US container imports up in August, tariff turmoil dims year-end outlook

Tue, Sep 9, 2025, 4:09 AM 2 min read

By Lisa Baertlein

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -U.S. imports of containerized goods rose 1.6% year-over-year in August, even as volume from China and other key suppliers tumbled amid uncertainty over President Donald Trump's trade policy, supply chain technology provider Descartes said on Tuesday.

U.S. seaports handled 2.5 million 20-foot equivalent units of cargo last month, down from a near-record 2.6 million TEUs in July.

As of August, imports were tracking 3.3% ahead of last year.

Imports from China, the world's second-largest economy and a vital U.S. trading partner, accounted for 869,523 of all TEUs in August, or about 35% of total volume. China volume was down 10.8% from a year earlier, driven by declines in aluminum products, apparel and footwear, Descartes data showed.

Goods from most countries are subject to higher U.S. tariffs under Trump, whose administration uses the import duties as a negotiating tool.

Containerized imports may have peaked in July, according to the leader of the busiest U.S. seaport in Los Angeles.

The outlook for the remainder of 2025 is dimmed by the prospect of ongoing trade ructions, a domestic manufacturing contraction and worries that inflation-weary consumers will slash spending during the critical winter holiday season, industry officials said.

Trump's ever-changing tariff policies have sent shockwaves through global trade. Trade from China has fluctuated with tariff adjustments as rivals like Vietnam, India, Thailand and Indonesia picked up market share.

The U.S. and China extended a truce on potentially punishing tariffs until November, providing some short-term stability for the industry.

But Trump recently slapped 50% tariffs on goods from India to discourage Russian oil purchases that fund the war in Ukraine. That move could affect apparel importers like Walmart, the No. 1 container shipping customer.

A U.S. appeals court last month ruled that most of Donald Trump's tariffs are illegal. The court allowed the tariffs to remain in place through mid-October to give the Trump administration a chance to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)