State of U.S. Imports: Q3 2023
U.S. ocean import activity from July 2023 through September 2023, 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 2,657,516 shipments in Q3 2023, up 1.6% versus Q2 2023 and down 12.2% year-over-year.
- The highest-volume import category was Lavatory seats and covers (HS 392220), with 20,516 shipments (+1.5% quarter-over-quarter).
- The fastest-growing high-volume category was Women's or girls' blouses, shirts and shirt-blouses of cotton (HS 620630), up 441.5% from the prior quarter to 15,249 shipments.
- The steepest decline among high-volume categories was Nonadjustable, and parts thereof (HS 820411), down 69.7% quarter-over-quarter.
- CHINA was the largest origin country with 1,053,243 shipments — 39.6% of all U.S. ocean imports.
- The busiest U.S. port of entry was LONG BEACH, CA, receiving 494,700 shipments.
- The largest importer by shipment count was IKEA SUPPLY AG, with 35,841 shipments.
Monthly shipment volume
Top import categories
Fastest growing
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Women's or girls' blouses, shirts and shirt-blouses of cotton620630 | 15,249 | +441.5% |
| Products of this chapter in tablets or similar forms or in packages of a gross weight not exceeding 10 kg310510 | 10,149 | +142.5% |
| Footwear with outer soles of rubber or plastics, other640419 | 4,937 | +98.5% |
| Articles for Christmas festivities and parts and accessories thereof950510 | 6,928 | +78.6% |
| HS 610311610311 | 3,307 | +71.9% |
Steepest declines
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 | 1,053,243 | +0.5% |
| INDIA | 139,146 | +3.7% |
| VIET NAM | 126,192 | +11.2% |
| GERMANY | 125,358 | -3.8% |
| REPUBLIC OF KOREA | 99,712 | +2.5% |
| ITALY | 91,449 | -2.0% |
| TAIWAN | 70,359 | -5.6% |
| JAPAN | 68,531 | +5.5% |
| THAILAND | 54,173 | +7.2% |
| BELGIUM | 48,594 | -10.5% |
Busiest U.S. ports
| Port of entry | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| LONG BEACH, CA | 494,700 | +0.2% |
| NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA, NEWARK, NJ | 493,729 | +5.4% |
| LOS ANGELES, CA | 447,965 | -5.2% |
| HOUSTON, TX | 163,332 | +0.2% |
| SAVANNAH, GA | 162,111 | +8.7% |
| NORFOLK, VA | 120,892 | +7.7% |
| TACOMA, WA | 113,194 | +12.5% |
| CHARLESTON, SC | 105,274 | -3.8% |
| SEATTLE, WA | 77,166 | +5.4% |
| MIAMI, FL | 76,067 | -1.1% |
Largest importers
| Importer | Shipments |
|---|---|
| IKEA SUPPLY AG | 35,841 |
| GLOBAL ETRADE SERVICES INC | 23,835 |
| DOLE FRESH FRUIT COMPANY | 15,633 |
| LG ELECTRONICS USA | 11,081 |
| WALMART INC | 10,164 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA INC | 9,438 |
| TESLA INC | 7,629 |
| WAL MART INC | 6,382 |
| AMAZON COM DEDC LLC | 5,927 |
| OLD NAVY LLC | 4,644 |
Largest suppliers
| Supplier | Shipments |
|---|---|
| JENNY | 17,517 |
| FANYF | 13,520 |
| SHANGHAI SHEN DAIMPORT&EXPORTCO | 11,923 |
| LG ELECTRONICS INC | 11,387 |
| OH_AMI INC | 9,886 |
| GUANGZHOU FIVE SIX TECHNOLOGY CO | 9,047 |
| HANGZHOU FAR INTERNATIONAL LOGISTI | 6,801 |
| FUZHOU CHEN SHUO IMPORT & EXPORT CO LTD | 6,474 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD | 6,073 |
| JIAXING APHRODITE TECHNOLOGY CO LT | 5,754 |
Methodology & citation
Figures are counts of U.S. Customs bill of lading records for ocean freight arriving at U.S. ports between July 2023 and September 2023. Product categories are 6-digit Harmonized System subheadings. Quarter-over-quarter compares Q2 2023, year-over-year compares Q3 2022. Shipment counts are records, not TEU or customs value.
This report is free to cite with attribution: “ImportDoor, State of U.S. Imports: Q3 2023 — U.S. Customs bill of lading data”, linked to this page.