Descartes Systems Group, a provider of supply -chain technology, said Thursday that U.S. container import volumes dropped 1.1% from the previous year in 'March.

Last month, U.S. ports handled 2,353,611 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), which is the standard measure of container volume.

Descartes stated that while the year-to date import volume is 4.8% behind 2025, 'the March volume' was 32.3% higher than pre-pandemic level from March 2019 reflecting a steady?demand in spite of ongoing uncertainty over U.S. Tariff policies and war in Iran.

In March 2026, U.S. containerized exports to China totaled 711 652 TEUs. This is a 6.7% decrease from the previous year. Last month, China's share of U.S. container exports was?30.2%.

Import trends can be viewed as a measure of 'the health' of the U.S. Economy. They rise when the economy is strong and fall when it is weak. Reporting by Lisa Baertlein, Editing by Cynthia Osterman

(source: Reuters)