Key facts
- Descartes said October's 2,674,808 TEUs topped the prior monthly record of 2,622,465 TEUs set in May 2022.
- Imports from China rose 22.9% year-over-year in October, led by plastic goods, furniture and bedding, and toys, games and sporting goods.
- Descartes said US containerized imports fell in October 2025 as shipments from China dropped on concerns over Trump's tariff policies.
US container ports processed 2,674,808 20-foot equivalent units of import cargo in October, a record for any month and a 16% rise from a year earlier, supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group said on November 11, 2026. The figure topped the previous monthly record of 2,622,465 TEUs set in May 2022.
Imports from China reached 987,805 TEUs, the highest volume since January 2025 and the fourth consecutive monthly gain. Cargo from China rose 22.9% year-over-year, led by plastic goods, furniture and bedding, and toys, games and sporting goods.
Import volume for the first 10 months of 2026 was up 2.3% from the same period last year. Descartes said US imports of containerized goods dropped in October 2025 as shipments from China fell on concerns over President Donald Trump's evolving tariff policies.