U.S. Transport Container Imports

After two years of growth, supplies from abroad of transport containers decreased by -8.6% to 598K units in 2023. Over the period under review, imports, however, saw a prominent expansion. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2021 when imports increased by 188%. Imports peaked at 655K units in 2022, and then fell in the following year.

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In value terms, transport container imports fell notably to $999M (IndexBox estimates) in 2023. Overall, imports, however, recorded strong growth. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2021 with an increase of 101%. Imports peaked at $1.5B in 2022, and then contracted significantly in the following year.

Imports by Country

In 2023, China (314K units) constituted the largest supplier of transport container to the United States, with a 52% share of total imports. Moreover, transport container imports from China exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest supplier, Germany (34K units), ninefold. the Netherlands (20K units) ranked third in terms of total imports with a 3.3% share.

From 2020 to 2023, the average annual growth rate of volume from China amounted to +60.1%. The remaining supplying countries recorded the following average annual rates of imports growth: Germany (+67.9% per year) and the Netherlands (+2.0% per year).

In value terms, China ($707M) constituted the largest supplier of transport containers to the United States, comprising 71% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was held by the Netherlands ($65M), with a 6.5% share of total imports. It was followed by Germany, with a 3.9% share.

From 2020 to 2023, the average annual rate of growth in terms of value from China amounted to +37.1%. The remaining supplying countries recorded the following average annual rates of imports growth: the Netherlands (+17.0% per year) and Germany (+21.7% per year).

Import Prices by Country

In 2023, the transport container price stood at $1,670 per unit (CIF, US), waning by -25.6% against the previous year. In general, the import price saw a abrupt downturn. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2022 when the average import price increased by 20% against the previous year. Over the period under review, average import prices reached the peak figure at $2,689 per unit in 2020; however, from 2021 to 2023, import prices stood at a somewhat lower figure.

There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major supplying countries. In 2023, amid the top importers, the country with the highest price was Mexico ($3,258 per unit), while the price for Japan ($236 per unit) was amongst the lowest.

From 2020 to 2023, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Mexico (+32.0%), while the prices for the other major suppliers experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform