U.S.-bound container imports hit second-highest month on record amid tariff and seasonal pressures

The August edition of the Global Shipping Report issued by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, highlighted the second-highest month on record for United States-bound container import volumes, for last month.

This the 49th edition of the Global Shipping Report, going back to its debut in August 2021.  

August U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,519,722 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—decreased 3.9% compared to July (higher than the 3.0% decline for the same period a year ago) and were up 1.6% annually and 17.6% higher than pre-pandemic 2019. This marks the second-highest monthly total in 2025 and close to the May 2022 monthly record. And the report noted that August topped the 2.4 million TEU mark for the second consecutive month, adding that volumes at this level or higher have historically created pressure on maritime infrastructure. On a year-to-date basis, volumes through August are up 3.3% annually, which the report said reinforces the longer-term trend of resilient demand despite policy uncertainty. 

While consistent with seasonal levels that August has shown in four of the past five years, Descartes explained that the elevated volume also underscores the probable sensitivity to tariff timing. It also pointed out that importers continue to adjust shipment flows in response to policy deadlines, including the mid-November expiration of the U.S.–China tariff truce and the August 29 repeal of the U.S. de minimis exemption for all countries, which removed duty-free treatment for low-value parcels. 

“A second consecutive month of elevated container imports continues to call attention to the combined impact of U.S. tariff policy and seasonality on maritime trade, even as volumes from China declined,” said Jackson Wood, Director of Industry Strategy at Descartes. “While overall demand has remained resilient in the face of ongoing tariff volatility and geopolitical disruption, key tariff measures are now under legal challenge and headed to the Supreme Court, leaving U.S. importers to grapple with continued uncertainty as they weigh supply chain risks and mitigation efforts.”

U.S.-bound imports from China, at 869,253 TEU, were down 5.8% sequentially and were off 10.8% annually, following July’s 923,075 TEU tally, which is the highest monthly total of 2025. China’s share of U.S. imports dropped to 34.5% from July’s 35.2%—while still below the February 2022 peak of 41.5%.

U.S.-bound imports, for the top 10 countries of origin, decreased 4.4%, or 83,296 TEU, from July to August, driven by declines from China, down 53,552 TEUs (5.8%), South Korea (11.8%), Japan (14.5%), and Taiwan (12.9%).

Other key findings in the report included:

• Container volumes at the top 10 U.S. ports were down 4.1%, or 92,194 TEU, from July to August, with the Port of Los Angeles down 9.3%, or 50,749 TEU, the Port of Oakland down 9.8%, or 8,772 TEU, and Tacoma off 11.9%, or 7,838 TEU, with Seattle, Savannah and Norfolk up annually; and
• East and Gulf Coast ports increased their market share to 40.8% (up 1.5%), and West Coast ports eased to 44.1% (down 1.7%). In August, the top 10 ports handled 84.9% of total volumes, down a marginal 0.2% from July, with Descartes saying these small moves keep both coasts within this year’s typical volume ranges, signaling a stable coast-to-coast mix