GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jul 2, 2026

Section 232 Steel Tariffs

As of July 2026.

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Last updated: 2 July 2026Published: 22 November 2025

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 11021 (April 2026); Section 232, Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. § 1862)

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Definition & Explanation

As of July 2026. When a steel importer clears goods at the U.S. border, it is this tariff that dominates the landed-cost calculation: the Section 232 steel tariffs were doubled from 25% to 50% effective 4 June 2025. The legal basis is Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 which – unlike anti-dumping duties, which require documented evidence of below-cost pricing – rests solely on a national security determination: the President may impose duties where steel imports threaten domestic production capacity in a defence-relevant sector. Former country exemptions, absolute quotas, and tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) were revoked effective 12 March 2025, leaving the 50% rate applicable to virtually all origins. Since the 6 April 2026 overhaul (Proclamation 11021) the duty is assessed on the full customs value rather than only the steel content; the proclamation of 1 June 2026 (effective 8 June 2026, temporary through 31 December 2027) expanded a reduced 15% rate to further metal-intensive goods, lowered the threshold to qualify as "entirely" U.S. metal from 95% to 85%, and 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); for the United Kingdom this cap replaces the earlier 25% rate under the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal. All steel mill products and downstream derivatives fall within scope; goods containing 15% or less steel by value are excluded from the measure, and certain derivative groups may qualify for a reduced rate. For the overall picture see Steel and Aluminum Tariffs (Section 232); closely related are the Section 232 aluminium tariffs and Section 232 copper tariffs. Not to be confused with the reciprocal tariffs imposed under IEEPA.

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