US container imports dropped 5.9% in December on continued China slump, Descartes says

U.S. container imports fell 5.9% in December to end the year down 0.4% from 2024 after President Donald Trump's tariff policies slashed shipments from China, shook up global trade and fueled inflation fears, supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group said on Thursday.

U.S. container import volumes totaled 2.2 million 20-foot equivalent units in December 2025 and 28.1 million TEUs for the full year, Descartes said. 

Imports were up 10% early in 2025 as retailers and other buyers stockpiled goods to avoid potential tariffs on a swath of goods - especially from China, a key target of Trump's tariffs. A volume drop later in the year more than exhausted those gains, even as Trump rolled back or delayed tariffs on everything from Chinese furniture to Italian pasta.

In December, China imports fell 21.8% year over year. Shipments from India, Taiwan, South Korea and Italy also declined. Increases from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong were not enough to offset the drop. 

U.S. tariff policy remains a top concern for importers. The U.S. Supreme Court as soon as Friday could issue a ruling on the legality of tariffs based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. If the court rules against the IEEPA tariffs, Trump administration officials said they would use other measures to recreate the revenue it is collecting under that 1977 law.