US : Section 232 Tariff on Steel, Aluminium and Copper

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref. :EIC 111/3
 EIC 111/3/13

8 April 2026
(Updated on 10 April 2026)

Dear Sirs,

Further to Commercial Information Circulars (CICs) No. 463/2025 and 661/2025 dated 4 June 2025 and 31 July 2025 respectively on the US’ tariffs on steel, aluminium and copper imports, the US President on 2 April 2026 signed a proclamation to modify tariffs on certain imports of steel, aluminium, copper articles and their derivatives effective from 6 April 2026 under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

2.Pursuant to section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the US imposed additional tariffs of 25% and 10% on respectively steel and aluminium products imported from all countries/economies (except certain economies which are fully exempted or subject to quotas) on 23 March 2018 under the “section 232 investigation”. The US further included certain derivatives of steel and aluminium products for the additional tariffs on 8 February 2020. The US reinstated 25% tariff on steel imports and increased tariffs on aluminium imports to 25% from all countries/economies, with effect from 12 March 2025. Subsequently, the US increased the tariff rate for imports of steel articles and derivative steel articles, and aluminium articles and derivative aluminium articles to 50% effective from 4 June 2025. Besides, the US imposed a 50% tariff on copper imports effective from 1 August 2025 under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

3.On 2 April 2026, the US President signed a proclamation to modify tariffs on certain imports of steel, aluminium, copper articles and their derivatives under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Among others, effective with respect to goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption from 6 April 2026,

1. the additional ad valorem duty imposed pursuant to section 232 on aluminium articles and aluminium derivative articles; steel articles and steel derivative articles; and copper articles and copper derivative articles shall apply to the full customs value of the imported product, regardless of metal content;
2. the applicable additional ad valorem rate of duty imposed pursuant to section 232 for all aluminium and steel articles, most copper articles, and certain derivative articles of aluminium and steel, as listed in Annex I-A to this proclamation, shall be 50%, unless otherwise specified;
3. for the copper articles and for the aluminium and steel derivative articles listed in Annex I-B to this proclamation, the applicable additional ad valorem rate of duty imposed pursuant to section 232 shall be 25%, unless otherwise specified;
4. products listed in Annex II to this proclamation shall no longer be subject to section 232 metal tariffs; and
5. until 31 December 2027, the applicable additional ad valorem rate of duty imposed for imports of products listed in Annex III to this proclamation shall be determined by the product’s current ad valorem (or ad valorem equivalent) rate of duty under Column 1 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) (Column 1 Duty Rate), unless otherwise specified. For products with a Column 1 Duty Rate that is less than 15%, the sum of the Column 1 Duty Rate and the additional section 232 ad valorem rate of duty shall be 15%. For a product with a Column 1 Duty Rate that is at least 15%, the additional section 232 ad valorem rate of duty imposed shall be 0%.

4.Goods that are listed as articles or derivatives of more than one metal shall only be subject to one of the respective duty rates established by this proclamation, even if the good contains aluminium and steel, aluminium and copper, steel and copper, or all three metals. No other drawback claims shall be available with respect to the duties imposed pursuant to this proclamation unless otherwise specified. The US shall determine whether any modifications to the HTSUS are necessary to effectuate or implement this proclamation or any actions taken pursuant to this proclamation, and shall make such modifications through notice in the Federal Register (FR). The US may also make any technical corrections to any Annex to this proclamation.

5.For further details, please refer to the presidential proclamation, the White House’s fact sheet, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s message and the FR notice:

Presidential proclamation
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/04/strengthening-actions-taken-to-adjust-imports-of-aluminum-steel-and-copper-into-the-united-states/

White House’s fact sheet
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-strengthens-tariffs-on-steel-aluminum-and-copper-imports/

US CBP’s Cargo Systems Messaging Service Message - Guidance - Section 232 Duties on Imports of Aluminum, Steel, and Copper
https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-4117593?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2

FR notice
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-04-09/pdf/2026-06960.pdf

6.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact us at telephone number 2398 5405.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Kwany KOU)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

Note: While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.