U.S. Container Import Volumes Drop In May Led By Sharp Decline In Imports From China

Guest commentary by Jackson Wood (Descartes) analyzing U.S. container import volumes in May 2025 based on Descartes Datamyne data.

Jun 12, 2025

In May 2025, U.S. container import volumes declined to 2,177,453 TEUs — a 9.7% drop from April (see Figure 1). Year-over-year, volumes were down 7.2% compared to May 2024 but 4.3% above May 2019, signaling that overall demand remains elevated versus pre-pandemic norms. Despite strong early-year performance, the May decline marks the first significant contraction reflecting the impact of tariff volatility and growing trade pressures. Cumulatively, total imports for the first five months of the year are up 5.3% compared to the same period in 2024, though the gap has narrowed as evolving trade policies reshape global trade flows.

Figure 1: U.S. Container Import Volume Year-over-Year Comparison

Historically, May is a month of rising import volumes over April; however, 2025 is the only year in the past seven to post a month-over-month decrease (9.7%), apart from pandemic 2020 (8.2%).

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