Trump steel, aluminum, and copper tariffs: What you need to know

Last updated on August 19, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. ET. We’re updating this blog post as new information becomes available. Avalara Cross-Border can help your business manage cross-border duties and tariffs. Contact us to get started.

In addition to placing new tariffs on most countries, President Donald J. Trump has established tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper. Due to the range of imported items that contain steel and aluminum, which includes everything from orthodontic braces to aircraft, the steel and aluminum tariffs can be particularly challenging for international tax compliance.

• President Trump imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum and eliminated all country-specific alternative agreements and exemptions effective March 12, 2025. For most countries, the 25% tariff jumped to 50% on June 4, 2025. The duty rate for U.K. steel and aluminum remains 25%.
• The 50% steel tariff applies to the steel content of certain imported appliances as of June 23, 2025.
• A 50% tariff on copper took effect on August 1, 2025.
• An additional 407 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) codes became subject to 50% steel and aluminum tariffs on August 18, 2025.

Here’s what we know as of the date and time of publication.

President Trump invoked Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to implement the steel tariff. Section 232 applies to imports that could impair national security. The White House maintains the steel tariff is needed to improve the nation’s ability to meet demand for national defense and critical infrastructure.

The 25% steel tariff introduced March 12, 2025, mostly affected Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, EU countries, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Steel and steel derivative imports from most other countries were already subject to the 25% tariff established in 2018 during President Trump’s first term. The countries listed here had secured quotas or exceptions to the 2018 steel tariffs.

Raising the steel tariff from 25% to 50% on June 4, 2025, affected all countries except the U.K., which retains the 25% duty until further notice.

On August 15, 2025, the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security added 407 HTS codes to the list of products that are considered steel and aluminum derivative products. The steel content of these affected products became subject to the 50% tariff at 12:01 a.m. ET on August 18, 2025.

The steel tariff applies only to the steel content of imported products. However, if the value of the steel content is unknown, the duty must be based on the entire entered value.

Steel content that’s subject to Section 232 duties is not subject to reciprocal tariffs invoked under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). On the other hand, the non-steel content of imported products is subject to reciprocal tariffs and other applicable duties. 

More information is available in Federal Register notices from February 18, March 5, June 9, and August 19, as well as CSMS # 65236374 and CSMS # 65936570 from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

The president also invoked Section 232 to impose the tariff on aluminum and aluminum derivatives. As with steel, previously agreed exemptions, quotas, and other agreements were eliminated effective 12:01 a.m. ET on March 12, 2025.

For most countries, the aluminum tariff increased from 10% to 25% on March 12. For the following trading partners, aluminum tariffs jumped from 0% to 25%: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Ukraine, the EU, and the U.K. 

The aluminum tariff for all countries increased from 25% to 50% at 12:01 a.m. on June 4, 2025, with two exceptions:

• The 25% duty applies to aluminum imports from the U.K.
• A 200% duty applies to aluminum from Russia.

Per the CBP, as of June 4, 2025, the applicable Section 232 duty is assessed on the value of the aluminum content. If the value of the aluminum content is unknown, the duty must be based on the entire entered value.

As noted above, the Bureau of Industry and Security has added 407 HTS codes to the list of products that are considered steel and aluminum derivative products. The aluminum content of affected products became subject to the 50% tariff at 12:01 a.m. ET on August 18, 2025.

Aluminum content that’s subject to Section 232 duties is not subject to reciprocal tariffs. Non-aluminum content is subject to reciprocal tariffs and other applicable duties, such as IEEPA tariffs.

More information is available in Federal Register notices from February 18, March 5, June 9, and August 19, as well as CSMS # 65236645 and CSMS # 65936615 from CBP.

The Section 232 tariffs do not apply to imported derivative iron or steel products that were processed in another country from steel articles melted and poured in the U.S. Importers must report the country of melt and pour.

Likewise, the tariffs do not apply to aluminum derivative items that were processed in another country from aluminum articles that were smelted and cast in the U.S. Importers are required to report the primary and secondary countries of smelt and the country of cast on imports of all aluminum articles subject to the Section 232 measures.

The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security extended the steel tariff to certain appliances effective June 23, 2025. The 50% tariff is assessed on the value of the steel content in:

• Chest and upright freezers (HTSUS subheadings 8418.30.00 and 8418.40.00)
• Combined refrigerator-freezers (HTSUS subheading 8418.10.00)
• Cooking stoves, ranges, and ovens (HTSUS subheading 8516.60.40)
• Dishwashers (HTSUS subheading 8422.11.00)
• Food waste disposals (HTSUS subheading 8509.80.20)
• Small and large dryers (HTSUS subheadings 8451.21.00 and 8451.29.00)
• Washing machines (HTSUS subheadings 8450.11.00 and 8450.20.00)
• Welded wire rack (statistical reporting number 9403.99.9020)
  • The 50% aluminum tariff applies to the aluminum content of welded wire racks

The products listed above remain subject to other applicable tariffs. Additional details can be found in this Federal Register notice and CSMS #65441222.

All imports of semi-finished copper products and intensive copper derivative products became subject to a 50% tariff at 12:01 a.m. ET on August 1, 2025. 

Per this White House proclamation, the 50% tariff “is in addition to any other duties, fees, exactions, and charges applicable to such imported semi-finished copper products and intensive copper derivative products, unless stated otherwise.”

The 50% copper tariff applies to HTSUS heading 9903.78.01.

For HTSUS heading 9903.78.02, there is a 0% additional ad valorem rate of duty on the non-copper content of semi-finished copper. The 0% additional duty also applies to intensive copper derivative products, as well as imported goods under the subject HTSUS classifications that contain no copper. See CSMS # 65794272 for additional details.

Copper is the third-most-used metal in the United States, and close to half of the refined copper consumed in the U.S. is imported. As the president himself noted when announcing the copper tariff, “Copper is necessary for Semiconductors, Aircraft, Ships, Ammunition, Data Centers, Lithium-ion Batteries, Radar Systems, Missile Defense Systems, and even, Hypersonic Weapons, of which we are building many.”

Tariff stacking is when more than one tariff applies to the same product. The cumulative tariff is the sum of all the separate tariffs that apply to a commodity. Many tariffs are stackable, including some steel and aluminum tariffs.

However, a new stacking order applies to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. ET on June 4, 2025. The new priority order is:

1. 232 Auto/Auto Parts
2. 232 Aluminum
3. 232 Steel
4. IEEPA Canada
5. IEEPA Mexico

These tariffs are not stackable.

For example, an article subject to the 232 Auto/Auto Parts tariff is not subject to the 232 Aluminum, 232 Steel, IEEPA Canada, or IEEPA Mexico tariffs.

But articles subject to one of the five tariffs listed above are subject to applicable duties, taxes, and fees that are not on this list, such as the IEEPA China tariffs and the reciprocal tariffs that took effect on April 5, 2025. See CSMS #65236574 for more specifics.

The copper tariffs also are not stackable. Per this White House fact sheet:

• The copper 232 tariffs apply to the copper content of a product; non-copper content of a product remains subject to reciprocal tariffs or other applicable duties. These tariffs do not stack.
• The copper 232 tariffs do not stack with auto 232 tariffs. If a product is subject to auto 232 tariffs, then the auto 232 tariffs apply, not the copper 232 tariffs.
• Copper input materials (such as copper ores, concentrates, mattes, cathodes, and anodes) and copper scrap are not subject to 232 or reciprocal tariffs.

CSMS # 65794272 offers additional guidance.

Duty drawbacks allow companies to reclaim tariffs paid on exported finished products. No duty drawbacks are available with respect to the new duties on steel, aluminum, and copper.

See the June 3 presidential proclamation for information about articles admitted into a U.S. foreign trade zone. Additional guidance is available on CBP's CSMS.

The U.S. Department of Commerce terminated the product exclusion process as of 11:59 p.m. ET on February 10, 2025, the day President Trump announced the new tariffs. 

This was a change. Under Proclamations 9704 and 9705 (2018), the Secretary of Commerce could provide relief from additional duties based on a request for exclusion from “a directly affected party located in the United States.”

The June 3 proclamation doesn’t mention product exclusions.

Per CBP, all general approved exclusions (GAEs) for aluminum and aluminum derivative products and steel and steel derivative products expired on March 11, 2025.

However, previously granted product exclusions will remain effective “until their expiration date or until excluded product volume is imported, whichever occurs first.”

Each year, the Bureau of Industry and Security will accept aluminum and steel derivative inclusion requests from industry associations during two-week submission windows at the beginning of May, September, and January. The first window opened May 1, 2025.

Inclusion requests must be submitted in PDF format via the Defense Industrial Base Programs inbox and include the following:

• Applicant’s identification
• A precise definition of the derivative article
• The eight- or ten-digit HTSUS classification requested to be included in the scope of the ad valorem tariffs
• An explanation of why the article is a steel or aluminum derivative article
• Pertinent information on the affected domestic industry
• Statistics on imports and domestic production
• A description of how and to what extent imports of the derivative article threaten to impair national security

The request must be limited to 30 pages, inclusive of all attachments. See the Department of Commerce and Federal Register for additional details.

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Avalara Cross-Border automates tariff code classification and delivers real-time calculation of customs duty and import taxes. “We monitor and respond quickly to regulatory changes worldwide,” says Shane Bogdan, Director of Cross-Border Sales at Avalara, “helping to ensure our customers remain in compliance.”

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Which countries are subject to the U.S. aluminum tariff?

All countries are subject to the 50% U.S. aluminum tariff except the U.K., which retains the 25% tariff, and Russia, which is subject to a 200% duty on aluminum.

Which countries are subject to the U.S. steel tariff?

All countries are subject to the 50% U.S. steel tariff except the U.K., which retains the 25% tariff until further notice.

Which countries are subject to the U.S. copper tariff?

All countries are subject to the 50% U.S. copper tariff.

What is the stacking order of U.S. tariffs?

As of June 4, 2025, the stacking order of U.S. tariffs is:

1. 232 Auto/Auto Parts
2. 232 Aluminum
3. 232 Steel
4. IEEPA Canada
5. IEEPA Mexico

Other duties and fees can be stacked on top of the tariffs on this list.

Have the steel and aluminum tariffs been challenged?

The rulings by the U.S. Court of International Trade (May 28, 2025) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (May 29, 2025) do not impact the steel and aluminum tariffs because they were established through Section 232. These rulings pertain only to tariffs implemented under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

For more information about the changing tariff landscape, check out:

• How to prepare for Trump tariffs
• What you need to know about the US-Canada trade war
• How to handle US-China tariffs and the end of de minimis
• The de minimis exemption is ending: Is your business ready?
• How new tariffs impact the beverage alcohol industry
• Reciprocal tariffs explained: Impact on your business
• The difference between IEEPA tariffs, Section 232 tariffs, and Section 301 tariffs

This post was originally published on February 14, 2025.