China’s share of US textile and clothing imports continues to fall

US imported textile clothing goods, showing falling China supply share and regional order shifts

Q1 2026 Overall US Textile Import Data

To start with, the United States saw a 12% year-on-year decline in textile and clothing imports during the first quarter, with total import value hitting $23.7 billion. In short, the lingering extra tariffs, which US courts have ruled illegal, still dragged down overall import volume in this period. As core data shows, China’s textile and garment shipments to the US suffered a severe 45.9% year-on-year slump in Q1 2026. For comparison, China only exported $3.1 billion worth of textile products to the US, while Vietnam reached $4.4 billion with a mild 4.7% growth. Vietnam remains the top textile supplier for the US market, just as it did throughout last year.

Regional Import Shifts Across Asian Suppliers

However, Asian textile exporters did not face uniform declines in US orders. First, the whole ASEAN bloc achieved a 5.8% increase in US textile exports, reaching $7.8 billion in Q1. On the contrary, India and Bangladesh recorded obvious export drops. Their shipments fell 26.6% and 8.2% respectively, hitting $2.0 billion and $2.1 billion. In contrast, Cambodia stood out with a 16.3% export rise to $1.4 billion. This gap clearly reflects large-scale order transfers within Asia’s textile supply chain.

EU Textile Supply Performance to the US

Apart from Asian manufacturers, the European Union also posted stable export growth to the US. Specifically, EU textile and clothing shipments to the US rose 7.6% to $1.4 billion in the first quarter. In 2025, the EU ranked as America’s sixth-largest textile supplier, with a modest 3.4% export growth to $5.5 billion.

Two Key Factors Weighing on Q1 US Textile Orders

Furthermore, two major factors jointly caused the 12% drop of US textile orders in Q1 2026. For one thing, extra tariffs raised procurement costs for buyers, so many brands cut back their import orders. For another, the Strait of Hormuz blockade triggered a sharp jump in ocean freight prices. Shipping cost for one container from Shanghai to Los Angeles climbed from $2,191 at late February to $2,930 by late April. All these cost pressures made US retailers more cautious about placing large textile orders with overseas factories.