China–US Trade Pulse
Imports into the United States from China were US$63.27bn in Q2 2026, up 3.7% on the same quarter of 2025. A quarterly read of the US Census Bureau's official trade statistics for imports into the United States from China, in US dollars, published by Cambridge China Bridge. It updates automatically when the Census Bureau publishes a new quarter.
Q2 2026, compared with Q2 2025
- Imports from China
- US$63.27bn
- Change on a year earlier
- +3.7%
- Product chapters traded
- 96
Data brief: Q2 2026
Imports into the United States from China were US$63.27bn in Q2 2026, up 3.7% (US$2.24bn) on Q2 2025.
Top 3 rising headings
- Aluminum plates, sheets and strip, over 0.2 mm (0.0079 in.) thick (HS 7606): US$468m, up 1059.7% from US$40m
- Salts of oxometallic or peroxometallic acids (HS 2841): US$61m, up 389.1% from US$13m
- Fruit or nut juices incl grape must and coconut water, and vegetable… (HS 2009): US$52m, up 231.7% from US$16m
Top 3 falling headings
- Floor coverings, in rolls or tiles, of plastics (HS 3918): US$44m, down 65.7% from US$128m
- Electric generating sets and rotary converters (HS 8502): US$16m, down 65.4% from US$47m
- Industrial or laboratory electric furnaces and ovens (HS 8514): US$12m, down 62.3% from US$31m
Headings (HS4) worth at least US$10m in both quarters.
Among these six headings, value per kg runs from US$1.07 for Fruit or nut juices incl grape must and coconut water, and vegetable… to US$75.13 for Salts of oxometallic or peroxometallic acids. Why US$ per kg matters →
Cite as: Cambridge China Bridge, "China–US Trade Pulse", Q2 2026, https://camchinabridge.co.uk/china-trade-pulse/united-states/briefs/2026-q2/. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, international trade data; quarterly totals, changes and value per kg calculated by Cambridge China Bridge. Open data:https://github.com/bonoxu/camchinabridge-open-data
What stands out
- Imports into the United States from China were US$63.27bn in Q2 2026, up 3.7% on the same quarter of 2025.
- That ranks 7 of 8 Q2 totals since 2019.
- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof was the largest chapter at US$15.95bn.
- The fastest-rising large heading was Aluminum plates, sheets and strip, over 0.2 mm (0.0079 in.) thick, up 1059.7% to US$468m.
- The steepest fall was Floor coverings, in rolls or tiles, of plastics, down 65.7% to US$44m.
- Among the largest chapters, value per kg runs from US$1.50 for Plastics and articles thereof to US$66.91 for Pharmaceutical products.
How to read this
- Figures are imports from China as recorded by the importing country's customs: for the United States as published by the US Census Bureau, for the other countries as reported to the UN Comtrade database. All values are in US dollars.
- China means mainland China. Goods shipped from Hong Kong, Macau or a third country, or assembled there, count under those places, so the figures show direct trade, not every product made in China.
- Each quarter is the sum of three published months and is compared with the same quarter a year earlier, so seasonal patterns (Chinese New Year, the run-up to Christmas) do not show as rises or falls.
- A heading only counts as a mover when it was large in both quarters; the threshold is stated under each table.
- Value per kg is value divided by weight. It is shown only where weighed shipments carry at least 90% of a line's value, ranks products, and is not a freight rate.
Every quarter since 2019
Across 2025 as a whole, imports into the United States from China were US$292.50bn, down 31.8% on 2024 and down 33.6% on 2019.
| Year | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Full year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | US$103.50bn | US$110.17bn | US$119.85bn | US$107.03bn | US$440.54bn |
| 2020 | US$73.14bn | US$101.89bn | US$119.63bn | US$128.25bn | US$422.91bn |
| 2021 | US$110.05bn | US$113.08bn | US$128.20bn | US$143.12bn | US$494.46bn |
| 2022 | US$134.80bn | US$131.70bn | US$143.76bn | US$116.28bn | US$526.52bn |
| 2023 | US$97.22bn | US$100.81bn | US$110.68bn | US$108.65bn | US$417.37bn |
| 2024 | US$95.00bn | US$97.87bn | US$121.05bn | US$114.98bn | US$428.91bn |
| 2025 | US$99.94bn | US$61.03bn | US$70.72bn | US$60.81bn | US$292.50bn |
| 2026 | US$55.86bn | US$63.27bn | – | – | – |
Quarterly totals on the same basis as the headline figure. A full-year total appears once all four quarters are published.
The largest product chapters
| Code | Product | Value | Change | US$ per kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof | US$15.95bn | +5.2% | US$14.60 |
| 84 | Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances | US$11.56bn | +2.5% | US$6.87 |
| 95 | Toys, games and sports equipment | US$3.56bn | +6.7% | US$4.21 |
| 39 | Plastics and articles thereof | US$3.39bn | +3.3% | US$1.50 |
| 87 | Vehicles, other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and… | US$2.71bn | −9.0% | – |
| 94 | Furniture | US$2.61bn | −8.3% | US$1.85 |
| 90 | Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking,… | US$2.29bn | +0.9% | US$22.95 |
| 29 | Organic chemicals | US$2.09bn | +13.3% | US$4.98 |
| 30 | Pharmaceutical products | US$1.96bn | +71.2% | US$66.91 |
| 73 | Articles of iron or steel | US$1.61bn | −20.2% | US$2.08 |
| 63 | Made-up textile articles nesoi | US$1.40bn | +1.1% | US$2.88 |
| 64 | Footwear, gaiters and the like | US$1.17bn | −20.6% | US$7.52 |
Fastest-rising headings
| Code | Product | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7606 | Aluminum plates, sheets and strip, over 0.2 mm (0.0079 in.) thick | US$468m | +1059.7% |
| 2841 | Salts of oxometallic or peroxometallic acids | US$61m | +389.1% |
| 2009 | Fruit or nut juices incl grape must and coconut water, and vegetable… | US$52m | +231.7% |
| 2846 | Rare-earth metal compounds, inorganic or organic, of yttrium or… | US$47m | +215.3% |
| 9001 | Optical fibers and optical fiber bundles | US$137m | +201.6% |
| 8103 | Tantalum and articles thereof, including waste and scrap | US$45m | +186.5% |
| 3002 | Human and animal blood, prepared | US$447m | +155.3% |
| 3824 | Binders made for foundry molds or cores | US$110m | +113.9% |
Steepest falls
| Code | Product | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3918 | Floor coverings, in rolls or tiles, of plastics | US$44m | −65.7% |
| 8502 | Electric generating sets and rotary converters | US$16m | −65.4% |
| 8514 | Industrial or laboratory electric furnaces and ovens | US$12m | −62.3% |
| 8486 | Machines and apparatus principally for manuf of semiconduc… | US$169m | −59.9% |
| 8532 | Electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or adjustable (pre-set) | US$57m | −59.9% |
| 8526 | Radar apparatus, radio navigational aid apparatus and radio remote… | US$68m | −58.3% |
| 8506 | Primary cells and primary batteries | US$45m | −54.5% |
| 8108 | Titanium and articles thereof, including waste and scrap | US$15m | −50.0% |
Headings (HS4) worth at least US$10m in both quarters.
Why US$ per kg matters
Freight is charged on space, so low-value, bulky goods are hard to bring in by part-container load without the landed cost rising sharply, while high-value, dense goods absorb freight easily. Value per kilogram is a quick way to see which of the goods the United States imports from China suit small trial orders and which reward full containers. A dash means the source gives too little weight data for that line.
Other countries
- Canada US$16.12bn, −7.3%
- Australia US$23.12bn, +17.5%
- New Zealand US$2.89bn, +19.6%
- India US$42.31bn, +20.0%
- Japan US$41.96bn, −4.1%
Method and sources
- Source: U.S. Census Bureau, international trade API, time series "intltrade/imports/hs": general imports from China (country code 5700), monthly value (GEN_VAL_MO) by HS chapter and HS heading.
- Values are in US dollars as the Census Bureau publishes them. Quarterly totals, changes on a year earlier, rankings and value per kg are calculated by Cambridge China Bridge from the monthly figures. Chapters 98 and 99 (special classification and temporary tariff provisions, reserved for national use) are excluded.
- Value per kg divides the value shipped by air and by sea by its shipping weight, which the Census Bureau records in kilograms for those two modes only and which includes packaging. It is shown only where air and sea carry at least 90% of the line's value.
- The Census Bureau publishes each month about five weeks after it ends and revises recent months; the page is rebuilt monthly and always shows the latest figures published.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, international trade data, a U.S. government work that is free to re-use. The figures on this page are aggregated and calculated from the Census Bureau's monthly data by Cambridge China Bridge. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau. Journalists and researchers may quote the figures with a link to this page.
Download the US figures (CSV)· Download the open dataset (GitHub)
Cite as: Cambridge China Bridge, "China–US Trade Pulse", Q2 2026, https://camchinabridge.co.uk/china-trade-pulse/united-states/. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, international trade data; quarterly totals, changes and value per kg calculated by Cambridge China Bridge.
See also
Buying from China for a business in the United States?
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- Duty, anti-dumping and UK rule changes, with the date they apply
- Chinese New Year order deadlines, before they pass
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