Lockdowns Fueled Record 2020 Imports of Laptops, Tablets, TVs, DataWeb Says
U.S. importers in 2020 sourced record quantities of laptops, tablets and TVs to meet historically high demand for connectivity and home entertainment gear during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, according to Census Bureau data accessed Feb. 7 through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. The 125.68 million laptops and tablets shipped here in 2020 under tariff schedule subheading 8471.30.01 were up 22.6% from 2019 and the most in any year since Census began reporting that HTS category in 2007. Fourth-quarter shipments of 43.44 million laptops were the highest quarterly volume recorded, rising 18.4% sequentially from Q3 and 39.5% year over year.
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U.S. importers took delivery of 52.12 million TV sets in 2020, an increase of 30.9% from a year earlier and the most in any year since Census began keeping on the then newly-created subheading 8528.72.64 records in 2016 for flat-panel TV imports. Q4 shipments of 15.04 million sets were down 14.6% sequentially from Q3, but up 39.6% from the 2019 same quarter. It was a banner year for TVs imported here under the subheading 8528.72.64.30 with 30- to 35-inch screen sizes. Unit volume for the year in that class increased 77.1% to 10.06 million sets. Q4 imports of 2.89 million sets were down 17.9% sequentially from Q3, but up 127.6% from the 2019 same quarter.
TV imports in larger screen sizes also increased significantly from a year earlier, though not nearly by the same magnitude. Shipments of sets under subheading 8528.72.64.60 with screen sizes exceeding 45 inches were up 20.9% year over year to 28.96 million. Imports of 35- to 45-inch sets under subheading 8528.72.64.40 increased 32.2% to 11.22 million.