In early April, the US Government announced changes to the Section 232 tariffs targeting imports into the US for steel, aluminium, and copper derivative products. This is highly relevant for businesses exporting equipment and components to the US that contains these materials. While there are some caveats based on individual agreements the US has done with countries, the rules are largely the same for all countries.

The official Presidential proclamation can be found here, and a shorter fact sheet here. Some key elements to be aware of:

• Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminium, or copper derivative products have been removed for some product categories (see Annex II), including some products relevant to our sector (e.g. certain paints, engines)
• Tariffs will be 50% on the full value of steel, aluminium and copper products that are listed in Annex I-A
• Tariffs will be 25% on full value of derivative products of steel, aluminium, and copper that are listed in Annex I-B.
• Tariffs will be 10% for products with U.S.-origin metal content (further explanation in the proclamation)
• No Section 232 tariffs will be levied on products outside of chapters 72 (iron and steel), 73 (articles of iron or steel), 74 (copper and articles thereof) and 76 (aluminium and articles thereof) of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule if the aggregated weight of steel, aluminium and copper content is 15% or less of the entire product; see Annex IV for the criteria for determining whether an article would meet this exemption

We advise businesses in your membership to review the precise product codes for each category and Annexes to have full clarity. We are also in touch with our colleagues at NMMA and can request further information in case of any questions.

EBI also joined a meeting with DG TRADE of the European Commission last week, in which trade associations were invited to provide input on new US tariff requirements, and they will take up practical concerns with their US counterparts. Therefore, please get in touch with us if your members are experiencing any issues with US import requirements and implementation of the tariffs. We will then liaise with the Commission.