Plastic spoons, umbrellas, violins: A guide to what Americans buy from China

Tariffs are up. Tariffs are down. Shipping is frozen. Shipping is back on.

Chinese imports to the United States have been on a seesaw for the past few weeks, leaving Americans uncertain how tariffs will affect their lives.

It's impossible to say what tariffs will do to the price or availability of any particular item, although if they survive a challenge in the courts, they will certainly make things more expensive.


But thanks to detailed trade data, we know what Americans buy from China and how much of it, and thus what might be most sensitive to future swings in trade status.

Many of America's major imports from China are consumer goods: things you buy for yourself, such as clothes, housewares and entertainment. Drill down into those categories, and specific products stand out.

For example, American wardrobes are somewhat dependent on China: about one-fifth of U.S. clothing imports. But a majority of neckties, gloves and pantyhose are imported from China.

The United States is more reliant on China for things made with polyester and nylon (such as pantyhose) than for those made with cotton.

Athletes, especially racket-sport players, are also dependent on China.

There are also consumer-goods categories whose "Made in China" status may not be as well known. For example, the United States gets a lot of its imported string instruments -- such as violins and cellos -- from China.

Japanese company Yamaha manufactures some of its instruments in China, including trumpets and drums.

The United States also relies on China for many of its vitamins -- and eels. (China has a robust eel farming industry.)

Then there are the goods that the U.S. imports primarily to put inside other things, such as car parts.

America relies on Chinese imports to build electric vehicles in particular: About 70% of its imported lithium-ion batteries are from China.

Even batteries made in the United States often rely on raw materials from China, particularly graphite. (China tightened its export controls on graphite at the end of last year, so this year's numbers could end up looking very different.)

President Donald Trump's newest tariffs are not the only levies imposed on Chinese goods, and there's a complicated interplay of which tariffs apply to which products. Some goods that a lot of Americans buy received exemptions from the latest tariffs (though perhaps not future ones), including one item the United States imports almost exclusively from China: children's books.

That's a window into what Americans buy from China. But for some imports, the United States does not rely on China. It's a list that includes large vehicles, precious metals and tomatoes, all of which America imports largely from other countries.