Trade commodities in United States
The United States is the world's largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, and a top exporter of LNG, soybeans, corn, and wheat. Home to the CME Group (including NYMEX and CBOT), the US hosts the world's most liquid commodity futures markets. The country's diverse agricultural base and vast energy resources make it a dominant force in global commodity trade.
What United States sells and buys.
Find the exporters and importers behind each commodity in the CTX Directory; verified members are marked, and every member carries a trust score.
United States's commodity trade profile
The US flipped from net crude importer to the world's largest exporter (~4 Mbpd) following the 2015 ban repeal, with Permian Basin shale loading at Corpus Christi as the dominant flow. LNG export capacity from Sabine Pass, Cameron, Corpus Christi, Cove Point, Calcasieu Pass, Plaquemines, and Freeport positions the US as the world's largest LNG exporter. Refined product exports (gasoline, diesel) flow heavily to Latin America. On agriculture, US corn, soybean, wheat, and beef exports are massive and route through Gulf, PNW, and Atlantic ports. Imports concentrate in industrial inputs: copper cathodes, alumina, refined zinc, and coffee.
How commodity trade works in United States
CBOT (Chicago), NYMEX, ICE Futures US, and COMEX dominate global price discovery. The Department of Commerce administers anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases that frequently reshape trade flows for steel, aluminum, lumber, and solar. Section 232 (steel, aluminum, derivatives) and Section 301 (China) tariffs structure import economics. The Inflation Reduction Act has redirected battery-mineral, solar, and SAF supply chains via 30D, 45X, 45Q, 45V, and 45Z credits.
Trading with United States counterparties
Payment customs: open account for established trade, LC for new counterparties or sanctions-sensitive flows. OFAC compliance is mandatory for any counterparty screening. CBP imports require ACE filing and accurate HTSUS classification: duty consequences for misclassification are significant. Dispute resolution typically via JAMS, AAA, or ICC arbitration.
Trading in United States.
- Major ports
- Houston
- New Orleans
- Los Angeles/Long Beach
- New York/New Jersey
- Corpus Christi
- Savannah
- Free trade zones
- Foreign Trade Zone 1 (New York)
- Foreign Trade Zone 84 (Houston)
- Foreign Trade Zone 202 (Los Angeles)
- Key regulations
- The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) manages commodity imports. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulates commodity derivatives, and the Department of Commerce administers export controls on strategic materials.
Find the exporters and importers in United States.
The CTX Directory maps the companies headquartered in United States and the ones that buy from it, by commodity and role, with the decision-makers to unlock.
Find your counterparties in United States.
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