Apparel Tops U.S. Imports List

America loves its threads. Clothing, garments, dresses, shoes and more. You name it and we import it into the United States. Apparel tops U.S. imports every year. We’ve got the scoop on the top apparel imports and the main players, or countries that import and export that apparel.

Clothing Tops U.S. Imports List

How popular is imported apparel in the U.S.? It’s worth repeating and bolding for you. Clothing and apparel tops the U.S. imports list each and every year. Whether it’s jeans from Sri Lanka or shirts from China, it’s being imported here.

China is the biggest source of foreign-made clothing that is imported to the U.S. each year, accounting for 36.49 percent of U.S. apparel imports, according to the American Apparel and Footwear Association.

Footwear Follows Clothes

Americans also love their footwear. China leads the pack again, accounting for 84.95 percent of footwear being imported into the U.S. While Vietnam comes in second with 6.46 percent of the U.S. footwear import market, its shoe making skills receive a tip of the cap from Americans. That’s because Nike sneakers are made in Vietnam.

U.S. Apparel Imports Breakdown

In a year’s time, the U.S. on average imports approximately $80 billion in clothing and other apparel into the country annually. That’s a lot of apparel.

China is the leader, with approximately 37 cents of every dollar worth of clothes imported to the U.S. coming from that country.

Here’s a look at the top 20 apparel imports to the U.S. and the value of clothing imports they import:

Getting Started With a Customs Broker

Are you confident your apparel imports are entering the U.S. on time and working through the clearance process expeditiously? Licensed Customs Brokers are available to answer any question you may have about the import process. Working with a Customs Broker is the best way to make sure your apparel will pass through the import clearance process with no issues.

AFC International will oversee the entire apparel import entry level process, making sure you stay compliant so you can focus on the busy apparel import business. Call us at 800-274-2329 or get a quote today to get started!