GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jul 18, 2026

Critical Minerals Tariffs (Section 232)

As of July 2026 — Unlike steel, aluminum or copper, the United States has so far imposed NO Section 232 tariff on processed critical minerals.

Quick Answer

Last updated: 18 July 2026Published: 25 June 2026

Source: White House, Proclamation 11001 (15.01.2026); Covington & Burling / White & Case Client Alerts (01/2026); Sandler Travis & Rosenberg Section-232-Tracker (Stand 07/2026)

Category

Incoterms 2020 Simulator: Who bears costs & risk?

Reading time

1 min

Words

213

Mentioned in

–

Definition & Explanation

As of July 2026 — Unlike steel, aluminum or copper, the United States has so far imposed NO Section 232 tariff on processed critical minerals. On 15 January 2026, President Trump issued Proclamation 11001 ("Adjusting Imports of Processed Critical Minerals and Their Derivative Products into the United States"), finding that imports of processed critical minerals and their derivative products threaten national security — yet declined to impose tariffs at this stage. Instead, he directed the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to negotiate agreements with trading partners within 180 days, including on price floors and on building domestic processing and refining capacity. Background: while the U.S. mines substantial volumes of unprocessed rare earths, it has little refining capacity of its own and is heavily dependent on China. The 180-day window expired in mid-July 2026; as of 18 July 2026 no tariff proclamation has been published — but a sectoral additional tariff remains an explicit possibility as the next step. The legal basis — as with the steel, semiconductor and auto tariffs — is Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, not the IEEPA-based reciprocal tariffs. Not to be confused with the Section 232 metals tariffs already in force, or with antidumping and countervailing duties on individual mineral products.