US container imports in July 2025 approached record high: Descartes reports
Descartes Systems Group has released its ‘August Global Shipping Report’, indicating a substantial increase in US container imports in July.
The report highlights that the US imported 2,621,910 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July 2025, marking an 18.2% rise from June and nearing the all-time high that was set in May 2022.
The 2025 July figures were just 555 TEUs short of the May 2022 record and represented a 19.3% increase over pre-pandemic levels in July 2019.
The surge in imports from China was particularly notable, with volumes reaching 923,075 TEUs, a 44.4% increase from the previous month and the highest so far in 2025.
This rebound in Chinese shipments contributed significantly to the near-record import levels. The increase in seaborne freight from China is likely a result of tariff changes made by the US government, including the removal of de minimis exceptions, which have led Chinese importers to move away from more expensive air freight to slower and cheaper sea freight.
The leading West Coast ports retained their market share advantage over the East and Gulf Coast ports for the second consecutive month.
Despite the influx of containers, major US ports managed to keep transit time delays to a minimum, suggesting robust infrastructure performance.
The Descartes report also indicates that although global supply chains are still facing persistent geopolitical disruptions, developments in trade policy are contributing to ongoing trade uncertainty.
July’s import volumes not only followed the seasonal peak trend observed over the past nine years but also indicated potential tariff-driven frontloading activities by US importers in anticipation of trade policy changes.
Descartes director of industry strategy Jackson Wood said: “Following two months of uneven performance, July’s surge in container imports underscores the impact of US tariff policies, not just seasonal demand cycles, on container volumes.
“Trade uncertainty remains high, however, as US importers evaluate their supply chains in the face of the August 1 implementation of reciprocal duties on over 60 countries, the August 7 start of India-specific tariffs and the universal copper tariff, and the October 15 expiration of the US–China tariff truce.”
In July, container imports to the US from the top ten countries of origin (CoO) surged by 25.4% compared to the previous month, primarily driven by substantial increases from China and Hong Kong
China’s share of total US imports climbed to 35.2%, the highest since early 2025.
Hong Kong also saw a substantial increase of 25,185TEUs (47.8%), adding to the overall resurgence in Asia-origin shipments to the US, the report said.
