Shipped Where
Imported from South Africa, 2025
$16.5 billion
Share of all US imports
0.5%
Rank among sources
#29 of 218
Arrived by air
75%

South Africa is the 29th largest source of US imports: $16.5 billion in 2025.

That is 0.5% of everything the US imported. The top product line is platinum, followed by precious metal articles, gold and cars. Up from 36th in 2015.

What the US buys from South Africa

Top products by value, 2025. Gray line is 2015 for comparison.

  1. 01Platinum$5.2B · 31.6%
  2. 02Precious metal articles$4.2B · 25.3%
  3. 03Gold$1.9B · 11.4%
  4. 04Cars$711M · 4.3%
  5. 05Aluminum$461M · 2.8%
  6. 06Diamonds$455M · 2.8%
  7. 07Ferroalloys$301M · 1.8%
  8. 08Ash and residues containing arsenic, metals or their compounds$161M · 1.0%
All 24 products from South Africa
  1. 09Copper$125M · 0.8%
  2. 10Citrus fruit, fresh or dried$116M · 0.7%
  3. 11Jewelry$108M · 0.7%
  4. 12Aluminum plates, sheets and strip, over 0.2 mm thick$96.6M · 0.6%
  5. 13Coin$93.8M · 0.6%
  6. 14Titanium ores and concentrates$80.3M · 0.5%
  7. 15Acyclic hydrocarbons$78M · 0.5%
  8. 16Nickle, unwrought$74.1M · 0.5%
  9. 17Car parts$69.5M · 0.4%
  10. 18Boats & yachts$67.8M · 0.4%
  11. 19Fruit juice$62.2M · 0.4%
  12. 20Filters and centrifuges$53.6M · 0.3%
  13. 21Ceramic wares for laboratory or other technical uses$51.5M · 0.3%
  14. 22Engine parts$47.2M · 0.3%
  15. 23Industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids$46.9M · 0.3%
  16. 24Parts for television, radio and radar apparatus$45M · 0.3%

Excludes US goods returned after export.

US imports from South Africa by year

Total value of goods, in nominal dollars. Labels mark the first year, the peak and the latest year.

Where it lands

US ports of entry for goods from South Africa, 2025. Letters match the list.

ABCDEF
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75% of goods from South Africa arrived by air. JFK Airport, NY handled 71% on its own, more than the next five ports combined.

  1. AJFK Airport, NY $11.8B · 71.5%
  2. BNewark, NJ $776M · 4.7%
  3. CNew Orleans, LA $692M · 4.2%
  4. DBaltimore, MD $500M · 3.0%
  5. EBrownsville, TX $444M · 2.7%
  6. FBrunswick, GA $309M · 1.9%

Air cargo is recorded where it clears customs, which isn't always where the plane landed.

Other top sources