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US Imports Grow Despite Trade Flux, Descartes

[ May 21, 2025   //   ]

April U.S. container imports increased 1.2 percent over March and 9.1 percent compared to the same month last year, surpassing 2.41 million TEUs for the second time in 2025, despite the current chaotic trade environment, according to Descartes Systems Group’s May Global Shipping Report.

Year-over-year, April volumes were 25.6 percent above April 2019, underscoring continued strength compared to both recent and pre-pandemic levels. Cumulative imports for the first four months of 2025 were up 8.6 percent compared to the same period in 2024, showing resilience even as elevated tariffs and geopolitical risks add new pressures to global trade, Descartes said.

While container import growth remained strong in April, it may be, in part, because U.S. importers are continuing to pull shipments forward ahead of new U.S. 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods implemented on April 9,” said Jackson Wood, director, industry strategy at Descartes. President Trump on May 13 reduced China’s tariff to 10 to 30 percent.

 “Since the new elevated tariffs do not apply to goods already in transit when the tariffs were implemented, the tariff impact may be reflected more significantly in May container import volumes,” Wood said.

Quickly evolving U.S. trade policies and retaliatory measures from U.S. trading partners and ongoing instability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe are complicating trade flows and heightening the risks of global supply chain disruption.

April imports from China increased 5.4 percent over March and 6.2 percent compared to the same month last year, accounting for 33.4 percent of total U.S. inbound container volume. The April update of the logistics metrics Descartes is tracking shows continued growth in import performance following a strong rebound in March, but volatile global trade conditions remain.

The top West Coast ports regained market share from the top East and Gulf Coast ports in April, after losing market share last month for the first time in nine months. Despite rising volumes in April, overall port transit time delays decreased significantly over March and are at their lowest since Descartes began tracking them in 2021.

Imports from the top 10 countries of origin (CoO) rose by 45,730 TEUs in April 2025, a 2.8 percent increase over March (see Figure 2).

Several countries posted solid gains, including Italy (up 9.7 percent), Vietnam (up 6.2 percent), and Thailand (up 3.6 percent).

China saw the largest volume increase among leading importing nations, with imports rising 5.4 percent), again, likely reflecting pre-tariff shipping activity. At the same time, five of the top 10 countries showed declines, led by Germany (down 6.9 percent) and India (down 6.7 percent). Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea also posted moderate decreases.

Descartes has provided the monthly shipping report since August 2021. The May Global Shipping Report is available at https://tinyurl.com/yc6trr44. Descartes’ Shipping Resource Center is available at https://tinyurl.com/8kerjvsd.

Chart 1: 2021-25 US Container Imports TEUs

Figure 1. U.S. Container Import Volume Year-over-Year Comparison

Source: Descartes Datamyne

Figure 2: March 2025 to April 2025 Comparison of U.S. Import Volumes from Top 10 Countries of Origin

Source: Descartes Datamyne

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