Source: adapted from Journal of Commerce (2009), Vol. 10, No 21, May.

American Foreign Trade by Maritime Containers, 2008 (in TEUs)

North American retailers account for a substantial share of containerized imports, mostly involving finished consumption goods bound to major inland freight distribution centers. The largest importers, such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Target, Sears, Costco, Ikea and Lowe's, are all mass (Big Box) retailers relying on high volume and low margin goods, which are dominantly produced in China. It is worth mentioning that about 60% of all Chinese trade surplus with the United States is the outcome of American owned firms operating in China and importing their output in the United States.

Exporters show a completely different profile. A major category of containerized exports concerns recycles with exporters such as America Chung Name, Potential Industries or Cedarwood-Young. Other major exporters include forest and paper products (e.g. Weyerhaeuser, International Paper), agribusiness (e.g. Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland) or chemicals (e.g. Dow, Dupont).