U.S. Container Imports Reach Fourth-Highest Level Amid Trade Uncertainty

U.S. container imports in July reached their fourth-highest level on record, according to Descartes Systems Group. The company reported that U.S. seaports handled 2.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July, down 4.3% from the near-record result in July 2025.

Despite the decline, imports through the first seven months of 2026 were still down only 0.9% year over year and remained well above pre-COVID pandemic levels. Chinese-origin imports rose to 873,129 TEUs in July, the highest monthly volume in a year.

Retailers like Walmart, Amazon.com, and Home Depot account for roughly half of all U.S. container imports. The traditional peak shipping season has been arriving earlier and over a longer period of time as shippers have responded to supply-chain upheavals ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to rapidly changing U.S. tariff policies.

Descartes noted that 'the broader trade environment remains unsettled,' citing factors such as elevated Strait of Hormuz risk, changing U.S. tariff measures, tighter Panama Canal draft restrictions, and continued Red Sea disruption.