In 2022, the United States’ 100 most valuable imported consumer products generated a total US$1.671 trillion in spending on international markets.
That dollar amount represents 49.5% of the overall value of all US imported goods ($3.376 trillion in total). That percentage reflects a slight decrease from 50.1% worth of consumer products purchased in 2021.
The 5 most valuable consumer products imported into the United States during 2022 were cars, mobile phones, computers, medication mixes in doses, and automobile parts or accessories.
The total dollar amount for America’s top 100 imported consumer products increased by 13.6% from 2021 to 2022, less than the overall 15% expansion for all US imported goods for the year.
Among the top 100 consumer products imported by the US, 82 posted increases in total spending from 2021 to 2022. Leading gainers included American imports of miscellaneous items clad with precious metals (up 71.6%), petroleum gases (up 59.3%) and electric storage batteries (up 58.7%).
Recording double-digit downturns were US consumer imports of vulcanized rubber apparel (down -66.2%), gold (down -30.8%), liquid crystal or laser optical tools (down -21.8%), silver (down -19.7%), sports equipment (down -18.9%), iron or steel stoves and barbecues (down -15.2%) then crustaceans including lobsters (down -12.8%).
Changes in American consumer demand for essential imports offer future opportunities for international suppliers who correctly anticipate which upward or downward trends will continue.
Consumer Products Defined
Economics educator BoyceWire defines a consumer product as a final good or end product that a business creates for consumers to buy. For example, consumers often purchase refined petroleum oil at the gas station while imported crude oil is an intermediate good subject to further processing before being sold to end users.
Although there may be a few wealthy individual buyers, products like turbojets are excluded from the consumer products targeted by this study. That is because turbojets are usually purchased by corporations. In contrast, it is common for a consumer to buy a motorcycle.
Types of Consumer Products
This article focuses on 3 distinct consumer product types.
Convenience Products are easy to access, non-durable, have relatively lower prices and therefore consumers frequently purchase them. Examples of convenience products are food, alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, and soap.
Shopping Products are not as easily available, involve more time to make a buying decision, are durable and are not bought as often as most convenience products. A great example of a shopping product is a mobile phone where buying a poor-performing model is a much more expensive mistake than buying a stale loaf of bread.
Specialty Products describe another consumer product type. This grey area includes infrequently purchased, expensive, durable and sometimes rare items. Consumers may consider the product’s brand image when making their purchase decisions. Some examples of speciality products are gold, silver, diamonds, jewelry, and branded refrigerators and dishwashers.
US Consumer Imports Smart List
The searchable marketing intelligence table below showcases America’s 100 highest-value imported consumer products in descending order. Items were selected at the four-digit Harmonized System tariff classification code level.
The table’s fifth column identifies each entry’s consumer product type.
The most popular product type is shopping products (SD) led by cars, mobile phones, computers then automobile parts or accessories. Shopping products represent just over half (51) of America’s top 100 imported consumer goods.
In second place via 25 entries are speciality products (SY). Examples of major speciality products are American imports of electric storage batteries, unmounted diamonds, refrigerators or freezers, air conditioners and jewelry.
Close behind with 24 entries are convenience products (CP) led by medication mixes in dosage, processed petroleum oils, miscellaneous items made from plastics like plastic food utensils, petroleum gas and sports equipment.
| # | Imported Product | US$ | YOY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cars | $168,337,379,000 | +13.7% | SP |
| 2 | Phone devices including smartphones | $126,687,473,000 | +13.6% | SP |
| 3 | Computers, optical readers | $123,819,128,000 | +4.8% | SP |
| 4 | Medications | $91,962,179,000 | +8.9% | CP |
| 5 | Automobile parts/accessories | $86,225,918,000 | +16.7% | SP |
| 6 | Processed petroleum oils | $82,306,262,000 | +27.9% | CP |
| 7 | Miscellaneous furniture | $36,139,352,000 | +13.1% | SP |
| 8 | Trucks | $35,161,277,000 | +13.1% | SP |
| 9 | Computer parts, accessories | $34,108,651,000 | +12.2% | SP |
| 10 | Seats (not barber/dentist chairs) | $31,012,417,000 | +4.8% | SP |
| 11 | Insulated wire/cable | $29,930,958,000 | +20.6% | SP |
| 12 | Petroleum gas | $24,123,703,000 | +59.3% | CP |
| 13 | Electric storage batteries | $23,910,267,000 | +58.7% | SY |
| 14 | Diamonds (unmounted/unset) | $23,676,721,000 | +17.1% | SY |
| 15 | Electrical converters/power units | $23,428,788,000 | +23.6% | SP |
| 16 | Miscellaneous toys | $22,153,371,000 | +12.9% | SP |
| 17 | Rubber tires (new) | $21,776,161,000 | +26.4% | SP |
| 18 | Tractors | $18,813,699,000 | +43.6% | SP |
| 19 | Unrecorded sound media | $18,586,922,000 | +8.8% | SP |
| 20 | Jerseys, pullovers (knit or crochet) | $18,009,894,000 | +16% | SP |
| 21 | Orthopedic appliances | $16,873,864,000 | +17.2% | SP |
| 22 | Miscellaneous items clad with precious metals | $16,785,405,000 | +71.6% | SP |
| 23 | Printing machinery | $16,230,472,000 | +5.2% | SP |
| 24 | Miscellaneous plastic items | $15,931,929,000 | -6.8% | CP |
| 25 | Footwear (leather) | $15,049,387,000 | +39.4% | SP |
| 26 | Refrigerators, freezers | $14,973,784,000 | +5.7% | SY |
| 27 | Video console games, table games | $14,787,035,000 | +18.9% | SP |
| 28 | Lower-voltage switches, fuses | $14,696,623,000 | +16.7% | SP |
| 29 | Cases, handbags, wallets | $14,676,723,000 | +27.5% | SP |
| 30 | Air conditioners | $13,986,045,000 | +20.6% | SY |
| 31 | Microphones/headphones/amps | $13,750,852,000 | +11.7% | SP |
| 32 | Jewelry | $13,229,931,000 | -6% | SY |
| 33 | Liquid pumps | $13,123,124,000 | +12.9% | SY |
| 34 | Electric motors, not generating sets | $12,913,145,000 | +13.6% | SY |
| 35 | Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs) | $12,878,979,000 | +20.5% | CP |
| 36 | Electric water heaters, hair dryers | $12,818,655,000 | +5.2% | SY |
| 37 | Footwear (textile) | $12,518,319,000 | +32.5% | SP |
| 38 | Women's clothing (not knit/crochet) | $12,189,220,000 | +35.1% | SP |
| 39 | Plastic packing goods, lids, caps | $10,880,779,000 | +11.9% | CP |
| 40 | Sports equipment | $10,595,390,000 | -18.9% | SP |
| 41 | Men's suits (unknit/non-crochet) | $10,241,470,000 | +36.4% | SP |
| 42 | Household base metal mountings | $10,028,394,000 | +14.8% | SY |
| 43 | Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries | $9,831,887,000 | +25.8% | CP |
| 44 | Coffee | $9,786,287,000 | +41.5% | CP |
| 45 | Gold (unwrought) | $9,612,186,000 | -30.8% | SY |
| 46 | Fish fillets, pieces | $9,582,414,000 | +28.3% | CP |
| 47 | Plastic wares (table, kitchen, toiletry) | $9,575,903,000 | +12.1% | CP |
| 48 | Crustaceans (including lobsters) | $9,541,503,000 | -12.8% | CP |
| 49 | T-shirts, vests (knit or crochet) | $9,303,249,000 | +26% | SP |
| 50 | Screws, bolts, washers, hooks, pins | $8,533,135,000 | +29.9% | SP |
| 51 | Miscellaneous food preparations | $8,471,851,000 | +14.2% | CP |
| 52 | Footwear (rubber or plastic) | $8,320,482,000 | +31.8% | SP |
| 53 | Miscellaneous iron or steel items | $7,937,023,000 | +24% | SP |
| 54 | Wine | $7,684,771,000 | +4.2% | CP |
| 55 | Temperature-change machines | $7,634,669,000 | +18.1% | SY |
| 56 | Women's clothing (knit or crochet) | $7,489,311,000 | +8.2% | SP |
| 57 | Hand-drawn paintings, drawings | $7,452,785,000 | +20.9% | SY |
| 58 | Miscellaneous textile items | $7,057,345,000 | -5.9% | SP |
| 59 | Malt beer | $7,050,111,000 | +6.4% | CP |
| 60 | Trailers | $7,011,638,000 | +35.1% | SP |
| 61 | Linens | $6,982,632,000 | -7.6% | SP |
| 62 | Beauty/makeup/skin care | $6,351,334,000 | +14.3% | SY |
| 63 | Potassic fertilizers | $6,286,953,000 | +56.2% | SY |
| 64 | Plastic tile or roll coverings | $6,248,048,000 | +15.4% | SP |
| 65 | Carnival items, magic tricks | $6,099,677,000 | +17.1% | SY |
| 66 | Mattresses, quilts | $5,664,180,000 | -6.2% | SP |
| 67 | Dishwash, clean/dry/fill machines | $5,620,314,000 | +3% | SY |
| 68 | Miscellaneous fruits (fresh) | $5,513,785,000 | +10% | CP |
| 69 | Silver (unwrought) | $5,370,521,000 | -19.7% | SY |
| 70 | Dates/pineapples/mango/avocado | $5,279,480,000 | +7.7% | CP |
| 71 | Vulcanized rubber items | $5,253,920,000 | +10.5% | SP |
| 72 | Coins including legal tender | $5,207,310,000 | +26% | SY |
| 73 | Motorcycles | $5,144,556,000 | +39.4% | SP |
| 74 | Nitrogenous fertilizers | $4,884,826,000 | +24.5% | SY |
| 75 | Fresh or chilled beef | $4,874,459,000 | -2% | CP |
| 76 | Iron/steel stoves, barbecues | $4,869,475,000 | -15.2% | SY |
| 77 | Miscellaneous preserved fruits | $4,578,201,000 | +19.3% | CP |
| 78 | Iron/steel tables, household items | $4,456,198,000 | -7.6% | SP |
| 79 | Wrist/pocket watches (regular case) | $4,396,469,000 | +10.6% | SP |
| 80 | Other fresh/chilled vegetables | $4,337,592,000 | +1.4% | CP |
| 81 | Women's underwear (knit/crochet) | $4,304,144,000 | +3.7% | SP |
| 82 | Other pharmaceutical goods | $4,256,717,000 | +9.9% | SP |
| 83 | Hot-rolled iron/non-alloy steel items | $4,147,060,000 | -7.7% | SP |
| 84 | Crustaceans, molluscs (preserved/prepared) | $4,119,790,000 | +5.2% | CP |
| 85 | Paper containers, cellulose wadding | $3,853,342,000 | +15.7% | SP |
| 86 | Chocolate, other cocoa preparations | $3,833,861,000 | +18.9% | CP |
| 87 | Perfumes, toilet waters | $3,787,557,000 | +22.6% | CP |
| 88 | Vacuum cleaners | $3,733,645,000 | -0.7% | SY |
| 89 | Waters with added sugar | $3,687,729,000 | -8.9% | CP |
| 90 | Vulcanized rubber apparel | $3,665,712,000 | -66.2% | SP |
| 91 | Men's suits,trousers (knit or crochet) | $3,540,512,000 | +11.8% | SP |
| 92 | Fruit and vegetable juices | $3,418,977,000 | +40.3% | CP |
| 93 | Electromechanic appliances | $3,417,578,000 | +1.7% | SY |
| 94 | Liquid crystal/laser/optical tools | $3,410,616,000 | -21.8% | SY |
| 95 | Men's shirts (not knit or crochet) | $3,386,997,000 | +50.9% | SP |
| 96 | Electric lamps | $3,319,061,000 | -2.5% | SP |
| 97 | Yachts, canoes, row boats | $3,269,983,000 | +17.5% | SP |
| 98 | Special hand/machine tools | $3,252,819,000 | +1.1% | SY |
| 99 | Bras, corsets (unknit/non-crochet) | $3,183,651,000 | +1.3% | SP |
| 100 | Spectacles, goggles | $3,043,673,000 | +3.6% | SY |
Durable consumer products (D) are goods like cars, refrigerators and furniture that last a relatively long time. Consumers can put durable products to use again and again.
Non-durable consumer products (ND) are goods that are not re-used once consumed. Alcoholic beverages and bananas are examples of non-durable goods.
Based on the product types identified in the above table, 76 of America’s highest-value consumer imported products are durable while 24 are classified as non-durable consumer products.
You can also peruse the greatest increases or decreases in product values from 2021 to 2022. To do so, click on the heading of the fourth column.
Fastest-Growing Consumer Imports
Listed below are the top 10 consumer products imported into the United States that experienced the highest percentage increases in spending from 2021 to 2022.
- Miscellaneous items clad with precious metals: Up 71.6% ($16.8 billion)
- Petroleum gas: Up 59.3% ($24.1 billion)
- Electric storage batteries: Up 58.7% ($23.9 billion)
- Potassic fertilizers: Up 56.2% ($6.3 billion)
- Unknitted and non-crocheted men’s shirts: Up 50.9% ($3.4 billion)
- Tractors: Up 43.6% ($18.8 billion)
- Coffee: Up 41.5% ($9.8 billion)
- Fruit and vegetable juices: Up 40.3% ($3.4 billion)
- Footwear (leather): Up 39.4% ($15 billion)
- Motorcycles: Up 39.4% ($5.1 billion)
Among these top 10 items are 7 durable goods that consumers can re-use over time.
Five top gainers are shopping products that require a comparatively longer time to make a buying decision. Specifically, these are miscellaneous items clad with precious metals, unknitted and non-crocheted men’s shirts, tractors, leather footwear and motorcycles. Two are periodically purchased speciality items namely electric storage batteries and potassic fertilizers.
The three non-durable top consumer imports are petroleum gas, coffee, and fruit or vegetable juices.
Declining US Consumer Imports
America’s spending on the following 10 items decreased at the greatest percentage pace from 2021 to 2022.
- Vulcanized rubber apparel: Down -66.2% ($3.7 billion)
- Gold: Down -30.8% ($9.6 billion)
- Liquid crystal/laser/optical tools: Down -21.8% ($3.4 billion)
- Silver: Down -19.7% ($5.4 billion)
- Sports equipment: Down -18.9% ($10.6 billion)
- Iron/steel stoves, barbecues: Down -15.2% ($4.9 billion)
- Crustaceans (including lobsters): Down -12.8% ($9.5 billion)
- Waters with added sugar: Down -8.9% ($3.7 billion)
- Hot-rolled iron/non-alloy steel items: Down -7.7% ($4.15 billion)
- Iron/steel tables, household items: Down -7.6% ($4.5 billion)
Four of these items are shopping products. Another 4 are specialty products namely gold, liquid crystal laser or optical tools, silver, and iron or steel stoves and barbecues.
The two declining non-durable consumer products are crustaceans including lobsters and water with added sugar–imported goods that are consumed one time only.
Key Suppliers by Country
This analysis reveals competitive suppliers that target America’s demand for its top 5 consumer import products.
The biggest US imported consumer product by value is cars. America’s 4 other leading consumer imports are mobile phones, computers, medication mixes in dosage, and automotive parts or accessories.
Below, you will find major supplying countries for US imported:
Cars: Mexico (21.7% of total), Japan (19.9%), Canada (15.7%), South Korea (13.2%), Germany (11.6%), United Kingdom (3.8%), Slovakia (2.8%), Italy (2.1%), Sweden (2%), and mainland China (1.5%).
Phones: mainland China (50.8% of total), Vietnam (19.4%), Mexico (7.9%), Taiwan (5.4%), Thailand (3.9%), Malaysia (3.1%), India (1.5%), South Korea (1.1%), Japan (0.8%), and Canada (also 0.8%).
Computers: mainland China (45.0% of total), Mexico (29.7%), Taiwan (9.1%), Thailand (7%), Vietnam (3%), Malaysia (1.3%), Philippines (0.8%), Germany (also 0.8%), Canada (0.4%), and Japan (also 0.4%).
Medication mixes in dosage: Ireland (16.5% of total), Switzerland (14.1%), India (9.5%), Germany (9.2%), mainland China (7.9%), Denmark (6.8%), Canada (5.3%), Italy (5.2%), United Kingdom (3.8%), and Japan (3.4%).
Automotive parts or accessories: Mexico (36.2% of total), mainland China (13.5%), Canada (12.7%), Japan (9.2%), South Korea (7.5%), Germany (6.3%), Taiwan (2.8%), India (2.3%), Thailand (1.5%), and Italy (1%).
See also
More great research: US Tariffs on Key Consumer Products Imported from China, Main US Imports by Key Supplier Countries, UK’s Top 100 Imported Consumer Products, China’s Top 100 Imported Consumer Products, Canada’s Top 100 Imported Consumer Products, Mexico’s Top 100 Imported Consumer Products by Value
References
Independent insights and analysis presented in this article are based on researched facts and statistics sourced from the following educational portals.
BoyceWire, Consumer Goods Definition.
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: United States Economy.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Investopedia, Consumer Goods, Consumer Staples Definition, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).
Trading Economics, United States Consumer Spending.
Wikipedia, List of largest consumer markets.
World’s Top Exports, United States Top 10 Imports.
