NEW YORK — U.S. imports of containerized goods in July reached the fourth-highest level on record for the month, according to supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group. Volume totaled 2.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs.
Shippers pulled orders forward before a 10 percent global Section 122 tariff expired in late July, replaced by levies of up to 12.5 percent on imports from 60 countries. The new tariffs target goods tied to allegations of forced labor.
Despite the July surge, container imports fell 4.3 percent from the near-record volume recorded in July 2025. Through the first seven months of 2026, total imports were down 0.9 percent year over year. Import levels remain well above pre-pandemic figures.
Chinese-origin imports rose to 873,129 TEUs in July, the highest monthly volume in a year. China remains the largest single source of containerized goods entering the United States despite President Trump's ongoing tariff policies.
Major retailers including Walmart, Amazon.com and Home Depot account for roughly half of all U.S. container imports, driving volume that peaks earlier and extends longer than it did before the pandemic — a structural response to supply-chain disruptions that now includes the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and shifting tariff policy.
Descartes said the trade environment remains unsettled. Elevated Strait of Hormuz risk, tighter Panama Canal draft restrictions and continued Red Sea disruption are pushing up freight costs and forcing importers to reroute and diversify sourcing.
