U.S. Container Imports Reach Record High in January

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – U.S. container imports hit a record high in January, with goods from China seeing a year-over-year gain of 10.2%, according to supply chain technology provider Descartes (NASDAQ:DSGX).

U.S. seaports handled 2.49 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in January, surpassing the previous January import record set in 2022. Goods from China made up 997,909 TEUs of last month’s total.

Some U.S. importers have been hastily bringing in goods ahead of anticipated new tariffs and potential supply-chain disruptions. Items ranging from plastic toys to machinery parts have increased in recent months, experts noted.

President Donald Trump implemented a new 10% tariff on Chinese goods as of February 4 but delayed more aggressive 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada until March to allow further negotiations.