Shipped Where
Imported, 2025Imported 2025
$278 million$278M
vs 2010
1.0× (nominal)
Arrived by shipBy ship
83%
Busiest portTop port
Newark, NJ

The US buys the most pencils & crayons from China: 27% of $278 million.

Brazil is a close second at 22%. Pencils, crayons and chalks.

Where US pencils & crayons come from, 2025Where it comes from

Share by value of the $278M the US imported, by country of originShare by value, by country of origin

  1. 01China$73.9M26.6%
  2. 02Brazil$61.7M22.2%
  3. 03Mexico$34.5M12.4%
  4. 04India$30.0M10.8%
  5. 05Vietnam$16.9M6.1%
  6. 06Philippines$11.5M4.1%
  7. 07Indonesia$10.9M3.9%
  8. 08Thailand$8.3M3.0%
  9. 09Germany$5.9M2.1%
  10. 10Japan$5.3M1.9%
  11. All othersEveryone else combined: $19.3M6.9%

Total US pencils & crayons imports by year · $266M in 2010 to $278M 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 pencils & crayons imports. Gray bar is 2015, colored bar is 2025.Share of US pencils & crayons imports. Gray is 2015, color is 2025.

Brazil13% → 22%
India2.4% → 11%
Philippines1.8% → 4.1%
Vietnam5.5% → 6.1%
Germany1.5% → 2.1%
Thailand2.7% → 3%
Japan2.1% → 1.9%
Indonesia4.2% → 3.9%
Mexico13% → 12%
China45% → 27%
2015 share2025, gained2025, lost

Where it's made

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

Most imported pencils & crayons are made in Asia. China and India send 37% between them, and Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand add another 17%. Brazil and Mexico send 35% from Latin America.

0102030405060708
0102030405060708
  1. 01China
  2. 02Brazil
  3. 03Mexico
  4. 04India
  5. 05Vietnam
  6. 06Philippines
  7. 07Indonesia
  8. 08Thailand

Where it lands

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

83% arrives by ship, almost all in containers, mostly through East and West Coast ports. Newark alone takes 23%. Los Angeles and Norfolk follow at 13% and 8%.

ABCDEF
ABCDEF
  1. ANewark, NJ $64.3M
  2. BLos Angeles, CA $35.9M
  3. CNorfolk, VA $22.2M
  4. DSavannah, GA $21.9M
  5. ETacoma, WA $20.2M
  6. FLong Beach, CA $17.4M
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 pencils & crayons is used.

Nine states are listed for over $10M each.

  1. 01Pennsylvania$47.7M
  2. 02Wisconsin$42.6M
  3. 03California$30.9M
  4. 04Georgia$30.7M
  5. 05Virginia$17.8M
$10M+$4–10M$1–4M$100K–1MUnder $100K

Counted under HS 9609. How we count.