Trump revives steel, aluminium and copper tariffs, trims equipment import rates

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on June 1 revising U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper imports while cutting duties on some imported farm and industrial equipment, according to a White House fact sheet. The administration said the changes were designed to support domestic production of strategic metals and encourage manufacturers to use more U.S.-made steel and aluminum. The equipment tariff reduction applies to products such as combines, harvesters, bulldozers and forklifts, the White House said. The changes are temporary and will remain in effect through December 31, 2027. ### Which tariffs did Trump change on June 1? The White House said on June 1 that Trump signed a proclamation adjusting metals tariffs “to more effectively address national security threats” and to spur investment in agriculture, housing and manufacturing. The fact sheet did not, in the excerpt available, spell out new across-the-board percentage rates for steel, aluminum and copper, but it said the proclamation revised those tariff regimes. (whitehouse.gov) The same White House fact sheet said the proclamation reduced tariffs on agricultural equipment, including combines and harvesters, to 15% from 25%. It also said certain mobile industrial equipment, including bulldozers and forklifts, would be included in an existing 15% tariff category when imported from trade-deal countries entitled to that treatment. (whitehouse.gov) ### How does the 10% equipment rate work? The White House said foreign manufacturers can qualify for a 10% duty rate if their capital equipment contains at least 85% U.S. “melted and poured” or “smelted and cast” steel or aluminum by weight. The administration said that provision was intended to encourage greater use of U.S.-produced metal in imported machinery. (whitehouse.gov) The Economic Times, in a June 2 report, described the same structure as a temporary reduction in tariffs on farm and industrial equipment from 25% to 15%, with the lower 10% rate available to manufacturers meeting the domestic-content threshold. It said the measures would stay in effect until 2027. ### What did the White House say about steel, aluminum and copper? (whitehouse.gov) The White House said the tariff revisions were part of Trump’s Section 232 program for metals imports. The fact sheet said the administration viewed the tariffs as necessary to protect national security, support industrial resilience and counter low-priced imports. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The June 1 fact sheet also pointed to planned domestic investment. It said more than 4 million tons of new crude steelmaking capacity is expected to become operational in the next two years, including in West Virginia, Arkansas and South Carolina. It also cited aluminum and copper projects involving Century Aluminum, Emirates Global Aluminum, Highland Copper, Ivanhoe Electric, Rio Tinto and Wieland. (whitehouse.gov) ### Why does the machinery side of the order matter to importers? Farm and construction equipment importers face a lower headline tariff under the June 1 changes than they did before the proclamation. The White House said the reduction covers agricultural equipment and some other equipment, while the expanded 15% category covers additional mobile industrial equipment from eligible trade-deal countries. (whitehouse.gov) The Economic Times said the affected machinery includes harvesters and bulldozers. Its report matched the White House description that producers using enough U.S. steel or aluminum can qualify for the lower 10% rate. ### What should companies watch next? December 31, 2027, is the stated end date for the temporary tariff changes, according to the White House fact sheet. (whitehouse.gov) Importers, metal producers and equipment manufacturers will also be watching the full June 1 presidential proclamation, listed by the White House as “Further Adjusting the Tariff Regimes for Imports of Aluminum, Steel, and Copper into the United States.” (economictimes.indiatimes.com)