State of U.S. Imports: Q1 2025
U.S. ocean import activity from January 2025 through March 2025, 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 2,887,549 shipments in Q1 2025, down 10.2% versus Q4 2024 and up 16.7% year-over-year.
- The highest-volume import category was Buttons of plastics, not covered with textile material (HS 960621), with 64,198 shipments (-8.2% quarter-over-quarter).
- The fastest-growing high-volume category was Glucose and glucose syrup, containing in the dry state at least 20 percent but less than… (HS 170240), up 480.4% from the prior quarter to 12,920 shipments.
- The steepest decline among high-volume categories was Storage heating radiators (HS 851621), down 83.6% quarter-over-quarter.
- CHINA was the largest origin country with 1,448,110 shipments — 50.2% of all U.S. ocean imports.
- The busiest U.S. port of entry was LONG BEACH, CA, receiving 685,285 shipments.
- The largest importer by shipment count was IKEA SUPPLY AG, with 36,308 shipments.
Shipments
2,887,549
Containers
3,833,467
Quarter over quarter
-10.2%
vs Q4 2024
Year over year
+16.7%
vs Q1 2024
Monthly shipment volume
1,053,926January 2025
812,128February 2025
1,021,495March 2025
Top import categories
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Buttons of plastics, not covered with textile material960621 | 64,198 | -8.2% |
| Other polyesters, other390799 | 35,792 | -6.8% |
| Mattress supports, sleeping bags940430 | 21,631 | +443.9% |
| Box files, letter trays, storage boxes and similar articles, of a kind used in offices, shops or the like481960 | 21,483 | -62.9% |
| Other wooden furniture940360 | 19,622 | +17.8% |
| Waste and scrap of stainless steel720421 | 18,595 | -25.9% |
| Lavatory seats and covers392220 | 18,293 | -58.2% |
| Other seats, with wooden frames, upholstered940161 | 18,183 | +1.6% |
| Teleferics, chair lifts, ski draglines842860 | 17,990 | -7.7% |
| Waste, parings and scrap, of other plastics391590 | 17,684 | -53.3% |
Fastest growing
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Glucose and glucose syrup, containing in the dry state at least 20 percent but less than 50 percent by weight of fructose, excluding invert sugar170240 | 12,920 | +480.4% |
| Mattress supports, sleeping bags940430 | 21,631 | +443.9% |
| Grapes, fresh or dried, fresh080610 | 14,552 | +255.6% |
| Not knitted or crocheted, of cotton630492 | 9,898 | +165.4% |
| Desk-top filing or card-index cabinets, paper trays, paper rests, pen trays, office-stamp stands and similar office or desk equipment and parts thereof, of base metal, other than office furniture of heading 9403830400 | 6,486 | +104.9% |
Steepest declines
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Storage heating radiators851621 | 14,127 | -83.6% |
| Parts of machines and mechanical appliances having individual functions847990 | 3,768 | -80.7% |
| HS 441033441033 | 4,382 | -77.6% |
| Sheets and plates of polarizing material900120 | 3,836 | -77.4% |
| Tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and hygienic or toilet articles, of plastics, other392490 | 4,133 | -69.9% |
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 | 1,448,110 | -30.6% |
| VIET NAM | 127,938 | +22.5% |
| INDIA | 115,298 | +21.0% |
| REPUBLIC OF KOREA | 101,301 | +28.6% |
| GERMANY | 84,538 | +16.3% |
| ITALY | 70,361 | +20.7% |
| TAIWAN | 62,163 | +26.1% |
| THAILAND | 54,293 | +11.8% |
| JAPAN | 48,123 | +21.7% |
| BELGIUM | 39,045 | +22.8% |
Busiest U.S. ports
| Port of entry | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| LONG BEACH, CA | 685,285 | -21.4% |
| LOS ANGELES, CA | 646,866 | -44.6% |
| NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA, NEWARK, NJ | 385,699 | +34.4% |
| SAVANNAH, GA | 146,038 | +23.9% |
| HOUSTON, TX | 143,823 | +26.9% |
| TACOMA, WA | 117,681 | +30.2% |
| NORFOLK, VA | 94,355 | +20.5% |
| SEATTLE, WA | 81,889 | +52.9% |
| CHARLESTON, SC | 78,694 | +24.5% |
| MIAMI, FL | 67,829 | +56.9% |
Largest importers
| Importer | Shipments |
|---|---|
| IKEA SUPPLY AG | 36,308 |
| DOLE FRESH FRUIT COMPANY | 15,535 |
| LG ELECTRONICS USA | 13,929 |
| SOL GROUP | 7,404 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA INC | 6,235 |
| RTG FURNITURE CORP | 6,084 |
| WAL MART CANADA CORP | 4,486 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE CANADA LTD | 4,237 |
| DOLLARAMA L P | 4,160 |
| DEL MONTE FRESH PRODUCE N A INC | 3,813 |
Largest suppliers
| Supplier | Shipments |
|---|---|
| HANGZHOU WELL TRANS SUPPLY CHAIN MA | 484,193 |
| TZ CARGO LIMITED | 61,355 |
| LG ELECTRONICS INC | 11,457 |
| YUNJING INTELLIGENCE INNOVATION SHE | 10,529 |
| UNION DE BANANEROS ECUATORIANOS S A | 5,577 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD | 5,066 |
| SHANGHAI SUNLIT LOGISTICS CO LTD | 4,713 |
| PT MAERSK LOGISTICS INDONESIA | 4,642 |
| HONGKONG MILLEY LIMITED | 4,195 |
| HIGH Q INTERNATIONAL S A | 3,808 |
Methodology & citation
Figures are counts of U.S. Customs bill of lading records for ocean freight arriving at U.S. ports between January 2025 and March 2025. Product categories are 6-digit Harmonized System subheadings. Quarter-over-quarter compares Q4 2024, year-over-year compares Q1 2024. Shipment counts are records, not TEU or customs value.
This report is free to cite with attribution: “ImportDoor, State of U.S. Imports: Q1 2025 — U.S. Customs bill of lading data”, linked to this page.