Updates to Section 232 Metal Tariffs Start April 6

3 April 2026 8 MINS. Read USA

On April 2, 2026, U.S. President Trump issued a proclamation updating the Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper “to more effectively address the national-security threat posed by such imports.”

Starting on Monday, April 6, 2026, steel, aluminum, and copper articles may be subject to duties of 50%, 25%, or lower, depending on the Annex in which the product HTS appears. Also, the proclamation removes the option to pay Section 232 duty on ‘content-value’. Copper articles will require smelt and cast information. Motorcycle parts imported for use in the manufacturing of motorcycles in the U.S. are exempt. Products of the UK and products made from steel, aluminum, and copper originating in the U.S. receive preferential treatment. There’s also a de minimis clause available for certain articles that are not classified in chapters 72, 73, 74, or 76 when the weight of the applicable metal is under 15% (Annex IV (c)).

For specific details, please refer to the proclamation and annexes.

A CSMS is expected to be released soon.

A Summary from the Fact Sheet:

Articles made entirely or almost entirely of aluminum, steel, or copper will pay a flat 50% on their full value — for example, steel coils and aluminum sheet.
Derivative articles substantially made of steel, aluminum, or copper will pay a flat 25% on their full value.
Certain metal-intensive industrial equipment and electrical grid equipment will pay 15% through 2027, to accelerate the massive industrial base buildout currently underway across the United States.
Products made abroad but entirely with American steel, aluminum, and copper will be subject to lower tariffs of 10%.
Products made of 15% or less steel, aluminum, or copper will no longer be subject to Section 232 metals tariffs.

Details

Effective Date

Effective with respect to goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 6, 2026.

Details

General Rules

Ad valorem duty shall apply to the full customs value of the imported product, regardless of metal content.
Articles or derivatives of more than one metal shall only be subject once to the respective duty rates established even if the good contains aluminum and steel, aluminum and copper, steel and copper, or all three metals.
Goods specified in the annexes to the Proclamation that do not contain any aluminum, steel, or copper content shall not be subject to the duties imposed by the Proclamation.
Goods specified in the annexes to the Proclamation, except those classifiable in Chapters 72, 73, 74, and 76 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), that contain less than 15 percent of the aggregate weight of the applicable metal(s) shall not be subject to the duties imposed by the Proclamation. The applicable metals, based on HTSUS classification, are identified in paragraphs (c)(i) through (x) of annex IV of the Proclamation. Do not include the weight of a metal in the 15 percent calculation where annex IV does not specify a metal for a specific HTSUS classification.

Articles subject to 50% ad valorem duty

Annex I-A contains a list of steel, aluminum, and copper articles that are subject to an ad valorem rate of duty of 50% unless one of the following is applicable:

UK products are assessed 25% ad valorem duty when the:
- Aluminum content of which is composed entirely of aluminum that was smelted or most recently cast in the UK; or
- Steel content of which is composed entirely of steel that was melted and poured in the UK;
Derivative articles made of U.S. aluminum, steel, or copper is assessed 10% ad valorem duty when the:
- Aluminum content of which is composed entirely of aluminum that was smelted and cast in the United States,
- Steel content of which is composed entirely of steel that was melted and poured in the United States, or
- Copper content of which is composed entirely of copper that was smelted and cast in the United States

Articles subject to 25% ad valorem

Annex I-B lists copper articles and aluminum and steel derivative articles that shall be subject to an ad valorem rate of 25% unless one of the following applies:

UK aluminum or steel products are assessed 15% ad valorem duty when:
- Aluminum content of which is composed entirely of aluminum that was smelted or most recently cast in the UK or
- Steel content of which is composed entirely of steel that was melted and poured in the UK
Products made of U.S. aluminum, steel, or copper are assessed 10% ad valorem duty when:
- Aluminum content of which is composed entirely of aluminum that was smelted and cast in the U.S.
- Steel content of which is composed entirely of steel that was melted and poured in the U.S., or
- Copper content of which is composed entirely of copper that was smelted and cast in the U.S.

Temporary Reduction List for Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Derivatives

Annex III contains a list of Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers that shall be reduced from 25% to a lower rate as described below until December 31, 2027.

(a) Determined by the product’s current ad valorem (or ad valorem equivalent) rate of duty under Column 1 of the HTSUS (Column 1 Duty Rate), unless a lower rate of duty applies (b) or a higher rate of duty applies (c).

For products with a Column 1 Duty Rate that is less than 15 percent, the sum of the Column 1 Duty Rate and the additional section 232 ad valorem rate shall be 15 percent.
For a product with a Column 1 Duty Rate that is at least 15 percent, the additional section 232 ad valorem rate of duty imposed shall be zero percent;

(b) 10 percent, determined based on the product’s current ad valorem (or ad valorem equivalent) Column 1 Duty Rate in the same manner outlined in (a), for derivative articles the aluminum content of which is composed entirely of aluminum that was smelted and cast in the United States, or the steel content of which is composed entirely of steel that was melted and poured in the United States; and

(c) 25 percent for products imported from trading partners with whom the United States does not maintain normal trading relations.

Russian Aluminum

All imports of aluminum articles and aluminum derivative articles that are the product of Russia or where any amount of primary aluminum used in the manufacture of these articles is smelted in Russia, or these aluminum articles are cast in Russia, shall continue to be subject to a 200 percent ad valorem rate of duty.

FTZ

Products except those eligible for admission under “domestic status” as described in 19 CFR 146.43, that are subject to a duty imposed by this proclamation and that are admitted into a United States foreign trade zone on or after the effective date of this proclamation may be admitted only under “privileged foreign status” as described in 19 CFR 146.41, and any products admitted in “privileged foreign status” prior to the effective date of this proclamation will be subject upon entry for consumption to any ad valorem rates of duty related to the classification under the applicable HTSUS subheading.

Articles Removed from Section 232 Steel & Aluminum Derivatives

Annex II contains a list of articles that are no longer subject to Section 232 aluminum, steel or copper tariffs.

In addition, any motorcycle part classifiable in Chapters 84, 85 or 87 and listed in Annex 1-B to this proclamation shall not be subject to Section 232 aluminum, steel or copper tariffs when imported exclusively for use in the manufacturing of motorcycles.

New Data Reporting for Copper Articles

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will require the country of smelt and cast for copper articles subject to Section 232 copper tariffs.

Drawback

The only type of drawback available is Manufacturing drawback claims made in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) of section 313 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. 1313(a)–(b), shall be available with respect to the duties imposed pursuant to this proclamation on articles that meet the following conditions:

(a) The article is classifiable in an HTSUS provision that is listed in Annex I-B or Annex III to this proclamation or that is included in the scope of the tariffs pursuant to clause (11) of this proclamation;

(b) The article is not of a type of merchandise subject to an antidumping or countervailing duty order, without regard to whether the article is from the country or countries listed in the order(s);

(c) The article is a product of Trade Agreement Partners, composed of the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Canada, and any trading partner with which the United States concludes a final Agreement on Reciprocal Trade; and

(d) The aluminum content of the article is composed entirely of aluminum that was smelted and cast in a Trade Agreement Partner country, the steel content of which is composed entirely of steel that was melted and poured in a Trade Agreement Partner country, or the copper content of which is composed entirely of copper that was smelted and cast in a Trade Agreement Partner country.