The statistical classification system for forest products enables the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of high-quality global data on forest products by ensuring that information is comparable across countries. FAO and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) published the first version of the Classification of forest products (CFP) in 1973. Two updates have since been published, in 1979 and in 1981. Over time, the structure of the forest industry has shifted toward higher value products with complex value chains and increasingly diverse end-uses. This fourth revision covers the current spectrum of primary and secondary wood and paper products: wood taken from forests or from trees outside forests; bark and cork; charcoal; wood and wood-based materials resulting from the first processing of wood available from forest operations (e.g. sawnwood, railway sleepers, veneer sheets, wood pulp and wood residues); materials resulting from the further processing of some of these materials (e.g. wood-based panels, paper and paperboard); and recovered paper and recoverable wood products. Statistical standards are a foundation of internationally comparable statistics. This statistical classification system for forest products enables the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of high-quality global data on forest products, including production, trade, and production capacity. It enables information that is comparable across countries, supports the aggregation and disaggregation of datasets in meaningful ways, and enables data with the insight to drive policymaking and decision-making.