The most valuable US imports also include smartphones, computer hardware and accessories. Petroleum is another area where America’s domestic supply lags demand (albeit at a decreasing rate), which explains why both crude oil as well as processed oils appear on the top 20 list.
The following list shows on which product categories US importers spent the most. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level. This can help entrepreneurs identify more precisely which products in which America has strong demand but competitive disadvantages compared with other nations. Innovation can transform these disadvantages into lucrative business opportunities.
An enticing international market, the United States is the world’s number one importer.
For the most recent four-digit HTS code data, please see the link to the United States Top 10 Imports article in the See also paragraph above Research Sources below.
Highest Value US Import Products
Below are the 20 highest value import products delivered to American importers in 2017. Shown within brackets is the change in value for each imported product since 2013.
- Cars: US$179.6 billion (Up 15.5% from 2013 to 2017)
- Crude oil: $139.1 billion (Down -50.2%)
- Phone system devices (including smartphones): $113.1 billion (Up 25.9%)
- Computers, optical readers: $84.9 billion (Up 2.2%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $66.6 billion (Up 13.3%)
- Medication mixes in dosage: $65 billion (Up 37.8%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $48 billion (Down -46%)
- Integrated circuits/microassemblies: $33.5 billion (Up 13.8%)
- Trucks: $26.5 billion (Up 43.3%)
- Blood fractions (including antisera): $26 billion (Up 138%)
- Miscellaneous furniture: $25.4 billion (Up 37%)
- Seats (excluding barber/dentist chairs): $24.8 billion (Up 25.4%)
- TV receivers/monitors/projectors: $24.6 billion (Down -10.3%)
- Turbo-jets: $23.7 billion (Up 18.3%)
- Diamonds (unmounted/unset): $23.2 billion (Down -1.4%)
- Computer parts, accessories: $23 billion (Up 39.2%)
- Electro-medical equipment (e.g. xrays): $23 billion (Up 27.1%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $20.2 billion (Up 16.5%)
- Printing machinery: $17 billion (Down -10.1%)
- Aircraft parts: $16.8 billion (Up 10.7%)
Among these product categories, blood fractions including antisera posted the greatest increase in American import purchases via a 138% expansion in value over the 5-year period ending in 2017.
In second place were trucks imported into the US which improved by 43.3%.
US imports of computer parts and accessories showed a respectable gain in 2017 up 39.2% from 2013, followed by medication mixes in dosage (up 37.8%) and miscellaneous furniture (up 37%).
Leading the decliners was crude oil (down -50.2%) and processed petroleum oils (down -46%).
See also America’s Top Trading Partners, Top United States Trade Balances and United States Top 10 Imports
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on February 7, 2018
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Imports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on February 7, 2018
Trade Map, International Trade Centre, www.intracen.org/marketanalysis. Accessed on February 7, 2018