Shipbuilding was another important industry in the middle colonies. The region's forests provided the timber needed to build ships, and the many rivers and harbors made it easy to transport the ships to market. The middle colonies built ships for both domestic and international trade.
Trade was also a crucial source of income for the middle colonies. The region's ports were some of the busiest in the colonies, and goods from all over the world were imported and exported through the middle colonies. The middle colonies also traded with the Native American tribes of the region.