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State of U.S. Imports: Q1 2023

U.S. ocean import activity from January 2023 through March 2023, 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 1,857,308 shipments in Q1 2023, down 24.5% versus Q4 2022 and down 44.1% year-over-year.
  • The highest-volume import category was Nonadjustable, and parts thereof (HS 820411), with 20,595 shipments (-71.4% quarter-over-quarter).
  • The fastest-growing high-volume category was Artificial flowers, foliage and fruit and parts thereof of other materials (HS 670290), up 189.3% from the prior quarter to 7,305 shipments.
  • The steepest decline among high-volume categories was Nonadjustable, and parts thereof (HS 820411), down 71.4% quarter-over-quarter.
  • CHINA was the largest origin country with 719,341 shipments — 38.7% of all U.S. ocean imports.
  • The busiest U.S. port of entry was LONG BEACH, CA, receiving 388,063 shipments.
  • The largest importer by shipment count was GLOBAL ETRADE SERVICES INC, with 24,677 shipments.
Shipments
1,857,308
Containers
2,423,179
Quarter over quarter
-24.5%
vs Q4 2022
Year over year
-44.1%
vs Q1 2022

Monthly shipment volume

362,142
January 2023
699,420
February 2023
795,746
March 2023

Top import categories

Product (HS code)ShipmentsQoQ
Nonadjustable, and parts thereof82041120,595-71.4%
Lavatory seats and covers39222018,424-8.9%
T-shirts, singlets, tank tops and similar garments, knitted or crocheted of cotton61091014,821+2.2%
Other wooden furniture94036013,987-35.9%
Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines, sparkling wine22041013,923+4.4%
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 regulated84159012,209-28.5%
Any equipment, or any part of equipment, purchased for, or the repair parts or materials employed in, or the expense of repairs made in a foreign country with respect to, a LASH (Lighter Aboard Ship) barge utilized as a cargo container, upon first arrival of such barge in any port of the United States98180011,759-23.0%
Not knitted or crocheted, of cotton63049210,885-33.0%
Furniture of plastics94037010,030-30.0%
Other seats, with wooden frames, upholstered9401619,902-18.4%

Fastest growing

Product (HS code)ShipmentsQoQ
Artificial flowers, foliage and fruit and parts thereof of other materials6702907,305+189.3%
Hoopwood, coniferous4404106,137+140.6%
HS 8509208509206,391+117.8%
Seeds, fruits and spores of a kind used for sowing, other1209993,928+63.3%
Grapes, fresh or dried, fresh0806108,378+55.4%

Steepest declines

Product (HS code)ShipmentsQoQ
Nonadjustable, and parts thereof82041120,595-71.4%
Pasta, whether or not cooked or stuffed (with meat or other substances) or otherwise prepared, such as spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, lasagna, gnocchi, ravioli, cannelloni, other pasta1902303,112-55.6%
Crude or roughly trimmed2516112,353-51.6%
Mattress supports, sleeping bags9404302,304-44.2%
Personal weighing machines, including baby scales8423104,853-43.1%

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
CHINA719,341-22.7%
GERMANY95,429-19.5%
INDIA94,899-14.4%
REPUBLIC OF KOREA71,859-22.6%
VIET NAM71,040-25.9%
ITALY65,897-23.9%
JAPAN52,632-31.1%
TAIWAN47,413-37.4%
BELGIUM36,887-31.8%
MEXICO34,515-15.0%

Busiest U.S. ports

Port of entryShipmentsQoQ
LONG BEACH, CA388,063-14.0%
NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA, NEWARK, NJ310,333-29.6%
LOS ANGELES, CA290,631-24.7%
HOUSTON, TX122,961-24.0%
SAVANNAH, GA101,470-34.9%
CHARLESTON, SC82,382-25.7%
NORFOLK, VA80,704-29.1%
TACOMA, WA71,022-17.5%
MIAMI, FL57,931-21.9%
SEATTLE, WA51,838-20.0%

Largest importers

ImporterShipments
GLOBAL ETRADE SERVICES INC24,677
IKEA SUPPLY AG22,129
DOLE FRESH FRUIT COMPANY11,723
LG ELECTRONICS USA8,198
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA INC6,697
SOL GROUP6,124
WALMART INC5,753
WAL MART INC4,284
DEL MONTE FRESH PRODUCE N A INC3,772
TESLA INC3,725

Largest suppliers

SupplierShipments
CNE EXPRESS CO64,435
YANWEN23,997
FANYF23,219
JENNY22,088
EVER LOYAL GLOBAL CO12,970
LG ELECTRONICS INC8,342
OH_AMI INC7,739
GUANGZHOU FIVE SIX TECHNOLOGY CO7,353
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD5,077
DONGGUAN DEYING BOOKBINDING CO LT4,050

Methodology & citation

Figures are counts of U.S. Customs bill of lading records for ocean freight arriving at U.S. ports between January 2023 and March 2023. Product categories are 6-digit Harmonized System subheadings. Quarter-over-quarter compares Q4 2022, year-over-year compares Q1 2022. Shipment counts are records, not TEU or customs value.

This report is free to cite with attribution: “ImportDoor, State of U.S. Imports: Q1 2023 — U.S. Customs bill of lading data”, linked to this page.