State of U.S. Imports: Q4 2020
U.S. ocean import activity from October 2020 through December 2020, from U.S. Customs bill of lading records.
Sourced from U.S. Customs bill of lading data · Updated monthly · Data through August 2026
Key findings
- U.S. ocean imports totaled 2,765,129 shipments in Q4 2020, up 7.8% versus Q3 2020.
- The highest-volume import category was Incomplete movements, assembled (HS 911012), with 45,394 shipments.
- The fastest-growing high-volume category was Toothbrushes, including dental-plate brushes (HS 960321), up 636.1% from the prior quarter to 15,083 shipments.
- The steepest decline among high-volume categories was Other glassware, other (HS 701399), down 51.6% quarter-over-quarter.
- CHINA was the largest origin country with 1,185,138 shipments — 42.9% of all U.S. ocean imports.
- The busiest U.S. port of entry was LOS ANGELES, CA, receiving 632,757 shipments.
- The largest importer by shipment count was IKEA SUPPLY AG, with 32,081 shipments.
Shipments
2,765,129
Containers
3,687,377
Quarter over quarter
+7.8%
vs Q3 2020
Year over year
N/A
not available — dataset begins Jan 2020
Monthly shipment volume
883,711October 2020
905,923November 2020
975,495December 2020
Top import categories
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Incomplete movements, assembled911012 | 45,394 | N/A |
| Other wooden furniture940360 | 25,980 | +24.3% |
| Furniture of plastics940370 | 20,432 | +13.6% |
| Lavatory seats and covers392220 | 19,987 | +26.4% |
| Parts of air conditioning machines, comprising a motor-driven fan and elements for changing the temperature and humidity, including those machines in which the humidity cannot be separately regulated841590 | 18,348 | +0.4% |
| HS 940140940140 | 16,465 | +12.2% |
| Roofing tiles, chimney pots, cowls, chimney liners, architectural ornaments and other ceramic constructional goods, roofing tiles690510 | 16,402 | -1.2% |
| Other seats, with wooden frames, upholstered940161 | 15,671 | +16.0% |
| Not knitted or crocheted, of cotton630492 | 15,301 | +2.0% |
| Teleferics, chair lifts, ski draglines842860 | 15,258 | +27.2% |
Fastest growing
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Toothbrushes, including dental-plate brushes960321 | 15,083 | +636.1% |
| Parts of electromechanical domestic appliances, with self-contained electric motor, other than vacuum cleaners of heading 8508850990 | 7,281 | +140.3% |
| Pasta, whether or not cooked or stuffed (with meat or other substances) or otherwise prepared, such as spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, lasagna, gnocchi, ravioli, cannelloni, other pasta190230 | 11,365 | +102.0% |
| HS 950320950320 | 9,283 | +79.1% |
| Parts suitable for use solely or principally with the engines of heading 8407 or 8408, other840999 | 5,504 | +61.3% |
Steepest declines
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Other glassware, other701399 | 4,374 | -51.6% |
| Machinery for making or repairing footwear845320 | 4,871 | -49.7% |
| Lifejackets and lifebelts630720 | 3,331 | -41.9% |
| Articles of apparel and clothing accessories430310 | 4,044 | -41.8% |
| Sweaters, pullovers, sweatshirts, waistcoats (vests) and similar articles, knitted or crocheted of wool611011 | 3,822 | -21.6% |
Among categories with at least 1,000 shipments this quarter and 500 the prior quarter, across the 100 highest-volume HS codes.
Top origin countries
| Country | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| CHINA | 1,185,138 | +9.9% |
| GERMANY | 134,672 | +0.6% |
| INDIA | 114,923 | +15.2% |
| REPUBLIC OF KOREA | 102,598 | +25.7% |
| VIET NAM | 93,725 | +5.3% |
| ITALY | 93,129 | +1.4% |
| TAIWAN | 84,181 | +11.2% |
| JAPAN | 75,822 | +12.4% |
| BELGIUM | 56,741 | -2.5% |
| MEXICO | 47,924 | +9.8% |
Busiest U.S. ports
| Port of entry | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| LOS ANGELES, CA | 632,757 | +5.1% |
| LONG BEACH, CA | 481,853 | +13.0% |
| NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA, NEWARK, NJ | 466,976 | +3.0% |
| SAVANNAH, GA | 148,500 | +7.0% |
| HOUSTON, TX | 142,028 | +10.4% |
| TACOMA, WA | 116,840 | +11.9% |
| CHARLESTON, SC | 110,417 | +6.4% |
| NORFOLK, VA | 103,470 | +10.0% |
| SEATTLE, WA | 82,502 | +10.7% |
| MIAMI, FL | 78,821 | +7.4% |
Largest importers
| Importer | Shipments |
|---|---|
| IKEA SUPPLY AG | 32,081 |
| DOLE FRESH FRUIT COMPANY | 12,411 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA INC | 10,431 |
| 3PL LOGISTICS INC | 9,755 |
| LG ELECTRONICS USA | 8,070 |
| WALMART INC | 6,519 |
| ROOMS TO GO | 5,976 |
| SCHAEFFLER GROUP USA INC | 4,723 |
| AT HOME PROCUREMENT INC | 3,968 |
| WAL MART INC | 3,718 |
Largest suppliers
| Supplier | Shipments |
|---|---|
| WANG ZHANG JIANG JIAANDA | 75,428 |
| WENXUAN HE | 53,155 |
| SHENZHEN ANSERX INTERNATIONAL | 22,058 |
| JENNY | 17,271 |
| LG ELECTRONICS INC | 10,521 |
| HONGHAI SUPPLY CHAIN NO | 9,904 |
| MR LEE | 9,319 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD | 7,998 |
| SHENZHEN KISHENGDA NETWORK | 6,898 |
| THAI SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD | 4,525 |
Methodology & citation
Figures are counts of U.S. Customs bill of lading records for ocean freight arriving at U.S. ports between October 2020 and December 2020. Product categories are 6-digit Harmonized System subheadings. Quarter-over-quarter compares Q3 2020, year-over-year compares Q4 2019. Shipment counts are records, not TEU or customs value.
This report is free to cite with attribution: “ImportDoor, State of U.S. Imports: Q4 2020 — U.S. Customs bill of lading data”, linked to this page.