What does the US import from Colombia? Top products, latest figures and how to source them

“What do we import from Colombia?” is usually asked out of curiosity, and the answer tends to stop at coffee and flowers. For a US business the more useful question comes next: which of those products can a small importer actually buy, and what does it take to bring them in?

This guide covers both. It lists what the US imports from Colombia, with the latest official totals, then goes product by product through what a small buyer can realistically source and what each category requires at the US border. When you are ready to buy, we work as a freight forwarder in Colombia and exporter of record for US buyers.

What products does the US import from Colombia?

The US imports from Colombia mainly crude oil, gold, cut flowers, coffee and fresh fruit, plus aluminum, apparel and cosmetics. By category:

Category	HS chapter	What a small importer should know
Crude oil and petroleum products	27	Dominated by large energy companies
Gold and precious metals	71	Specialized, heavily documented trade
Cut flowers	06	Colombia is the main foreign supplier of fresh-cut flowers to the US; needs USDA inspection
Coffee	09	Needs FDA facility registration and prior notice
Fresh fruit (bananas, avocados and others)	08	Needs USDA clearance; admissibility depends on the fruit
Aluminum and other industrial inputs	76 and others	Business-to-business trade
Apparel, textiles and footwear	61, 62, 64	Needs US labeling: fiber, origin, care
Cosmetics and personal care	33	FDA rules for cosmetics

Values by chapter are published by the US Census Bureau and the US International Trade Commission; we cite them here only with the data year stated, once confirmed against those sources.

What does the United States import from Colombia? The trend

According to US Census Bureau trade data, US imports of goods from Colombia were about 16.1 billion dollars in 2023, about 17.9 billion in 2024 and close to 18 billion in 2025 (17,879 million). The total moves mostly with the price of oil and gold, which are the largest items; consumer goods such as flowers, coffee and fruit are steadier. Census updates these figures monthly, so for a current number always check the latest release.

Year	US imports of goods from Colombia
2023	16,108.7 million dollars
2024	17,856.8 million dollars
2025	17,879.1 million dollars

Product by product: what a small importer can realistically buy

Oil and gold make up a large share of the total, but they are not realistic starting points for a small importer: they are specialized trades with their own buyers, contracts and controls, and gold in particular comes with strict origin and anti-money-laundering checks on both sides. If you are a small business, the realistic opportunities are in the consumer categories below.

Flowers. Colombia supplies most of the fresh-cut flowers imported into the US. Buying directly is possible, but flowers are perishable and travel by air with tight logistics, and they go through USDA inspection on arrival.

Coffee. Green or roasted, it is one of the easiest Colombian products for a small US business to buy directly from producers or roasters. On the US side it is a food: the facility must be registered with the FDA and each shipment needs prior notice.

Fruit. Bananas and avocados are the best-known, alongside other tropical fruit. Admissibility is decided fruit by fruit by USDA, so confirm before buying.

Apparel and footwear. Colombian jeans, shapewear, swimwear and leather goods have a loyal market, especially among Hispanic boutiques. Garments must carry US labeling for fiber content, country of origin, manufacturer identity and care.

Cosmetics and personal care. A growing category, subject to FDA rules for cosmetics, including labeling.

Are Colombian products duty-free in the US?

Many are, but not automatically. The US–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, in force since May 15, 2012, allows most Colombian goods to enter the US with preferential, often duty-free, treatment if the importer claims it and can support Colombian origin.

Two things changed in 2025: the US introduced additional tariffs that may apply on top of a product’s normal rate, and, since August 29, 2025, low-value commercial shipments no longer enter duty-free. Check the rate in force for your product before you set a price.

On top of duties come the agency approvals in the table above: FDA for food and cosmetics, USDA for flowers and fresh produce, FTC labeling rules for textiles. The full entry process, step by step, is in how to import from Colombia to the US.

How can a small US business source Colombian products wholesale?

Three pieces have to fit together:

1. The supplier. You can buy directly from a Colombian producer or work with a buying agent who finds suppliers, checks samples and negotiates for you. See our buying agent in Colombia service.
2. The exporter. Many small Colombian producers have never exported. A Colombian trading company can act as exporter of record, so the goods leave Colombia legally without the supplier setting anything up, provided payment comes from abroad.
3. The shipment. Courier for samples, air cargo from about 100 kilos, ocean for large volumes. How to choose, in shipping from Colombia to the US.

Direct purchase or buying agent?

	Buy directly from the producer	Work with a buying agent in Colombia
Best for	You already know the supplier	You are still looking, or buy from several suppliers
Who checks quality	You, from a distance	The agent, on the ground
Who negotiates	You	The agent, in Spanish and at local prices
Consolidation	One shipment per supplier	Several suppliers in one shipment

Agree on payment and Incoterm before the first order

Two decisions shape the whole operation. Payment: first orders are often split between a deposit and a balance against shipping documents; whatever you agree, the payment has to come from abroad and be traceable, especially if the export goes through a trading company. Incoterm: it defines where the supplier’s responsibility ends. For air cargo, FCA, CPT or CIP fit better than FOB or CIF, which are ocean terms.

Most Colombian exports leave from the airports of Bogotá and Medellín and from the Caribbean and Pacific seaports. We receive cargo in Medellín and Bogotá, where each shipment is weighed and measured before the final quote.

What should you tell a forwarder before importing from Colombia?

The product, the volume and the US destination are enough to start. Tell us what you want to source, in what volume and where it is going in the US. We will tell you what the Colombian side requires and how to structure the shipment. The consultation is free.

Sources

• US Census Bureau (census.gov): US trade in goods with Colombia, annual totals for 2023, 2024 and 2025 (consulted September 2026).
• US International Trade Commission (dataweb.usitc.gov): US imports by product.
• Office of the US Trade Representative and US Customs and Border Protection: US–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, in force since May 15, 2012.
• The White House, Executive Order 14324: suspension of duty-free de minimis treatment, effective August 29, 2025.
• FDA, USDA and FTC: product-specific entry and labeling rules.