ISSB Ltd.

What ISSB Ltd. does

ISSB Ltd. (International Steel Statistics Bureau) is a privately held UK-based provider of global trade data and analysis for steel and base metals markets. Founded in 1979 as the statistics department of the British Steel Corporation and privatized in 1988, the company operates from Croydon, United Kingdom, with a team of 1-10 employees. Its core product is the Trade Enquiry System (TES), a cloud-based subscription database portal offering 24/7 member access to import and export statistics for 131 countries at 6-, 8-, and 10-digit tariff code granularity, with 78 countries carrying historical data back to the 1980s and current data back to 2019.

ISSB monetizes through three primary streams: annual TES subscriptions (recurring), bespoke customized reports delivered monthly, quarterly, or annually (professional services), and quarterly market updates with an annual companion volume covering trade value. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The sales-led go-to-market targets enterprise clients across financial and investment firms, steel manufacturers and industry players, consultants, and suppliers/consumers. Named customers include JFE Steel Corporation, JSW Steel Limited, OECD, MEPS International, Stemcor Distribution, ENPAY, and Farnborough Engineering Consultants, with multiple client relationships spanning more than a decade.

The firm distributes its data primarily through direct subscription sales supported by a content-marketing website featuring regular data news articles on EU, Turkish, Chinese, and Brazilian steel trade flows, alongside a complimentary 30-minute Microsoft Teams tutorial for prospective members. No public funding rounds, acquisitions, AI/ML capabilities, API offerings, or third-party channel partnerships are disclosed. The business operates as a bootstrapped, specialist data intelligence provider with a tightly defined niche in global metals trade statistics.

Name

ISSB Ltd.

Legal name

ISSB Ltd.

Website

https://issb.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISSB Ltd. is a UK-based data intelligence firm providing subscription-based global trade statistics on steel and base metals across 131 countries, serving enterprise clients in metals, financial, and consulting sectors via its cloud-based Trade Enquiry System and bespoke reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel & Metals Trade Data Intelligence

NAICS

Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLACAGAJ

Trade Data Management & Automation Advisory (Master Data, ACE/ICS2, EDI)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Trade Compliance & Regulatory Advisory (HTS Classification, Export Controls, Sanctions)

Keywords

• Steel trade statistics
• Metals market data
• Global trade intelligence
• Trade data database
• Commodity trade analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Trade Enquiry System Annual Subscription: Annual subscription-based access to the cloud-based TES database portal providing global trade statistics. Members receive 24/7 access to the portal.
2. Bespoke Reports: Customized monthly, quarterly, or annual report writing service tailored to client-specific requirements. Costs vary according to requirements.
3. Quarterly Market Updates: Quarterly market updates for steel industry products. A companion volume covering value of trade is published annually and included with this service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ISSB Ltd. provides global trade data, analysis, and publications on steel and base metals markets through its Trade Enquiry System (TES), a cloud-based subscription database covering import/export statistics for 131 countries at 6-, 8-, and 10-digit tariff code level. The company also produces bespoke customized reports and quarterly market updates for clients in the metals, steel, financial, and business sectors.

Product overview

ISSB Ltd. operates as a single unified data intelligence platform focused on global steel and base metals trade statistics. The core offering consists of the Trade Enquiry System (TES), a subscription-based cloud database providing import/export data for 131 countries at detailed tariff code levels. This is complemented by International Import and Export Statistics accessible through a 24/7 member portal. Additional value-added services include Bespoke Reports (customised monthly, quarterly, or annual reports), Quarterly Market Updates, and a complimentary Trade Enquiry System Tutorial session. The company, established in 1979 and privatised in 1988, serves financial firms, industry players, consultants, and consumers with data spanning back to the 1980s for select countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trade Enquiry System (TES) Annual subscription cloud-based database portal providing global trade data for raw materials, ores, steel, and base metals across 131 countries at 6-, 8-, and 10-digit tariff code level, with import/export tonnes and prices back to 2019. Members receive 24/7 access to the portal for search and download of trade statistics.
• International Import and Export Statistics Comprehensive import/export statistics covering iron ore, raw materials, steel, and base metals for 131 countries, with data for 78 countries available back to the 1980s. Accessible via the 24/7 member portal to financial and investment firms, industry players, consultants, suppliers, and consumers.
• Bespoke Reports Customised report writing service providing monthly, quarterly, or annual reports tailored to specific client requirements for market trend analysis. Costs vary according to requirements. ISSB collaborates closely with clients to fulfil unique needs.
• Market Updates Quarterly market updates covering various steel industry products. A companion volume covering value of trade is published annually and is included with the subscription.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves hours or even days compared to most readily available alternatives for major searches
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MEPS International: MEPS offers steel price forecasting and purchasing intelligence to global steel buyers; named as an ISSB customer, MEPS competes in adjacent steel-market intelligence segments.
• Argus Media: Argus covers metals and steel alongside other commodities with price assessments and trade analytics, overlapping ISSB's tariff-level trade intelligence offering for industrial customers.
• CRU Group: CRU provides subscription-based market intelligence and price data across steel, metals, and mining — directly competing with ISSB for the same steel-and-base-metals enterprise subscriber base.
• Fastmarkets: Fastmarkets (formerly Metal Bulletin) provides commodity price reporting, trade data, and market intelligence for metals and steel — a direct competitor in trade-flow and pricing analytics.

Emerging players

• SteelMint: SteelMint provides metals and coal market intelligence focused on the Indian subcontinent — an emerging regional peer with overlapping steel trade-flow and pricing content.
• Texere Publishing (Metal Miner): MetalMiner provides metals procurement intelligence, price benchmarks, and trade insights — an emerging digital peer addressing similar industrial buyers with more modern delivery formats.

Others

• Eurostat Comext: Eurostat Comext publishes detailed EU and global trade statistics at granular tariff codes for free — a key public-sector alternative source ISSB benchmarks against in European trade coverage.
• UN Comtrade: UN Comtrade is the United Nations' free global trade data repository — an alternative free source that defines the competitive floor ISSB must differentiate above on quality and historical depth.

Broad incumbents

• S&P Global Commodity Insights: S&P Global Commodity Insights (incorporating Platts and IHS Markit) offers broad commodity data, analytics, and price benchmarks — a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise data budgets as ISSB.
• Wood Mackenzie: Wood Mackenzie (now part of Verisk) is a global commodities research incumbent covering metals, mining, and steel — competing with ISSB at the top end of enterprise trade-and-market intelligence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/issb-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ISSB Ltd.