U.S. containerized imports declined sharply in December, capping a volatile year for global trade as President Donald Trump’s tariff policies disrupted supply chains, dampened demand for Chinese goods and heightened inflation concerns, according to new data released Thursday by supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group.
Descartes said U.S. container imports fell 5.9% in December 2025 from the previous month, bringing total volumes for the year down 0.4% compared with 2024. Import volumes totaled 2.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in December and 28.1 million TEUs for the full year.
The annual decline followed a front-loaded surge earlier in 2025, when importers rushed to bring in goods ahead of potential tariff hikes. Descartes noted that container volumes were up roughly 10% in the early months of the year as retailers, manufacturers and distributors stockpiled inventories to avoid higher duties, particularly on shipments from China, the primary target of the Trump administration’s trade measures.
However, that early momentum faded as the year progressed. A sustained slowdown in the second half of 2025 more than erased the earlier gains, even as the White House rolled back or delayed tariffs on a range of products, including Chinese furniture and Italian pasta. Softer consumer demand, elevated interest rates and lingering inflation pressures also weighed on import volumes.
China recorded the steepest decline among major U.S. trading partners. Imports from China fell 21.8% year over year in December, underscoring the impact of tariffs and ongoing efforts by U.S. companies to diversify sourcing away from the world’s second-largest economy. Shipments from India, Taiwan, South Korea and Italy also declined during the month.
While imports from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong increased, Descartes said those gains were insufficient to offset the broader downturn from key suppliers, particularly China.
Looking ahead, U.S. tariff policy remains a central concern for importers and global shippers. The U.S. Supreme Court could issue a ruling as soon as Friday on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). A decision against the use of IEEPA for tariffs could reshape U.S. trade policy.
Trump administration officials have indicated that if the court strikes down the IEEPA-based tariffs, alternative measures would be pursued to replace the revenue currently generated under the 1977 law, prolonging uncertainty for global trade and supply chains in 2026.
