Top U.S. Maritime Import Volumes Transiting Through the Strait of Hormuz 

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most strategically important maritime passages in global trade. For U.S. importers, it serves as a key transit corridor for commodities moving out of the Middle East—particularly from Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait. 

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since late February 2026. Given that typical maritime transit times to the U.S. range from 30 to 45 days, the full impact of the closure will likely not be reflected until early May when data for the full month of April is available. 

Overall U.S. Import Exposure 

Between March 2025 and March 2026, total U.S. maritime imports reached 649.6 million MT, of which approximately 18.5 million MT (2.8%) departed via the Strait of Hormuz. 

While this represents a relatively small share of total U.S. imports, the exposure is significantly higher in specific commodity categories, particularly energy and industrial inputs. 

At the HS2 level, U.S. import exposure to shipments departing through the Strait of Hormuz is most pronounced in mineral fuels (HS 27), fertilizers (HS 31), and aluminum and articles thereof (HS 76) (see Figure 1). Based on average monthly volumes from March 2025 through March 2026, HS 27 accounted for 5.4% of total average monthly U.S. imports in that category. Dependence is significantly higher in fertilizers (HS 31), where Hormuz departures represent 17.5% of total U.S. imports, and in aluminum and articles thereof (HS 76), where they make up 20.0% of total U.S. imports.  

These figures highlight elevated exposure in sectors critical to energy, agriculture, and manufacturing. 

Figure 1. Average Monthly U.S. Maritime Imports by Top 10 HS2 Categories Departing via the Strait of Hormuz (March 2025–March 2026)

Source: Descartes Datamyne™

At the more detailed HS4 level, several key commodities show concentrated reliance on shipments departing through the Strait of Hormuz (see Figure 2). Petroleum oils (HS 2710) lead in volume, representing 8.5% of total U.S. imports in this category, followed by crude petroleum oils (HS 2709) at 3.5% of total import share. Beyond energy, dependency becomes more pronounced in specific industrial inputs, including nitrogenous fertilizers (HS 3102) with 19.6% of total imports, and unwrought aluminum (HS 7601) at 39.7%. Additional high-exposure categories include mineral or chemical fertilizers (HS 3105) at 29.6%, oils and other products of distillation (HS 2707) at 15.1%, and tubes, pipes, and hollow profiles (HS 7306) at 7.7%.  

Together, these figures demonstrate that, while overall U.S. reliance on Hormuz-departing shipments is relatively limited, dependency is highly concentrated in specific commodities critical to industrial and agricultural supply chains.

Figure 2. Average Monthly U.S. Maritime Imports by Top 10 HS4 Categories Departing via the Strait of Hormuz (March 2025–March 2026)

Source: Descartes Datamyne

While the Strait of Hormuz accounts for a relatively small share of total U.S. maritime imports, the data shows that exposure is highly concentrated in critical commodities, particularly in energy, fertilizers, and aluminum. With the Strait effectively closed as of late February 2026 and transit times delaying visible impacts, supply chain disruptions are likely to emerge unevenly across sectors.  

• Concentrated risk, not broad exposure: Just 2.8% of total U.S. imports depart via Hormuz, but key categories like aluminum and fertilizers show double-digit dependency.  

• Energy and industrial inputs most vulnerable: Petroleum products, fertilizers, and aluminum face the highest disruption risk due to the significant share of U.S. imports in these categories being sourced from Hormuz-affected countries.   

• Lagging data masks immediate effects: March 2026 data reflects largely pre-closure shipments; clearer disruption signals will likely appear in April and May data.  

• Procurement strategies may need to adjust: Importers should evaluate supplier diversification, inventory buffers, and alternative trade lanes for high-risk categories. 

Notes: 

1. Volume data (metric tons) reflects U.S. imports departing from ports routing through the Strait of Hormuz, not necessarily country of origin. Some cargo may be transshipped or rerouted, allowing certain volumes to still reach the U.S. despite disruptions. 

2. This report uses the initial compiled release of publicly available U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Bill of Lading (BOL) data for all U.S. ports, which provides a standard, official source of data for reporting on maritime trade. This data can be subject to modification later by CBP. The modified data can be seen in Descartes Datamyne™ where U.S. maritime records are processed daily. Descartes Datamyne is ISO 9001 certified. 

3. In Descartes Datamyne™, metric tons (MT) are calculated as declared on Bills of Lading filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).