The Port of Los Angeles moved 890,861 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in April 2026, representing a 5.7% increase compared with the same month a year earlier. The April tally reflects growth across several categories of container traffic and marks a rebound from weaker readings earlier in the year.
Loaded container volume for April reached 587,551 TEUs, an increase of 3.5% year-over-year. Within that loaded total, inbound loaded containers accounted for 459,825 TEUs, a gain of 4.7% compared with April 2025. Outbound loaded containers declined slightly, falling 0.5% to 127,726 TEUs.
Movements of empty containers rose noticeably in April, increasing 10.2% to 303,310 TEUs. The combined pattern of higher loaded inbound containers alongside a rise in empty container moves contributed to the overall monthly increase in total TEUs handled at the port.
April's figures come after a mixed start to 2026. March saw total container traffic fall 3.3% year-over-year, with 752,520 TEUs recorded. February registered a 2.9% increase to 824,323 TEUs, while January logged 812,000 TEUs, down 12.1% from the same month in 2025. Taken together, the month-to-month sequence indicates that April represented a recovery from the earlier 2026 softness.
Volumes at the port were weaker in the closing months of 2025. The final quarter and close of the year showed double-digit reductions in several months: December was down 14.1% year-over-year, November fell 11.5%, and October declined 6.3%, each compared with the same months in 2024. Those declines provide context for interpreting the improvement seen in April 2026.
The April results therefore reflect both near-term recovery and persistent variability in container traffic when viewed alongside month-to-month and year-over-year comparisons. The breakdown between inbound and outbound loaded containers, as well as the notable increase in empty container moves, illustrates the composition of the monthly rebound.
While April's uptick brought total TEUs above the same month a year earlier, the port's recent history of uneven monthly performance underscores ongoing variability in container flows. Observers tracking trade volumes and port operations will note the contrast between April's growth and the declines recorded in several months of late 2025 and in parts of early 2026.