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State of U.S. Imports: Q1 2024

U.S. ocean import activity from January 2024 through March 2024, 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 2,473,689 shipments in Q1 2024, up 1.1% versus Q4 2023 and up 2.7% year-over-year.
  • The highest-volume import category was Storage heating radiators (HS 851621), with 30,381 shipments (+159.4% quarter-over-quarter).
  • The fastest-growing high-volume category was Ceramic sinks, washbasins, washbasin pedestals, baths, bidets, water closet bowls, flush… (HS 691010), up 248.2% from the prior quarter to 9,325 shipments.
  • CHINA was the largest origin country with 1,111,565 shipments — 44.9% of all U.S. ocean imports.
  • The busiest U.S. port of entry was LONG BEACH, CA, receiving 575,723 shipments.
  • The largest importer by shipment count was CRIMSONLOGIC US INC, with 100,163 shipments.
Shipments
2,473,689
Containers
3,450,244
Quarter over quarter
+1.1%
vs Q4 2023
Year over year
+2.7%
vs Q1 2023

Monthly shipment volume

817,056
January 2024
789,114
February 2024
867,519
March 2024

Top import categories

Fastest growing

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

CountryShipmentsQoQ
CHINA1,111,565+13.3%
INDIA104,821-9.0%
VIET NAM102,923-9.7%
REPUBLIC OF KOREA98,620+1.4%
GERMANY90,857-17.8%
ITALY70,992-11.2%
TAIWAN61,156-5.8%
JAPAN50,182-12.5%
THAILAND46,715-10.6%
MEXICO39,016-4.7%

Busiest U.S. ports

Port of entryShipmentsQoQ
LONG BEACH, CA575,723+25.4%
LOS ANGELES, CA463,549+13.4%
NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA, NEWARK, NJ394,512-8.0%
HOUSTON, TX138,373-9.3%
SAVANNAH, GA134,337-11.7%
NORFOLK, VA103,409-7.8%
CHARLESTON, SC81,838-17.0%
TACOMA, WA77,641-29.5%
MIAMI, FL70,372-6.0%
SEATTLE, WA55,812+10.0%

Largest importers

Largest suppliers

Methodology & citation

Figures are counts of U.S. Customs bill of lading records for ocean freight arriving at U.S. ports between January 2024 and March 2024. Product categories are 6-digit Harmonized System subheadings. Quarter-over-quarter compares Q4 2023, year-over-year compares Q1 2023. Shipment counts are records, not TEU or customs value.

This report is free to cite with attribution: “ImportDoor, State of U.S. Imports: Q1 2024 — U.S. Customs bill of lading data”, linked to this page.

State of U.S. Imports: Q1 2024 — Trends, Top Products & Ports | ImportDoor