Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units

November imports, at 2.63 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), decreased 3.2% annually, falling for the third consecutive month, and were down sequentially compared to October’s 2.71 million TEU.

November U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,183,048 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—were off 5.4% compared to October and saw a 7.5% annual decline.

POLA reported that October volume, at 848,431 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), fell 6.25% annually, and POLB reported that October volume, at 839,671 TEU, fell 14.9% annually, compared to October 2024, the port’s strongest month on record in its 114 years of operations.

The Port of Los Angeles reported that total volume, at 883,053 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), fell 7.5% annually, and the Port of Long Beach reported that total September volume, at 797,537 TEU, was off 3.9% annually.

The firm reported that September imports, at 2.72 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), fell 5.8% annually, down from August’s 2.9 million TEU July’s 3.01 million TEU (which topped the 3 million TEU mark for the first time and came on the heels of a June decline, coupled with importers looking to optimize sourcing following the White House’s reciprocal tariffs related to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on most U.S. trading partners, which went into effect on August 7).

September U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,307,933 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—fell 8.4% compared to August’s 2,519,722 TEU, the second-highest monthly total in 2025 and close to the May 2022 monthly record, as well as the third-highest September tally on record, and was also down 8.4% annually. On a year-to-date basis through September, volumes are up 1.9% compared to the same period a year ago, which Descartes said suggests moderate resilience in overall demand. 

For the first half of 2025, Port Tracker said that total volume, at 12.53 million TEU, rose 3.7% annually, with calendar year 2025 expected to be down 2.9% annually, to 25.5 million TEU.

ng off of a record-setting July, United States-bound containerized freight imports saw annual gains, albeit at a reduced pace, according to data recently issued by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

July imports, at 3.01 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), headed up 3.7% annually, topping the 2.90 million TEU in July 20214, and cracking the 3 million TEU mark for the first time.

June U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,217,675 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was up 1.8% compared to May and down 3.5% annually, following a 9.7% sequential decline from April to May and a 7.2% annual May decline.

May U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,177,453 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was off 9.7% compared to April and down 7.2% annually.

The report said that U.S.-bound imports are expected to be down at least 20%, from June into the fall, with the annual total potentially down by 10%.

POLA reported that total March volume came in at 778,406 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), for a 4.7% annual gain, and the Port of Long Beach reported that total March volume, at 817,457 TEU, increased 25% annually.

While President Trump earlier today reversed course on widespread tariffs recently announced on United States trading partners, in the form of a 90-day pause through July 8, with the notable exception of China, the new edition of the Port Tracker report, which was released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates, expects U.S.-bound imports to recede in the coming months.

The firm reported that February imports, at 2.56 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), posted a 4.3% annual gain. And on a year-to-date basis, it reported that total U.S.-bound imports, at 5.38 million TEU, are up 6.3% compared to the same period in 2024.