The Port of Los Angeles — one of North America’s busiest cargo gateways — posted record volumes in July as importers rushed to move holiday merchandise before possible tariff increases later this year.

The port handled 1,019,837 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), 8.5% more than last July. This marks the busiest month on record in the 117-year history of the Port of Los Angeles.

"Retailers and manufacturers brought in goods at an elevated pace due to concerns of higher tariffs later this year," the Port of LA said in a statement.

July's volume was also higher month-on-month when the Port of LA handled 892,340 TEUs, which was the busiest June on record for the port.

This was also higher than the 716,619 TEUs that the port processed in May, which marked the first decline recorded in 10 months as the impact of new tariff measures began to make a dent.

 [Source: Port of LA]

"Shippers have been frontloading their cargo for months to get ahead of tariffs, and recent activity at America's top port really tells that story," said Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of LA.

"Port terminals in July were jam-packed with ships loaded with cargo, processed without any delay—much to the credit of our dedicated longshore workers, terminal and rail operators, truckers, and supply chain partners."

July 2025 loaded imports came in at 543,728 TEUs, 8% more than last year and the most imports ever in a month at the port.

Loaded exports landed at 121,507 TEUs, a 6% improvement from 2024. The Port processed 354,602 empty container units, 10% more than last year.

Seven months into 2025, the Port of Los Angeles has handled 5,975,649 TEUs, 5% more than the same period in 2024.

The Port of LA handled a total of 10.3 million container units in 2024, sustaining its top rank among U.S. ports.