CargoFax Trade Insights
U.S. Import Report December 2024
January 09, 2025
January 09, 2025
CargoFax presents the U.S. maritime import report for December 2024. This report covers key metrics such as shipments, containers, TEUs, and total tonnage, comparing month-over-month (November 2024), year-over-year (December 2023), and year-to-date (January 1st - December 31st).
Additionally, the report highlights trends in commodities, trading partners, U.S. ports of entry, and shipping lines. Focusing exclusively on maritime imports, this analysis provides valuable insights into the dynamics of U.S. import flows.
It is important to note that the data can change as Bills of Lading amendments come in, and the information presented is not final; it represents all BOL that pass through federal agency records.
In December 2024, total import shipments reached 2.56 million, reflecting a 1.1% increase from November. Container volumes followed a similar trend, increasing by 1.1% to 3.35 million containers. TEU volumes declined (1.1%), with 5.04 million TEUs processed. Additionally, the weight of imported goods increased by 3.7%, totaling 79.57 billion kilograms. These figures indicate a general growth in U.S. maritime import activity for the month.
Compared to the previous year, import shipments grew 75.7%. This rise is accompanied by significant increases in other metrics: TEU volumes rose by 39.2%, container counts increased by 50.6%, and the weight of imported goods saw a 37.6% increase.
For the year-to-date (YTD), U.S. maritime imports presented a positive trend compared to the same period in 2023. Shipments grew by 33.9%, totaling 24.2 million. Additionally, container volumes increased by 11.1%, reaching 30.3 million, while TEUs also saw a growth of 8.3%, with 48.1 million units recorded. Furthermore, total tonnage increased by 9.3%, totaling 754.3 billion KG.
| December '24 | Shipments (millions) | TEUs (millions) | Containers (millions) | KG (billions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM | 2.560 | 5.039 | 3.354 | 79.569 |
| CM vs PM | 0.029 | (0.058) | 0.030 | 2.841 |
| CM vs PY | 1.103 | 1.418 | 1.126 | 21.725 |
| CM vs PM % | 1.1% | (1.1%) | 0.9% | 3.7% |
| CM vs PY % | 75.7% | 39.2% | 50.6% | 37.6% |
| Year to Date | Shipments (millions) | TEUs (millions) | Containers (millions) | KG (billions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 24.182 | 48.079 | 30.295 | 754.296 |
| 2023 | 18.055 | 44.412 | 27.266 | 690.345 |
| 2022 | 19.929 | 47.587 | 29.123 | 748.431 |
| '24 vs '23 | 6.126 | 3.667 | 3.029 | 63.951 |
| 24 vs '22 | 4.253 | 0.492 | 1.172 | 5.865 |
| 24 vs '23 % | 33.9% | 8.3% | 11.1% | 9.3% |
| 24 vs '22 % | 21.3% | 1.0% | 4.0% | 0.8% |
In the following sections, we’ll focus primarily on TEUs as the key metric of analysis. However, if you’re interested in exploring additional dimensions like shipments, containers, or tonnage, CargoFax offers comprehensive access to these metrics and much more through our subscription plans.
Dive deeper into the data for detailed insights that can help optimize your business strategies.
Grouping commodities by HS chapters, Furniture (HS-94) ranked as the top imported commodity, representing 9.9% of total imports. Plastics (HS-39) followed closely at 7.0%, and Machinery and mechanical equipment (HS-84) came in third with a 6.6% share.
Month-over-month, the top-performing commodities were Knitted fabrics (H5-60), Precious stones, metals, imitation jewelry, and coins (H5-71), and Footwear (H5-64), recording growth rates of 23.7%, 12.8%, and 9.5%, respectively. In contrast, Special fabrics and embroidery (H5-58) and Aluminum and related items (H5-76) showed declines, dropping by (43.2%) and (15.2%), respectively.
Additionally, Explosives and pyrotechnic products (H5-36) saw a significant 17.0% increase month-over-month, with a notable 42.1% growth year-over-year. Its volume of 6.2K TEUs remained below the average 54.6K TEUs typically seen in most commodity chapters.
| Commodity Section | TEUS | Market Share % | CM vs PM (% ∆) | CM vs PY (% ∆) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Textiles | 816,743 | 16.2% | (0.4%) | 112.7% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Articles | 758,226 | 15.0% | 1.1% | 41.2% |
| 3 | Machinery & Appliances | 579,562 | 11.5% | (2.3%) | 10.6% |
| 4 | Base Metals | 490,894 | 9.7% | (1.3%) | 40.1% |
| 5 | Plastics & Rubber Articles | 475,081 | 9.4% | 5.6% | 67.3% |
| 6 | Transport Equipment | 439,944 | 8.7% | (5.6%) | 1.3% |
| 7 | Prepared Foodstuffs & Beverages | 280,654 | 5.6% | (4.1%) | 24.8% |
| 8 | Chemical Products | 213,720 | 4.2% | (1.2%) | 24.1% |
| 9 | Vegetable Products | 200,796 | 4.0% | 2.5% | 15.3% |
| 10 | Stone, Cement, & Glass | 187,515 | 3.7% | (3.7%) | 26.1% |
| Other HS Sections | 595,920 | 11.8% | (4.0%) | 53.8% |
| Commodity Chapter | CM TEUs | Market Share % | CM vs PM (% Δ) | CM vs PY (% Δ) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H5-94 | Furniture and home goods | 498,014 | 9.9% | 5.7% | 28.8% |
| 2 | H5-39 | Plastics and related articles | 354,442 | 7.0% | 6.5% | 100.2% |
| 3 | H5-84 | Machinery and mechanical equipment | 334,745 | 6.6% | (0.7%) | 9.2% |
| 4 | H5-85 | Electrical machinery | 244,817 | 4.9% | (4.3%) | 12.6% |
| 5 | H5-63 | Other textile articles and clothing | 221,613 | 4.4% | 7.4% | 160.7% |
| 6 | H5-86 | Railway and locomotives and parts | 220,209 | 4.4% | (9.4%) | 12.0% |
| 7 | H5-87 | Vehicles and their parts | 181,237 | 3.6% | (1.6%) | (10.5%) |
| 8 | H5-95 | Toys, games, and sports equipment | 178,431 | 3.5% | (7.9%) | 76.4% |
| 9 | H5-62 | Apparel and clothing accessories (not knitted) | 158,745 | 3.2% | (4.4%) | 121.9% |
| 10 | H5-61 | Apparel and clothing accessories (knitted) | 137,011 | 2.7% | (7.2%) | 48.4% |
| Other HS Chapters | 2,509,791 | 49.8% | (1.9%) | 40.7% |
For detailed insights into which commodities were imported by specific companies or countries, the complete dataset is available through a CargoFax subscription.
China remained the dominant country of origin, accounting for 53.3% of total U.S. TEU imports with over 2.7 million TEUs exported into the U.S. in December. South Korea and Vietnam followed, contributing 6.8% and 4.9%, respectively. Germany and Singapore completed the top five, with 2.7% and 2.4% of market share.
Hong Kong recorded the largest increase in imports to the U.S., with a 23.9% rise compared to the previous month.
| Country of Origin | CM TEUs | Market Share % | CM vs PM (% Δ) | CM vs PY (% Δ) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 2,724,393 | 54.1% | (0.2%) | 88.8% |
| 2 | South Korea | 340,821 | 6.8% | (2.5%) | 7.5% |
| 3 | Vietnam | 248,257 | 4.9% | (4.2%) | 14.1% |
| 4 | Germany | 138,216 | 2.7% | (8.3%) | 2.5% |
| 5 | Singapore | 123,143 | 2.4% | 0.4% | 2.5% |
| 6 | India | 119,836 | 2.4% | (4.6%) | 26.3% |
| 7 | Taiwan | 119,809 | 2.4% | (1.3%) | 10.1% |
| 8 | Italy | 109,622 | 2.2% | 6.2% | 8.9% |
| 9 | Mexico | 85,298 | 1.7% | (1.4%) | 13.5% |
| 10 | Thailand | 80,462 | 1.6% | 5.6% | 26.8% |
| Other Countries | 949,198 | 18.8% | (2.4%) | 0.4% |
The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach led the nation in TEU volume, processing 1,674K and 836.5K TEUs, respectively. Compared to the previous month, The Port of Los Angeles had a growth of 20.5% while the Port of Long Beach declined (25.8%). The Port of New York and New Jersey followed, handling 484.3K TEUs, down (9.1%) from the previous month. The Port of Savannah and Port Houston rounded out the top five ports, with 326.3K and 290.7K TEUs processed.
While most major ports saw a decrease, other ports experienced growth month over month, including The Port of Oakland, Port of Norfolk, and Port of Charleston. These ports averaged 160.9K TEUs and saw increases of 6.5%, 5.0%, and 3.6%, respectively.
| Port of Arrival | CM TEUs | Market Share % | CM vs PM (% Δ) | CM vs PY (% Δ) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port of Los Angeles, California | 1,674,482 | 33.2% | 20.5% | 179.5% |
| 2 | Port of Long Beach, California | 836,460 | 16.6% | (25.8%) | 44.7% |
| 3 | Port of New York and New Jersey | 484,288 | 9.6% | (9.1%) | (16.1%) |
| 4 | Port of Savannah, Georgia | 326,336 | 6.5% | (0.4%) | 6.6% |
| 5 | Port of Houston, Texas | 290,671 | 5.8% | (4.4%) | (2.0%) |
| 6 | Port of Tacoma, Washington | 197,442 | 3.9% | (9.4%) | 28.0% |
| 7 | Port of Norfolk, Virginia | 186,625 | 3.7% | 5.0% | 3.5% |
| 8 | Port of Charleston, South Carolina | 170,818 | 3.4% | 3.6% | 0.9% |
| 9 | Port of Oakland, California | 125,125 | 2.5% | 6.5% | 8.1% |
| 10 | Port of Seattle, Washington | 117,008 | 2.3% | (18.6%) | 0.5% |
| Other Ports of Arrival | 629,800 | 12.5% | 5.9% | 19.4% |
CMA led the market with a 21.1% share of total imports, handling 1,063K TEUs. MSC and Oratel followed with 12.5% and 8.5% shares, respectively. SM Line Corporation showed the largest growth in volume, with a 22.0% increase month-over-month.
The top five shipping lines accounted for 57.2% of total TEU volumes, while the top 10 captured 78.6% of the U.S. import market.
| Port of Arrival | CM TEUs | Market Share % | CM vs PM (% Δ) | CM vs PY (% Δ) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compagnie Maritime d'Affretement (CMA) | 1,062,697 | 21.1% | (1.1%) | 130.2% |
| 2 | MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company | 631,666 | 12.5% | (1.5%) | 11.8% |
| 3 | Oratel Networks | 427,922 | 8.5% | (1.8%) | 19.0% |
| 4 | Maersk Line | 418,127 | 8.3% | 6.0% | (3.8%) |
| 5 | COSCO Container Lines Americas | 340,097 | 6.7% | 6.4% | 38.4% |
| 6 | Hapag-Lloyd Container Line | 333,587 | 6.6% | (2.8%) | 7.9% |
| 7 | Evergreen Line | 247,877 | 4.9% | 0.9% | 1.4% |
| 8 | Star Freight Solutions | 215,035 | 4.3% | (0.1%) | 6.8% |
| 9 | Hyundai Merchant Marine | 146,002 | 2.9% | (6.3%) | 21.0% |
| 10 | Yang Ming Joint Service Agreement | 136,592 | 2.7% | (8.1%) | 6.0% |
| Other Shipping Lines | 1,079,453 | 21.4% | (3.9%) | 96.3% |
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