U.S. container imports hit a monthly record in October
Descartes reports a 16% year-over-year increase, with China-origin shipments rising for a fourth month. Container volume is not a measure of import dollar value.
U.S. container imports reached a monthly record of 2,674,808 twenty-foot equivalent units in October, according to Descartes Systems Group's November shipping report. Volume rose 5% from September and 16% from October 2025.
A record month, a smaller year-to-date gain
October exceeded the previous monthly high, set in May 2022, by 2%. Through the first ten months of 2026, container imports were 2.3% above the same period last year.
That distinction matters. A record month does not mean the entire year has grown at October's 16% pace. The report says year-to-date volumes had trailed 2025 through the first eight months before moving ahead.
China shipments and port conditions
China-origin imports increased for a fourth consecutive month to 987,805 TEUs, their highest monthly volume since January 2025. East and Gulf Coast gateways gained share relative to West Coast ports.
Port transit delays increased modestly for a third month, but Descartes said it saw no signs of broad-based port congestion. More cargo and slower transit in some locations are not the same as a system-wide bottleneck.
A TEU is a standardized measure of container capacity. These figures track maritime container volume, not the dollar value of all U.S. imports or the official goods trade deficit.
