Americans love their automobiles. That is why they are the leading import to the United States every year. As of 2007, the dollar value in automobiles that was imported reached nearly 104 billion dollars. That does not count parts or accessories, just the vehicle themselves. Just the autos are the most popular of the United States top ten imports.
When you look at the United States top ten imports, you look at the monetary value of the products. This is how the government determines what has come into the United States versus what is exported. The United States top ten imports show we like our products ready to buy and use.
The following is a short list of the United States top ten imports:
1. Road legal vehicles 2. Appliances and electrical machinery 3. Office machinery, such as faxes, copiers, etc. 4. Petroleum and petroleum based products 5. Clothing and fashion accessories 6. Miscellaneous items that are already manufactured 7. Telecommunications devices and recorders 8. Industrial equipment and machinery 9. Machinery for use in power generators
10. Non-metallic minerals
A short explanation of some of the United States top ten imports is imparted below for better and more thorough understanding.
Appliances and electrical machinery pertains to washing machines, toasters, air conditioners, etc. They are mostly small kitchen appliances or others used throughout the home.
Petroleum products are not limited to gasoline and oil. Plastics are a large part of this. They are generally shipped as small balls of plastic in large shipping containers.
By items that are already manufactured, but are still considered miscellaneous, this would mean something like home décor. Silk flowers, curtains, that sort of thing is manufactured, yet fits no specific category.
Telecommunications devices? Well, that is all those cell phones that we are all so proud of and use on a daily basis. This category also includes video cameras and various other recording devices such as mixing boards and the like.
Finally, non-metallic materials refer mainly to gems and processed wood products such as plywood. Diamonds and opals are far more common in areas other than the United States where mining for them is much cheaper due to less expensive labor.
These items tend to stay pretty stable, particularly the top three. However, the United States top ten imports do occasionally stray from the usual line-up with numbers five, six and seven occasionally taking each other’s places temporarily.
These are just the United States top ten imports without taking into account where they originated. When you begin searching for that information, you find that places like China vary quite drastically from other areas of the world such as Brazil or any of the European nations. This is due mostly from the many different raw materials available to those particular countries. Following this, it is merely how industrialized a country is that controls the manufacture of various goods.
Nonetheless, the United States top ten imports in United States dollar values are pretty impressive and widely varied. Think of the many countries you are helping the next time you upgrade your cell phone.
