United States imports of containerised goods in September fell 8.4 per cent from the year earlier, including a 22.9 per cent drop in goods from China, amid ongoing trade ructions from US tariff policies, data released on Thursday showed.
US seaports handled 2.31 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) of container cargo last month, the third-highest September volume on record despite being a decline from last year, supply chain technology and data provider Descartes said.
With most holiday merchandise delivered earlier than usual and tariffs continuing to rise, monthly import cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports is forecast to fall below the two million TEU mark for the remainder of the year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates said.
“This year’s peak season has come and gone, largely due to retailers frontloading imports ahead of reciprocal tariffs taking effect,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF’s Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy.
More tariffs — 25 per cent on upholstered furniture regardless of country and the same rate on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities — are set to take effect next week and increase in January, NRF said. A tariff increase on imports from China, delayed by ninety days in August, also is scheduled for November 10 unless a deal is reached or Trump decides on another delay.
“Ongoing volatility in US tariff policy is creating significant economic uncertainty,” Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said.
Reflecting market demand, the Drewry East-West Contract Rate Index – an average of contract rates paid by more than one hundred multinational shippers, including retailers like Walmart, on seventeen major ocean routes – fell three per cent in the twelve months to September, the first year-on-year reduction since July 2024.
To be sure, US imports have held up generally well under unprecedented tariff pressures.
Year-to-date volume through September was 1.9 per cent ahead of the same period in 2024.
Still, China’s share of total US imports slid to 33 per cent in September from 34.5 per cent in August, Descartes said.
China-origin imports tumbled to 762,772 TEU in September — with aluminium, footwear, and electric machinery logging the steepest drops.
Toys and sporting goods, as well as footwear and apparel, were also down. The overall result marks a reversal from the short-lived rebound in July and August and highlights importer sensitivity to tariff policy, Descartes said.
Imports from South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Germany, and Italy also notched year-over-year declines last month, Descartes said.
Meanwhile, several Southeast and South Asian countries expanded market share, the firm said.
Imports from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and India all increased.
Nevertheless, month-over-month data showed a nearly across-the-board slowdown in Asian trade momentum, Descartes said.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Marguerita Choy)