The Most Shipped Items to and From the U.S. by Weight and Value

Written by Carly Hallman

What does the United States export the most, and which commodities does it love to bring in? With this data on American imports and exports, we can take a closer look at which items are packed tightly into those huge metal shipping containers. Of those shipped items that have been inspected by port authorities, we’ve broken down the top U.S. exports by category. Since this data was taken by the U.S. government, it’s been estimated by experts that computers and integrated circuits have gotten to be more important. America’s largest export by weight, though, is furniture. You might also be surprised by one of the top imports: It’s bananas! Take a quick glance at the top American exports and imports with our helpful infographic of USA shipping facts.

Most Shipped Items to and From the U.S. infographic

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The Most Shipped Items

Commodities Shipped From and To the U.S. by Weight and Value

Top Ten U.S. Imports by Value
Name Commodity description Value
Printers Print machinery, copiers, and parts $14,277,000,000
TVs TV receivers, video monitors, and projectors $13,465,000,000
Car Parts Parts and accessories for motor vehicles $13,293,000,000
Sweaters Sweaters and vests, knitted or crocheted $10,080,000,000
Furniture Furniture and parts $9,499,000,000
Video Games Articles for arcades, table games, or parlor games and their parts $9,354,000,000
Pills Medicaments, mixed or not, in dosage $9,246,000,000
Computers Automatic data process machines and magnetic readers $8,442,000,000
Toys Toys, scale models, puzzles, and parts $8,354,000,000
Shoes Footwear, outer soles, rubber, plastic, or leather $8,016,000,000
Top Ten U.S. Imports by Weight
Name Official commodity description Weight in Metric Tons
Furniture Furniture and parts 4,082,000
Bananas Bananas or plantains, fresh or dried 2,876,000
Artwork Worked monument, stone, art, granule 2,557,000
Car Parts Parts and accessories for motor vehicles 2,289,000
Coal Coal, briquettes, and ovoids from coal 2,199,000
Beer Beer made from malt 2,024,000
Oil Oil, not crude, from petroleum and bitum mineral 1,769,000
Tires New pneumatic tires or rubber 1,745,000
Seats Seats (except barber, dental, etc.) and parts 1,732,000
Tiles Glazed ceramic flags and paving and hearth tiles 1,466,000
Top Ten U.S. Exports by Value
Name Official commodity description Value
Cars Motor cars and vehicles for transporting persons $4,535,000,000
Plastic Polymers of ethylene in primary forms $3,859,000,000
Construction Machinery Parts for machinery of headings $3,377,000,000
Car Parts Parts and accessories for motor vehicles $2,695,000,000
Cotton Cotton, not carded or combed $2,660,000,000
Scrap Metal Ferrous waste and scrap; remelt iron and steel ingot $2,302,000,000
Nuts Nuts, fresh or dried $2,253,000,000
Pork Meat of swine (pork), fresh, chilled, or frozen $2,101,000,000
Wood Pulp Chemical wood pulp, soda or sulfate, not dissolving grades $1,904,000,000
Lab Equipment Centrifuges, filter machinery for liquid or gases $1,788,000,000
Top Ten U.S. Exports by Weight
Name Official commodity description Weight in Metric Tons
Scrap Paper Waste and scrap of paper or paperboard 8,780,000
Scrap Metal Ferrous waste and scrap; remelt iron and steel ingot 5,278,000
Wood Pulp Chemical wood pulp, soda or sulfate, not dissolving grades 5,278,000
Plastic Polymers of ethylene in primary forms 3,187,000
Hay Rutabagas, hay, clover, and other forage products 2,557,000
Fresh Paper Kraft paper and paperboard, uncoat, and rolls 2,310,000
Cotton Cotton, not carded or combed 2,088,000
Sugar Residues of starch, sugar, or brewing 1,939,000
Soybeans Soybeans, broken or not 1,851,000
Chicken Meat and edible offal of poultry, fresh, chilled, or frozen 1,805,000

How Stuff Gets to You

Trucking
8 billion tons
Rail
1.6 billion tons
Water
476 million tons
Air
4.8 million tons
Pipeline
636 million tons
Parcel or Courier
28 million tons

Sources:


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