Shipped Where
Imported, 2025Imported 2025
$478 million$478M
vs 2010
1.4× (nominal)
Arrived by shipBy ship
69%
Busiest portTop port
Los Angeles, CA

The US buys the most guitars from China: 30% of $478 million.

Indonesia is a close second at 26%. Acoustic and electric guitars, with a few other string instruments mixed in.

Where US guitars come from, 2025Where it comes from

Share by value of the $478M the US imported, by country of originShare by value, by country of origin

  1. 01China$144M30.1%
  2. 02Indonesia$124M26.0%
  3. 03Mexico$106M22.1%
  4. 04Malaysia$22.5M4.7%
  5. 05Japan$21.9M4.6%
  6. 06South Korea$19.8M4.1%
  7. 07Canada$5.8M1.2%
  8. 08Germany$5.1M1.1%
  9. 09United Kingdom$3.4M0.7%
  10. 10Vietnam$3.2M0.7%
  11. All othersEveryone else combined: $22.1M4.6%

Total US guitars imports by year · $350M in 2010 to $478M in 2025Replay the ranking year by year, 2010 to 2025

2025Press play to replay the ranking

Then and now: 2015 vs 2025Then and now

Each country's share of US guitars imports. Gray bar is 2015, colored bar is 2025.Share of US guitars imports. Gray is 2015, color is 2025.

Indonesia17% → 26%
Malaysia<0.1% → 4.7%
Mexico19% → 22%
Japan3.3% → 4.6%
Vietnam0.2% → 0.7%
Germany0.6% → 1.1%
United Kingdom0.4% → 0.7%
Canada2.5% → 1.2%
South Korea7.4% → 4.1%
China48% → 30%
2015 share2025, gained2025, lost

Where it's made

Bigger circle = more value, 2025. Numbers match the list.

Most imported guitars are made in Asia. China and Indonesia send 56% between them, and Malaysia, Japan and South Korea add another 13%. Mexico sends 22% from Latin America.

0102030405060708
0102030405060708
  1. 01China
  2. 02Indonesia
  3. 03Mexico
  4. 04Malaysia
  5. 05Japan
  6. 06South Korea
  7. 07Canada
  8. 08Germany

Where it lands

US port where it entered, 2025. Letters match the list.

69% arrives by ship, almost all in containers, mostly through West Coast ports. Los Angeles alone takes 37%. Long Beach and Otay Mesa follow at 11% each.

ABCDEF
ABCDEF
  1. ALos Angeles, CA $175M
  2. BLong Beach, CA $52.7M
  3. COtay Mesa, CA $52.1M
  4. DNewark, NJ $45.7M
  5. ETecate, CA $29.3M
  6. FNogales, AZ $21.4M
More detail: states listed on entry paperworkMore detail: states on paperwork

This is the destination written on customs forms, often a warehouse or distributor near the port. It is not where the guitars is used.

One state is listed for over $100M.

  1. 01California$265M
  2. 02Pennsylvania$61.9M
  3. 03Illinois$31.5M
  4. 04Tennessee$19.9M
  5. 05Maryland$13.1M
$100M+$40–100M$10–40M$1–10MUnder $1M

Counted under HS 920290, 920790. How we count.