Descartes report points to flattish U.S.-bound imports in October

The October edition of the Global Shipping Report, which was recently issued by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, showed that volumes were in line with September and down annually.

This the 51st edition of the Global Shipping Report, going back to its debut in August 2021.  

October U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,306,687 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—were off 0.1% compared to September’s 2,307,933 TEU and saw a 7.5% annual decline.

The report observed that this tally marks just the second October in the last decade to see a sequential decline, which is said serves as a “clear sign of importer caution.” Through the first 10 months of 2025, Descartes said that total volumes are up 0.9%, with the year-to-date annual differences trending down from an almost 10% annual gain in January to October’s less than 1% reading. Which it described as suggesting that ongoing trade volatility, suspected frontloading earlier in the year, and slower consumer demand has slowed momentum.

“Despite an increase in volumes from China, overall U.S. container imports dipped slightly in October compared to September,” said Jackson Wood, Director of Industry Strategy at Descartes. “October’s performance likely signals ongoing caution among U.S. importers facing persistent geopolitical friction and regulatory volatility, which drive higher levels of supply chain uncertainty and complexity as policies shift and evolve quickly.” 

U.S.-bound imports from China, at 803,901 TEU, were up 5.4% sequentially, after a 12.3% decline from August to September, while falling 16.3% annually and 21.4% compared to the all-time July 2024 record, at 1,022,913 TEU, with China’s share of total U.S. imports rising to 34.9%, topping September’s 33.0%.

U.S.-bound imports, for the top 10 countries of origin, were down 9.4%, from September to October, or a cumulative 171,350 TEU, with China alone down 156,115 TEU, or 16.3. Other nations seeing significant included: India (-18.5%), Japan (-8.5%), and Germany (-4.3%), among others.

Other key findings in the report included:

• Container volumes at the top 10 U.S. ports were up 5.7%, or 41,195 TEU, from September to October, with the Port of Long Beach up 20.4%, the Port of New York/Newark up 21.1%, and the ports of Oakland, Houston, and Norfolk up 17.3%, 5.6%, and 1.0%, respectively, while Los Angeles (-8.3%) Charleston (-8.4%), Seattle (-20.6%), Tacoma (-2.9%), and Savannah (-0.8%) all were down (Descartes said that the mixed performance across regions points to a modest recovery in China-origin trade flows following volume declines in September and August); and
• East and Gulf Coast ports market share fell 0.6%, to 40.7%, from September to October, with West Coast ports up 0.3%, to 44.2%, and the top 10 ports handling 84.9% of total U.S. containerized imports, down from September’s 85.2%