# Section 232 Copper Tariffs

*Last updated: 2026-07-02*

> As of July 2026.

As of July 2026. Since 1 August 2025 the United States has levied a 50% Section 232 tariff on imports of semi-finished copper products (copper pipes, wires, rods, sheets and profiles) and copper-intensive derivative products (pipe fittings, cables, connectors, electrical components). The legal basis is the Presidential Proclamation of 30 July 2025 (Proclamation 10962), grounded in a U.S. Department of Commerce investigation that found copper imports to threaten national security. Key change: under the proclamation of 2 April 2026, since 6 April 2026 the duty is assessed on the full customs value of the goods — including derivatives — rather than only on the copper content (input value); a 25% rate applies to derivatives predominantly made of copper. A further proclamation of 1 June 2026 (effective 8 June 2026, temporary through 31 December 2027) confirmed assessment on the full customs value, introduced a reduced 15% rate for a subset of derivatives — fixed industrial machinery and power equipment — exempted goods with no more than 15% metal content and lowered the threshold for creditable U.S.-origin metal from 95% to 85%. It also capped the Section 232 rate for a group of partner countries — Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the EU — at a total of 15% including the regular import duty. Refined copper (cathodes), ores, concentrates, anodes and copper scrap are initially exempt; a Commerce Department market report (due by 30 June 2026) is to decide on a phased universal duty on refined copper (15% from 1 January 2027, 30% from 1 January 2028). Not to be confused with the reciprocal tariffs under IEEPA or a general additional duty (Zusatzzoll): Section 232 copper tariffs are sector-specific security tariffs, reported separately in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS).

**Source:** White House, Proclamation „Further Adjusting the Tariff Regimes for Imports of Aluminum, Steel, and Copper into the United States" (1. Juni 2026, wirksam 8. Juni 2026), https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/further-adjusting-the-tariff-regimes-for-imports-of-aluminum-steel-and-copper-into-the-united-states/; Proclamation 10962 (30. Juli 2025); Section 232, Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. § 1862)

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Term | Section 232 Copper Tariffs |
| Language | EN |
| Word count | 297 |
| Last updated | 2026-07-02 |
| Source | White House, Proclamation „Further Adjusting the Tariff Regimes for Imports of Aluminum, Steel, and Copper into the United States" (1. Juni 2026, wirksam 8. Juni 2026), https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/further-adjusting-the-tariff-regimes-for-imports-of-aluminum-steel-and-copper-into-the-united-states/; Proclamation 10962 (30. Juli 2025); Section 232, Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. § 1862) |

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