President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on June 3, 2025, which effectively doubles the tariffs applicable to most steel and aluminum imports into the United States. The new rate is 50%. The effective date for this change is June 4, 2025.
These tariff rates, imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, are applicable to steel, aluminum, and products derived from them. For products constructed only partially of steel or aluminum, the 50% Section 232 tariff applies to the steel and aluminum content and then any applicable “reciprocal” tariff applies to the remainder of the item’s content. The presidential proclamation anticipates that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be issuing further guidance on how to perform these analyses.
Steel, aluminum and derivative imports from Canada and Mexico are first subject to the 50% Section 232 tariff and only then are subject to the 25% International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPPA) “fentanyl trafficking” tariffs if they do not fall under Section 232 jurisdiction.
Steel, aluminum and derivative imports from the United Kingdom will remain at 25% until at least July 9, 2025.
The proclamation also requires CBP’s guidance to mandate “strict compliance with declaration requirements for steel and aluminum content in imported articles and [outline] maximum penalties for noncompliance, including that importers who submit underreported declarations may be subject to severe consequences, including but not limited to significant monetary penalties, loss of import privileges, and criminal liability, consistent with United States law.”
Although federal courts began ruling last week on the legal basis for Trump’s actions under the IEEPA, those decisions do not have any impact on the steel and aluminum tariffs which are derived from Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.
As always, the Warner Norcross + Judd tariff team stands ready to advise you and assist you through handling these new tariffs and increases.
