U.S. imports of containerized goods in September fell 8.4% from the year earlier, including a 22.9% drop in goods from China, amid ongoing trade ructions from President Donald Trump's tariff policies. Learn more
FreightWaves – Tariffs Cause Some China Imports to Crash 44% in September
Container imports through U.S. maritime gateways in September declined 8.4% from August to more than 2.3 million, the third-highest September on record and 1.9% ahead of the same period in 2024. Learn more
DC Velocity – Chinese Imports Tumble as 90-day Tariff Truce Will Expire Mid-November
Container import volumes arriving at U.S. ports contracted in September amid continuing tariff uncertainty. Learn more
Reuters – US Container Imports Up in August, Tariff Turmoil Dims Year-End Outlook
Containerized imports rose 1.6% year-over-year in August, even as volume from China and other key suppliers tumbled amid uncertainty over trade policy, according to Descartes. Read more
Supply Chain Exchange – US Importers Grapple With Continued Uncertainty
While global supply chains continue to grapple with ongoing geopolitical disruptions, trade policy developments are also creating sustained trade uncertainty, according to Descartes Systems Group. Read more
Lloyd’s List – US Imports Drop in August as Expected, But They’re Still Very High
August imports fell 4% vs July, according to Descartes; NRF estimates a month-on-month decline of 3%. Read more
Wall Street Journal – Forging China’s Shipbuilding Behemoth; Companies Scramble For U.S. Minerals
Container imports into U.S. ports in July, in 20-foot equivalent units, 18.2% greater than June volume and 2.6% higher than the year-ago level for the second highest month on record. Read more
Yahoo Finance – U.S. Container Imports in July 2025 Approached Record High
The US imported 2,621,910 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July 2025, marking an 18.2% rise from June and nearing the all-time high that was set in May 2022. Read more
Global Trade Magazine – U.S. Container Imports Near Record High as Tariff Deadlines Drive Surge
U.S. container imports jumped to their second-highest level on record in July 2025, with volumes reaching 2.62 million TEUs—just 555 containers short of the May 2022 peak Read more
World Ports Org. – In June, the volume of container imports from China to the United States plummeted by 28%.
According to Descartes’ analysis of U.S. Customs bill of lading data, U.S. container imports in June totaled 2.2 million TEUs, down 3.5% compared to the same period in 2024. Learn more