Bottom line: U.S. general imports were 28.0% above August 2025 at $336.2 billion, and about half of that increase came from just three product groups: computers, computer parts, and network equipment, mostly servers for data centers. On the export side, fuel exports rose in value mainly because oil and diesel were more expensive than a year earlier, which helped exports grow 14.1% while the trade deficit still widened by $48.3 billion from August 2025.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau international trade statistics (general imports, customs value; total exports, f.a.s. value), not seasonally adjusted; retrieved 2026-10-19.
Desk: Claudio, U.S. Census desk. Dataset: U.S. Census Bureau international trade statistics (official), general imports (customs value) and total exports (f.a.s. value), not seasonally adjusted. Period: August 2026, compared with July 2026 and August 2025. Vintage: Census data as released October 6, 2026, retrieved October 19, 2026 (2025 figures include the June 2026 annual revision). Coverage: all U.S. goods trade; port and mode detail from the month x country x port x HS6 files, which start in January 2024.
Key findings
- Imports: $336.2 billion in August 2026, up 1.0% from $332.9 billion in July 2026 and up $73.6 billion (28.0%) from $262.6 billion in August 2025. Only March 2025 ($342.3 billion) was higher since our data begins in January 2024.
- AI hardware: imports of computers (HS 8471), computer parts (HS 8473), and phones and network equipment (HS 8517) reached $75.8 billion, up from $38.9 billion in August 2025 (+95.0%). That $36.9 billion increase was 50.2% of the total year-on-year import increase. These goods were 22.5% of all imports, up from 14.8%.
- Mexico: imports from Mexico reached $60.6 billion, the highest monthly level since January 2024 and up 34.2% from $45.2 billion. Computers, parts, and network gear from Mexico rose by $12.8 billion to $22.4 billion, 83% of Mexico's year-on-year gain, most of it trucked through Ysleta, Laredo, and Santa Teresa.
- Energy exports: mineral fuel exports (HS 27) were $36.0 billion, up 42.7% from $25.2 billion in August 2025, and 17.6% of all exports. Refined fuel exports (HS 2710) reached $15.5 billion, their highest since January 2024. Crude exports rose 28.7% in value on almost unchanged weight (+0.4%), a price story.
- Balance: the deficit was $131.4 billion, narrowing $4.1 billion from July 2026 but widening $48.3 billion from $83.1 billion in August 2025. From January to August 2026, the deficit was $775.7 billion, narrowing $111.6 billion (12.6%) from the same eight months of 2025.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau international trade statistics (general imports, customs value; total exports, f.a.s. value), not seasonally adjusted; retrieved 2026-10-19.
Table view
| Imports | Exports | |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | $285.7B | $171.2B |
| Oct 2024 | $288.9B | $176.7B |
| Nov 2024 | $274.3B | $174.3B |
| Dec 2024 | $284.8B | $164.6B |
| Jan 2025 | $318.0B | $165.0B |
| Feb 2025 | $287.8B | $167.2B |
| Mar 2025 | $342.3B | $191.4B |
| Apr 2025 | $275.7B | $189.1B |
| May 2025 | $275.8B | $184.2B |
| Jun 2025 | $265.4B | $180.5B |
| Jul 2025 | $292.1B | $175.5B |
| Aug 2025 | $262.6B | $179.4B |
| Sep 2025 | $276.8B | $185.2B |
| Oct 2025 | $275.0B | $202.7B |
| Nov 2025 | $261.0B | $181.4B |
| Dec 2025 | $282.0B | $178.2B |
| Jan 2026 | $260.5B | $186.4B |
| Feb 2026 | $253.6B | $195.1B |
| Mar 2026 | $302.3B | $221.4B |
| Apr 2026 | $300.5B | $218.0B |
| May 2026 | $311.9B | $208.2B |
| Jun 2026 | $317.4B | $208.2B |
| Jul 2026 | $332.9B | $197.5B |
| Aug 2026 | $336.2B | $204.7B |
The numbers
| Metric | Aug 2026 | Jul 2026 | Change | Aug 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imports (general) | $336.2B | $332.9B | +1.0% | $262.6B | +28.0% |
| Exports (total) | $204.7B | $197.5B | +3.7% | $179.4B | +14.1% |
| Trade balance | -$131.4B | -$135.5B | narrowed $4.1B | -$83.1B | widened $48.3B |
| Imports: computers, parts, network gear (HS 8471, 8473, 8517) | $75.8B | $83.3B | -9.0% | $38.9B | +95.0% |
| Imports: everything else | $260.4B | $249.6B | +4.3% | $223.7B | +16.4% |
| Imports from Mexico | $60.6B | $60.5B | +0.1% | $45.2B | +34.2% |
| Imports by air (value) | $114.8B | $118.8B | -3.4% | $74.2B | +54.6% |
| Exports: mineral fuels (HS 27) | $36.0B | $32.4B | +11.1% | $25.2B | +42.7% |
| Exports: refined fuels (HS 2710) | $15.5B | $14.1B | +10.2% | $8.9B | +73.4% |
| Exports: crude oil (HS 2709) | $11.0B | $9.0B | +21.9% | $8.5B | +28.7% |
| Year to date (Jan to Aug) | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imports | $2,415.2B | $2,319.7B | +4.1% |
| Exports | $1,639.5B | $1,432.4B | +14.5% |
| Deficit | $775.7B | $887.3B | narrowed $111.6B |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau international trade statistics (general imports, customs value; total exports, f.a.s. value), not seasonally adjusted; retrieved 2026-10-19.
Table view
| 2026 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | $260.5B | $318.0B |
| Feb | $253.6B | $287.8B |
| Mar | $302.3B | $342.3B |
| Apr | $300.5B | $275.7B |
| May | $311.9B | $275.8B |
| Jun | $317.4B | $265.4B |
| Jul | $332.9B | $292.1B |
| Aug | $336.2B | $262.6B |
Why did U.S. imports run 28% above a year earlier?
Computers, computer parts, and network equipment are the hardware of the data center: servers (HS 847150, "processing units"), the boards and modules that go inside them (HS 847330), and switches and routers (HS 851762). In August 2024 the U.S. imported $27.2 billion of these three groups combined. By August 2025 that was $38.9 billion. In August 2026 it was $75.8 billion.
The monthly progression shows a steady climb rather than a one-month jump:
- January 2026: $50.7 billion
- March 2026: $60.3 billion
- June 2026: $66.9 billion
- July 2026: $83.3 billion, the highest since January 2024
- August 2026: $75.8 billion, down 9.0% from July but still 95.0% above August 2025
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, international trade (month x country x port x HS6), not seasonally adjusted. CargoFax analysis.
Table view
| Computers, parts, network gear | |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | $20.1B |
| Feb 2024 | $18.4B |
| Mar 2024 | $20.8B |
| Apr 2024 | $22.9B |
| May 2024 | $24.7B |
| Jun 2024 | $25.2B |
| Jul 2024 | $28.7B |
| Aug 2024 | $27.2B |
| Sep 2024 | $31.2B |
| Oct 2024 | $31.7B |
| Nov 2024 | $28.3B |
| Dec 2024 | $28.9B |
| Jan 2025 | $31.3B |
| Feb 2025 | $28.2B |
| Mar 2025 | $36.5B |
| Apr 2025 | $33.5B |
| May 2025 | $37.1B |
| Jun 2025 | $38.9B |
| Jul 2025 | $41.7B |
| Aug 2025 | $38.9B |
| Sep 2025 | $40.7B |
| Oct 2025 | $52.1B |
| Nov 2025 | $49.1B |
| Dec 2025 | $54.2B |
| Jan 2026 | $50.7B |
| Feb 2026 | $48.4B |
| Mar 2026 | $60.3B |
| Apr 2026 | $62.4B |
| May 2026 | $64.6B |
| Jun 2026 | $66.9B |
| Jul 2026 | $83.3B |
| Aug 2026 | $75.8B |
Within the group, servers rose from $17.5 billion in August 2025 to $30.3 billion, server parts roughly tripled from $5.9 billion to $17.9 billion, and network equipment nearly doubled from $6.4 billion to $12.2 billion. Two related lines also reached their highest levels since January 2024: storage devices (HS 8523, $8.5 billion, the tenth straight monthly increase) and integrated circuits (HS 8542, $5.5 billion).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, international trade (month x country x port x HS6), not seasonally adjusted. CargoFax analysis.
Table view
| Servers (HS 847150) | Server and computer parts (HS 847330) | Network equipment (HS 851762) | Other computers, phones, parts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | $5.86B | $5.97B | $5.47B | $14.0B |
| Feb 2025 | $6.74B | $5.67B | $4.63B | $11.1B |
| Mar 2025 | $8.12B | $7.34B | $6.24B | $14.8B |
| Apr 2025 | $8.45B | $6.46B | $6.13B | $12.5B |
| May 2025 | $13.3B | $6.75B | $6.34B | $10.7B |
| Jun 2025 | $13.8B | $6.48B | $6.91B | $11.7B |
| Jul 2025 | $16.4B | $6.21B | $7.54B | $11.5B |
| Aug 2025 | $17.5B | $5.87B | $6.41B | $9.13B |
| Sep 2025 | $13.8B | $7.57B | $7.37B | $11.9B |
| Oct 2025 | $18.2B | $11.2B | $9.25B | $13.5B |
| Nov 2025 | $21.1B | $7.68B | $8.00B | $12.4B |
| Dec 2025 | $20.3B | $11.3B | $9.66B | $12.9B |
| Jan 2026 | $20.3B | $9.10B | $9.62B | $11.7B |
| Feb 2026 | $22.2B | $8.99B | $7.82B | $9.39B |
| Mar 2026 | $23.4B | $13.0B | $10.4B | $13.5B |
| Apr 2026 | $25.4B | $11.9B | $11.2B | $14.0B |
| May 2026 | $25.8B | $13.7B | $10.3B | $14.8B |
| Jun 2026 | $24.7B | $14.4B | $12.3B | $15.5B |
| Jul 2026 | $33.6B | $20.1B | $12.4B | $17.2B |
| Aug 2026 | $30.3B | $17.9B | $12.2B | $15.4B |
This matters for reading the headline. Excluding these three groups, imports were $260.4 billion, still up 16.4% from $223.7 billion a year earlier, so the rise is not only about servers. But the data center build-out explains half of it.
The route. Two physical routes carry this hardware. From Mexico, it moves by land: $8.5 billion entered through Ysleta, Texas (El Paso area), $8.4 billion through Laredo, and $3.8 billion through Santa Teresa, New Mexico, more than double each port's August 2025 level.
From Asia, it flies. Of $17.0 billion from Taiwan, $16.2 billion arrived by air, as did $11.5 billion of $13.7 billion from Vietnam.
Chicago received $15.4 billion of these goods, almost all by air, up from $8.7 billion, with San Francisco International ($7.4 billion), Dallas-Fort Worth ($5.4 billion), and Anchorage ($4.7 billion) behind it. Air imports of all goods were $114.8 billion, up 54.6%, and this hardware accounted for 55% of that increase.
Taiwan's air shipments also became more valuable per kilogram: about $556 per kilogram in August 2026 against about $380 a year earlier, while weight fell 9.5%. That pattern is consistent with higher-end servers and components, though shipping weight includes packaging and the data cannot separate model mix from price.
Policy and the why. Demand appears to be the main driver. The four largest U.S. cloud companies planned to spend about $725 billion on capital spending in 2026, up 77% from $410 billion in 2025, according to first-quarter earnings compiled by the Financial Times and reported by Tom's Hardware. The tariff design also matters: the January 2026 Section 232 proclamation set a 25% duty on certain advanced chips and derivative products, including those under HS 8471.50, 8471.80, and 8473.30, but exempted imports for use in U.S. data centers.
Mexico's role is assembly. A Banamex analysis cited by Mexico News Daily put Mexico's share of U.S. server imports at 34.5% in the first half of 2026, just behind Taiwan's 36%, and reported a planned $450 million investment in Ciudad Juarez by Inventec (TWSE: 2356). A UBS report, cited by Mexico News Daily, found that more than 95% of inputs to computing and electronics assembled in Mexico are imported, mainly from Asia.
The nuance. A server assembled in Mexico counts as an import from Mexico, so the Mexico figures overstate Mexican content. China's role is small in this flow: $2.8 billion in August 2026, 3.7% of the group. And August was lower than July for all three product groups, so the month does not show whether the climb has peaked. BEA's seasonally adjusted release also showed computer accessories down $1.6 billion in August.
What the data shows: Data center hardware roughly doubled year on year and explains half of the increase in U.S. imports, arriving by land from Mexico and by air from Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Whether August's dip from July is a pause or a turn will show in the September data.
Who supplied the jump, and who did not?
The partner ranking tells the same story from another angle. Imports from Mexico rose $15.4 billion to $60.6 billion. Vietnam rose 61.0% to $26.5 billion and Taiwan 39.0% to $24.7 billion; both were driven mainly by computing hardware ($13.7 billion and $17.0 billion of their totals). Malaysia rose to $8.6 billion, from $4.4 billion, and Thailand to $11.8 billion, from $7.5 billion. Vietnam and Malaysia both reached their highest monthly levels since January 2024.
Canada also rose, by 23.5% to $36.0 billion, but for a different reason: crude oil. Crude imports from Canada were $9.2 billion, up from $6.9 billion. Across all suppliers, crude imports rose 28.1% in value to $15.6 billion while their vessel shipping weight rose only 3.2%, so most of the increase was price.
China, at $27.1 billion, was up a modest 6.9% from August 2025, and its share of U.S. imports fell to 8.1% from 9.7%. It is the third-largest supplier, behind Mexico and Canada, and only $0.7 billion ahead of Vietnam.
What the data shows: The gains went to the countries that assemble or ship data center hardware (Mexico, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand), plus Canada on oil prices. The data shows where goods came from, not who made the components inside them.
Why did U.S. fuel exports rise so much in value?
Mineral fuels were the largest U.S. export group in August 2026, at 17.6% of all exports, against $25.2 billion a year earlier. From January to August 2026, fuel exports totaled $273.9 billion, up $70.9 billion (34.9%) from the same period of 2025. That increase was 34% of the entire year-to-date export gain.
The arc follows the oil market. Crude exports were $8.0 billion in February 2026, rose to $17.1 billion in April and $19.2 billion in May (on vessel weights of 21.0 and 23.3 million tonnes, against about 15 million in August 2025 and August 2026), then eased to $9.0 billion in July and $11.0 billion in August. Refined fuels went from $8.2 billion in February to $15.5 billion in August, their highest since January 2024.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, international trade (month x country x port x HS6), not seasonally adjusted. CargoFax analysis.
Table view
| Crude oil (HS 2709) | Refined fuels (HS 2710) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | $9.33B | $9.57B |
| Feb 2024 | $10.6B | $9.04B |
| Mar 2024 | $11.2B | $10.1B |
| Apr 2024 | $10.4B | $9.83B |
| May 2024 | $10.9B | $9.48B |
| Jun 2024 | $10.3B | $10.3B |
| Jul 2024 | $10.9B | $10.1B |
| Aug 2024 | $9.82B | $10.4B |
| Sep 2024 | $8.55B | $9.30B |
| Oct 2024 | $9.04B | $9.20B |
| Nov 2024 | $9.53B | $9.74B |
| Dec 2024 | $8.60B | $10.0B |
| Jan 2025 | $9.35B | $9.31B |
| Feb 2025 | $8.99B | $7.87B |
| Mar 2025 | $8.93B | $8.95B |
| Apr 2025 | $7.93B | $8.34B |
| May 2025 | $7.45B | $8.94B |
| Jun 2025 | $7.73B | $9.45B |
| Jul 2025 | $7.60B | $9.36B |
| Aug 2025 | $8.53B | $8.93B |
| Sep 2025 | $8.83B | $9.06B |
| Oct 2025 | $8.93B | $8.43B |
| Nov 2025 | $7.28B | $9.66B |
| Dec 2025 | $7.81B | $9.81B |
| Jan 2026 | $7.55B | $9.01B |
| Feb 2026 | $7.96B | $8.24B |
| Mar 2026 | $10.7B | $12.4B |
| Apr 2026 | $17.1B | $14.5B |
| May 2026 | $19.2B | $14.4B |
| Jun 2026 | $13.6B | $13.1B |
| Jul 2026 | $9.00B | $14.1B |
| Aug 2026 | $11.0B | $15.5B |
Price or volume? For crude, almost entirely price: August 2026 crude exports weighed 15.5 million tonnes, the same as a year earlier (+0.4%), while value per kilogram rose 28%. The World Bank's monthly average WTI price was $82.7 a barrel in August 2026, against $64.1 in August 2025 (+29%). For refined fuels, both: shipping weight rose 28.2% to 13.4 million tonnes and value per kilogram rose 43.5%, to about $1.01 from $0.71. Houston shipped $3.8 billion of refined fuels, up from $2.1 billion. Buyers included Mexico ($2.5 billion), the Netherlands ($1.4 billion, up from $0.2 billion), and the United Kingdom ($1.2 billion, up from $0.3 billion).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, international trade (month x country x port x HS6), not seasonally adjusted. CargoFax analysis.
Table view
| Value | Vessel weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 109.6 | 99.5 |
| Feb 2025 | 105.5 | 97.6 |
| Mar 2025 | 104.8 | 99.7 |
| Apr 2025 | 93.0 | 94.9 |
| May 2025 | 87.4 | 91.8 |
| Jun 2025 | 90.7 | 90.0 |
| Jul 2025 | 89.2 | 85.8 |
| Aug 2025 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Sep 2025 | 103.6 | 107.9 |
| Oct 2025 | 104.7 | 113.2 |
| Nov 2025 | 85.4 | 93.2 |
| Dec 2025 | 91.6 | 103.2 |
| Jan 2026 | 88.5 | 100.7 |
| Feb 2026 | 93.4 | 98.9 |
| Mar 2026 | 125.6 | 102.3 |
| Apr 2026 | 201.1 | 136.4 |
| May 2026 | 224.6 | 151.1 |
| Jun 2026 | 159.7 | 120.6 |
| Jul 2026 | 105.6 | 91.8 |
| Aug 2026 | 128.7 | 100.4 |
The why. Stalled oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and output disruptions from the Iran war led analysts to raise their oil price forecasts by the most in Reuters poll records, Reuters reported in March 2026. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said U.S. petroleum exports reached a record 13.6 million barrels a day in April as Hormuz disruptions raised global demand for U.S. supply, and that exports stayed above five-year seasonal highs in May and June. For diesel, S&P Global data reported by Cyprus Shipping News showed U.S. diesel and gasoil exports at a record 54.2 million barrels in August, with Russia's extended diesel export ban cited as a key driver of prices. EIA weekly data in late July showed distillate exports at the highest weekly level in its records back to 2010.
The nuance. Higher oil prices lift imports too: crude imports rose $3.4 billion year on year in August. And natural gas and LPG exports (HS 2711), at $7.7 billion, edged down for a fourth straight month, though they remained 22.9% above August 2025.
What the data shows: U.S. fuel exports rose by about two fifths in value year on year, mostly because oil and diesel were more expensive, with refined fuel volumes also higher. If prices stay near September's levels, fuel will keep supporting export values.
Verification notes
- Gold imports (HS 7108) rose from $1.5 billion in July 2026 to $4.6 billion in August (+203%), with Switzerland, Australia, Italy, and South Africa the main sources. Gold swings billions on price and positioning; this is kept out of the headline. Gold exports were $7.1 billion, including $4.5 billion flown from JFK to Switzerland. Shipping weight for gold includes non-bar forms and packaging, so value per kilogram is not a clean price measure.
- Crude imports from Venezuela were $1.6 billion, up from $0.07 billion in August 2025 (over 2,000%). Small baseline; the cause was not researched for this report.
- HS 9880 exports ($6.0 billion, highest since January 2024) are Census estimates for low-value shipments, not a product.
- Seasonal adjustment: BEA's seasonally adjusted goods imports were $342.2 billion in August, up $17.2 billion from July. Our figures are not seasonally adjusted and on a Census basis, so the monthly change (+$3.2 billion) differs.
What to watch
- November 4, 2026: September trade data (BEA and Census). Does data center hardware return toward July's $83.3 billion?
- Oil prices: the World Bank average WTI price was $96.9 in September 2026, up from $82.7 in August, so September fuel export values may rise again.
- Section 232 semiconductors: any change to the data center exemption would affect the largest single driver of U.S. import growth.
- Mexico: whether imports from Mexico hold above $60 billion.
Methodology and data notes
- Source data: U.S. Census Bureau international trade API, processed by CargoFax to month x country x port x HS6 (with HS4 and HS2 roll-ups). Total, trade-group, and continent rows are excluded; country sums reconcile to the official monthly totals to the dollar (August 2026: imports $336,169,825,352; exports $204,748,660,746).
- Imports are general imports at customs value; exports are total exports (domestic plus foreign) at f.a.s. value. Figures are not seasonally adjusted, so they differ from BEA's seasonally adjusted balance-of-payments headline.
- Mode: vessel and air value and shipping weight are reported by Census; the remainder (mostly truck, rail, and pipeline with Canada and Mexico) is total minus vessel minus air.
- Value per kilogram uses vessel or air value divided by the matching shipping weight, which includes packaging.
- Oil prices: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet), monthly averages, nominal U.S. dollars.
- Research windows: about three months before each story's arc (May 2025 for the year-on-year AI hardware story, December 2025 for the 2026 energy arc, May 2026 for the monthly release) through October 19, 2026. All cited sources passed the CargoFax verification gate.
- No company names come from CargoFax or Census data; companies named above appear in the cited public reporting.
Sources
Every link on this page passed the verification gate (live article, date in window, quote found, archived). Tier 1: Bloomberg, WSJ, Reuters, FT. Tier 2: other highly relevant sources (trade press, government, company releases, local press).
Tier 1
No Tier 1 source on this page.
Tier 2
- Tier 2 Tom's Hardware. Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon capex spending to hit $725 billion in 2026, up 77% from last year, analyst says bear thesis is 'garbage'. 2026-04-30 archive
- Tier 2 Federal Register. Adjusting Imports of Semiconductors, Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, and Their Derivative Products Into the United States. 2026-01-20 archive
- Tier 2 Mexico News Daily. Mexico moves past Taiwan as the top AI server exporter to the United States. 2026-08-14 archive
- Tier 2 Mexico News Daily. Mexico in Numbers: How Taiwanese imports are fueling Mexico's record tech exports. 2026-09-03 archive
- Tier 2 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, August 2026. 2026-10-06 archive
- Tier 2 Kitco (Reuters). Iran war shock drives steepest hike yet in oil price forecasts. 2026-03-31 archive
- Tier 2 U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. exports of crude oil and petroleum products reached record in April. 2026-07-08 archive
- Tier 2 Cyprus Shipping News. US Gulf Coast diesel prices hit all-time high amid global supply disruptions. 2026-09-07 archive
- Tier 2 Ag Bull Trading. Diesel Exports Hit a Record as U.S. Distillate Stocks Sink Further Below Normal. 2026-08-06 archive