15% Tariff on Injection Presses
A report says the U.S. has put a 15% tariff on imported injection presses and certain molds through 2027, which raises equipment costs for plastics processors and manufacturers buying capital machinery. The measure could affect factory investment plans and total landed cost calculations for firms that import this equipment. (x.com)
The United States has put a 15% tariff on imported injection molding presses and some molds until December 31, 2027. (whitehouse.gov) President Donald Trump signed the Section 232 proclamation on April 2, 2026, and the new tariff structure took effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on April 6. The White House said certain “metal-intensive industrial equipment” will pay 15% through 2027 instead of the higher rates applied to other covered metal goods. (whitehouse.gov) For plastics companies, the affected products include machinery and molds listed in Harmonized Tariff Schedule headings 8477 and 8480, according to industry reporting on the proclamation’s Annex III treatment. Plastics Today said the temporary cap covers specified plastics machinery, parts and molds through December 31, 2027. (plasticstoday.com) Injection molding presses are factory machines that melt plastic and force it into a metal tool, or mold, to make parts such as caps, housings and medical components. A tariff on the press or the mold raises the landed cost before the machine ever starts running in a United States plant. (usitc.gov) The April 2026 change also rewrote how these metal tariffs are calculated. The White House said covered derivative products now face duties on the full customs value of the imported article, not just the value of the steel, aluminum or copper inside it. (whitehouse.gov) That matters for equipment buyers because a molding press can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, and the tariff is layered into import math alongside freight, insurance and customs fees. Plastics News reported in July 2025 that a separate United States-European Union trade deal had already raised alarms among European plastics machinery exporters over a 15% tariff on most European Union imports. (plasticsnews.com) The administration said the broader Section 232 overhaul is meant to protect national security and support domestic production of steel, aluminum and copper. The White House also said products made with 15% or less of those metals are no longer subject to Section 232 metals tariffs, while goods made abroad entirely with American metal can qualify for a 10% rate. (whitehouse.gov) Trade groups and customs advisers say importers now have to check tariff classifications and annex lists product by product. Plastics Today said companies should review Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes and annex coverage to determine whether machinery, molds or replacement parts fall under the 15% treatment or a higher rate. (plasticstoday.com) Unless the policy changes again, the temporary 15% treatment ends on January 1, 2028, when Annex III products move to the standard tariff treatment in the proclamation. For plastics processors planning new lines, that gives them a firm date to plug into equipment budgets now. (plasticstoday.com)
