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State of U.S. Imports: Q4 2021

U.S. ocean import activity from October 2021 through December 2021, from U.S. Customs bill of lading records.

Sourced from U.S. Customs bill of lading data · Updated monthly · Data through May 2026

Key findings

  • U.S. ocean imports totaled 2,842,625 shipments in Q4 2021, up 164.7% versus Q3 2021 and up 10.8% year-over-year.
  • The steepest decline among high-volume categories was Parts and accessories of machines of heading 8445 or of their auxiliary machinery, card c… (HS 844831), down 9.8% quarter-over-quarter.
  • CHINA was the largest origin country with 1,259,741 shipments — 44.3% of all U.S. ocean imports.
  • The busiest U.S. port of entry was LONG BEACH, CA, receiving 646,534 shipments.
  • The largest importer by shipment count was IKEA SUPPLY AG, with 27,603 shipments.
Shipments
2,842,625
Containers
3,660,317
Quarter over quarter
+164.7%
vs Q3 2021
Year over year
+10.8%
vs Q4 2020

Monthly shipment volume

907,299
October 2021
1,009,031
November 2021
926,295
December 2021

Top import categories

Product (HS code)ShipmentsQoQ
HS 95035095035057,426+4565.0%
Nonadjustable, and parts thereof82041131,206+422.4%
T-shirts, singlets, tank tops and similar garments, knitted or crocheted of cotton61091030,184+636.0%
Other wooden furniture94036020,562+108.9%
Lavatory seats and covers39222020,479+198.9%
Footwear with outer soles of rubber or plastics, sports footwear64041117,783+244.5%
Roofing tiles, chimney pots, cowls, chimney liners, architectural ornaments and other ceramic constructional goods, roofing tiles69051017,764+24.3%
Furniture of plastics94037017,664+121.0%
HS 95034995034916,374+327.0%
Parts of air conditioning machines, comprising a motor-driven fan and elements for changing the temperature and humidity, including those machines in which the humidity cannot be separately regulated84159015,477+85.3%

Fastest growing

Product (HS code)ShipmentsQoQ
HS 95035095035057,426+4565.0%
Women's or girls' blouses, shirts and shirt-blouses of cotton6206306,875+750.9%
T-shirts, singlets, tank tops and similar garments, knitted or crocheted of cotton61091030,184+636.0%
Nonadjustable, and parts thereof82041131,206+422.4%
Artificial flowers, foliage and fruit and parts thereof of other materials6702905,135+373.3%

Steepest declines

Product (HS code)ShipmentsQoQ
Parts and accessories of machines of heading 8445 or of their auxiliary machinery, card clothing8448315,151-9.8%
Roofing tiles, chimney pots, cowls, chimney liners, architectural ornaments and other ceramic constructional goods, roofing tiles69051017,764+24.3%
Crude or roughly trimmed2516117,399+59.9%
Wooden furniture of a kind used in the bedroom9403505,031+80.0%
Parts of air conditioning machines, comprising a motor-driven fan and elements for changing the temperature and humidity, including those machines in which the humidity cannot be separately regulated84159015,477+85.3%

Among categories with at least 1,000 shipments this quarter and 500 the prior quarter, across the 100 highest-volume HS codes.

Top origin countries

CountryShipmentsQoQ
CHINA1,259,741+215.5%
INDIA127,167+172.0%
GERMANY120,262+74.8%
REPUBLIC OF KOREA95,325+171.7%
ITALY93,787+74.8%
TAIWAN93,323+160.6%
VIET NAM79,611+88.0%
JAPAN63,718+105.2%
BELGIUM55,943+110.3%
THAILAND52,285+138.2%

Busiest U.S. ports

Port of entryShipmentsQoQ
LONG BEACH, CA646,534+242.9%
LOS ANGELES, CA468,621+142.4%
NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA, NEWARK, NJ464,657+145.0%
SAVANNAH, GA159,680+157.7%
HOUSTON, TX157,213+138.7%
NORFOLK, VA127,536+119.8%
TACOMA, WA119,156+146.4%
CHARLESTON, SC114,753+127.4%
NEW YORK, NY75,742+202.2%
SEATTLE, WA74,265+110.9%

Largest importers

ImporterShipments
IKEA SUPPLY AG27,603
LG SOURCING INC16,106
NIKE USA INC15,929
INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE13,786
DOLE FRESH FRUIT COMPANY12,300
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA INC9,948
WALMART INC9,088
LG ELECTRONICS USA7,909
AT HOME PROCUREMENT INC5,726
WAL MART INC4,837

Largest suppliers

SupplierShipments
YOUTOOZ51,277
ZOUJUN48,362
QIANSI INTERNATIONAL CO LTD42,898
CNE EXPRESS CO30,685
DUAN X29,544
FANYF16,684
JENNY15,367
FLYTE EXPRESS14,380
INTERGEARS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED10,368
LG ELECTRONICS INC10,161

Methodology & citation

Figures are counts of U.S. Customs bill of lading records for ocean freight arriving at U.S. ports between October 2021 and December 2021. Product categories are 6-digit Harmonized System subheadings. Quarter-over-quarter compares Q3 2021, year-over-year compares Q4 2020. Shipment counts are records, not TEU or customs value.

This report is free to cite with attribution: “ImportDoor, State of U.S. Imports: Q4 2021 — U.S. Customs bill of lading data”, linked to this page.