US container imports set a September record at 2,546,261 TEUs, a 10.3% jump over the same month last year, according to Descartes Systems Group's Global Shipping Report.

The print also ran 24.8% above September 2019, the pre-pandemic baseline still used by carriers and BCOs when sizing demand. Imports slipped 2.2% from August — a modest cooldown after the late-summer retail build — but the September total pushed cumulative US imports for the first nine months of 2026 to 0.8% above the same period in 2025. That crossover matters: it's the first time this calendar year that year-to-date volumes have cleared 2025's level. The calendar finally turned positive in Q3.

Why did China's share climb so quickly?

China tightened its grip as the dominant origin country. China-bound flows reached 924,454 TEUs in September, up 21.2% from a year ago and 4.5% from August. China's slice of total US imports rose from 34% to 36.3% month on month — a meaningful jump in a single month.

The product mix out of China ran heavy on consumer-durable categories:

• Plastics: 135,097 TEUs
• Furniture and bedding: 123,574 TEUs
• Toys and sporting goods: 92,842 TEUs

Combined, those three categories total 351,513 TEUs — roughly 38% of China's monthly US-bound volume. India and Taiwan logged monthly gains alongside China. Seven of the top ten origin countries, though, saw September imports fall versus August. That divergence — one origin up sharply, several others down — leaves the headline growth leaning disproportionately on a single lane.

Which ports are absorbing the box flow?

West Coast gateways gained market share during September. Several East Coast and Gulf coast ports lost ground against that backdrop, consistent with discretionary volume chasing the fastest available discharge window. For shippers, the West Coast shift cuts transit time to inland distribution centers — but it lands at ports where chassis pools had already been stretched by the summer peak.

Port delays moved the wrong way. Transit delays climbed at eight of the ten largest US container ports, even as the September demand surge hit the network. Record volumes stacked on rising dwell time is the combination that drains chassis pools, slows rail interchange and pushes demurrage bills higher for shippers and forwarders alike. For BCOs paying detention penalties, the lag lands directly on the invoice.

What is the industry reading?

Descartes framed the data as a vote of confidence in US trade despite mounting policy and geopolitical friction. "Record September import volumes show that U.S. maritime trade remains remarkably strong despite persistent trade and geopolitical pressures," said Jackson Wood, VP, Product Management, Trade Regulations, at Descartes.

Wood also flagged three live pressure points for importers heading into Q4:

• Changing tariff requirements
• Rising port delays
• Uncertainty along major shipping routes

Each line item eats directly into landed-cost math and into the transit-time promises retailers negotiated with their logistics partners months ago.

What does Q4 look like?

The October data indicate US container demand will stay resilient into year-end, even as the freight cycle works through the usual holiday pull. Congestion and shifting trade policy continue to complicate routing decisions for BCOs and forwarders through peak season. The open question: whether terminals and ocean carriers can sustain September's velocity into November without dwell times leaking further into rail and trucking capacity downstream.