s). |
| Shipment Package | The packaging grouping trade items within a shipment. | consolidates one or more Trade Items. |
| Invoice | The commercial document demanding payment for a trade. | legal document of Trade Agreement. |
| Packing List | The document itemising the contents of shipment packages. | legal document of Shipment Package. |
4. Transport Model
The physical carriage of goods under transport contracts.
| Entity | Definition | Key relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Consignment | A separately identifiable collection of consignment items moved from one consignor to one consignee under one transport contract. | is transported from consignor to consignee; contains one or more Consignment Items; is carried by one or more Transport Movements; has legal document → Waybill; may reference one or more master Consignment. |
| Consignment Item | A quantity of goods grouped by tariff code/packaging for transport — the lowest level within a consignment. | is transported as / may be packed in one Transport Package. |
| Transport Package | A self-contained wrapping or container holding goods for transport (box, barrel, pallet). | packs Consignment Items; carried in Transport Equipment. |
| Transport Equipment | Equipment used to hold, protect or secure cargo (container, ULD, trailer). | carries Transport Packages; conveyed by Transport Movement. |
| Transport Movement | The physical carriage of goods for transport purposes (a voyage/flight/trip/journey). | uses one Transport Means; includes many TransportEvents. |
| Transport Means | The device conveying goods — subtypes Truck, Aircraft, Vessel. | used by Transport Movement. |
| TransportEvent | A loading/unloading/arrival/departure occurrence during a movement. | has loading and unloading; occurs at Location; reported as Movement Report. |
| Waybill | The transport contract document (Bill of Lading / Air Waybill). | legal document of Consignment. |
5. Regulatory Model
Reporting goods and movements to customs and other authorities.
| Entity | Definition | Key relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation | The rule under which import/export is permitted or controlled. | Declaration permits import under / references it; Scheme supports compliance with it. |
| Declaration | The customs document declaring a consignment for export or import clearance. | has exactly one import and one export; includes Declaration Details; references a Consignment. |
| Declaration Details | The customs item lines within a declaration (one tariff code each). | included in Declaration. |
| Permit | A regulatory authorisation (licence/permit) for controlled goods. | may reference and acquit a Declaration. |
| Cargo Report | The document reporting movements of goods to customs at export/import/transit. | contains Cargo Details; each border crossing reported as it. |
| Cargo Details | The cargo-item lines within a cargo report. | contained in Cargo Report. |
| Movement Report | The carrier’s report to customs about the means of transport carrying cargo (conveyance report). | TransportEvent reported as it. |
6. Core Model
The shared foundation reused by every domain: parties, places and identifiers, plus the cross-cutting value objects (Measure, Dimension, MonetaryAmount, Identifier), events and code lists.
| Entity | Definition | Key relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Party | An actor in the supply chain — supply-chain party, certifier or government agency. | is a type of ← Person / Organisation; has legal document → Identity Document; has contact and physical Address / Location. |
| Person | An individual party. | is a type of Party. |
| Organisation | An organisational party. | is a type of Party; operates Facility. |
| Facility | The physical site (farm, factory) where product or materials are produced. | owned by Organisation; Lifecycle Event occurs at it. |
| Location | Location information — address and geo-location of points, areas, boundaries. | referenced by Address, Facility, TransportEvent. |
| Address | A postal/physical address of a party. | has Location. |
| Identity Document | A legal credential establishing a party’s identity. | legal document of Party. |
7. Finance Model
Settlement, funding and insurance of the trade. (Definitions here are indicative — this domain is still to be elaborated.)
| Entity | Definition | Key relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Finance Agreement | A contract under which a financial institution funds a trade. | facilitates Payment; has legal document → Letter of Credit; Trade Agreement financed via it. |
| Letter of Credit | The bank instrument evidencing a finance agreement / payment undertaking. | legal document of Finance Agreement. |
| Payment | A transfer of funds settling a trade obligation. | from-to Account; Trade Agreement paid via it. |
| Account | A financial account that is the source or destination of payments. | Payment from-to it. |
| Insurance | Cover protecting cargo/trade value against loss. | Trade Agreement insured via it. |
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