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. infographicThe Most Shipped Items
Commodities Shipped From and To the U.S. by Weight and 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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:
