U.S. container imports climb 3.8% to 2.6 million TEUs, 3rd highest monthly level

U. S. containerized imports rose 3. 8% from July to 2. 60 million TEUs in August, supported by higher volumes at major East, Gulf and West Coast ports and broad gains across sourcing countries. Imports climbed 3. 8% from July to 2.

60 million TEUs as gains at East, Gulf and West Coast gateways coincided with a broad increase in sourcing-market volumes and rising port transit delays.

Import volume reached 2,603,709 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, the third-highest monthly volume on record, as shippers moved more cargo through major gateways despite growing uncertainty over tariffs, Middle East shipping disruptions and new Panama Canal capacity constraints. Imports rose 3. 8% from July and 3.

3% from August 2025, according to Descartes Datamyne data. Only May 2022, when imports totaled 2,622,465 TEUs, and July 2025, with 2,621,910 TEUs, produced larger monthly volumes. The August total was also 21. 5% above the pre-pandemic level recorded in August 2019. While cumulative imports through the first eight months of 2026 remained down 0.

4% from the same period a year earlier, the August gain narrowed the year-to-date deficit and pointed to resilient late-summer import demand. The month-over-month increase was notable because it reversed July-to-August declines recorded in both 2024 and 2025. It also came as importers face a more complicated operating environment, including expanded U. S.

tariff exposure, disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, elevated Red Sea security risk and reduced Panama Canal transit availability. Port volumes broaden The nation’s 10 largest container gateways handled 84. 6% of U. S. containerized imports in August and collectively increased volume by 80,661 TEUs, or 3. 8%, from July.

Eight of the 10 ports posted monthly gains. New York/Newark recorded the largest increase, up 24,122 TEUs, or 7. 2%, from July. Savannah followed with a gain of 22,761 TEUs, or 9. 2%, while Long Beach increased by 12,945 TEUs, or 2. 8%. In the Gulf region, Houston posted an 8,569-TEU increase, up 4. 7%. New York-New Jersey gained 8,548 TEUs, or 18. 1%.

Charleston rose 5,751 TEUs, Tacoma increased 4,829 TEUs and Norfolk added 511 TEUs. Only Oakland and Los Angeles reported volume declines among the top 10 gateways. Oakland fell 5,628 TEUs, or 7. 4%, and Los Angeles slipped 1,748 TEUs, or 0. 4%. The distribution of the gains helped East and Gulf Coast ports regain some share of total U. S. import volume.

They accounted for 40. 7% of imports in August, up from 39. 8% in July. West Coast ports accounted for 43. 9%, down from 45% a month earlier. The shift was modest but reflected the outsized August gains at New York/Newark and Savannah, two of the country’s largest East Coast gateways.

Delays rise at every major gateway Stronger throughput was accompanied by higher transit delays across all 10 major ports, according to the report. Houston and Seattle registered the biggest increases. Houston’s average delay rose 1. 5 days, from 4. 3 days to 5. 8 days, while Seattle increased by the same amount, from 6. 1 days to 7. 6 days.

Savannah’s delay rose 1. 3 days to 6. 1 days. Los Angeles, Norfolk, New York-New Jersey, Tacoma, Oakland, Charleston and Long Beach also posted more moderate delay increases. Descartes defines port transit delay as the difference between the estimated arrival date initially listed on a bill of lading and the date on which it receives U. S.

Customs and Border Protection-processed bill-of-lading data. The broad-based rise in delays suggests that operational pressure intensified as imports climbed during the late-summer shipping season. Gulf Coast momentum continues Gulf Coast ports continued to gain volume in August, handling 252,675 TEUs, a 4. 2% increase from July. The August total was 11.

7% above the Gulf Coast’s rolling 12-month average of 226,120 TEUs and was only 1. 9% below the region’s 2026 high of 257,564 TEUs set in May. August represented the second-highest total in the period covered by the report and extended a rebound that began in July.

The increase is significant because the region has become a larger part of importers’ routing and contingency planning as East and Gulf Coast gateways gained share. China imports rise, but share slips U. S. imports from China totaled 884,318 TEUs in August, up 1. 3% from July and 1. 7% from August 2025. Still, China-origin imports remained 13.

5% below the record 1,022,913 TEUs handled in July 2024. China accounted for 34% of all U. S. containerized imports in August, down from 34. 8% in July, indicating that imports from other sourcing locations expanded more quickly. Plastics, and furniture and bedding remained the largest product categories in China-origin imports, representing 14% and 13.

3% of the total, respectively. Machinery and electrical machinery combined for 17. 6%, while toys and sporting goods accounted for 9. 9%. Apparel, made-up textiles and footwear collectively represented 10. 7% of August China-origin import volume. Among the China-origin commodity groups sh