US Expands Steel and Aluminum Tariffs to 407 New Products
The United States has expanded its steel and aluminum tariffs under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to include 407 additional product categories, now subject to a 50% duty. These include wind turbines, mobile cranes, bulldozers, railcars, furniture, compressors, pumps, and other industrial and consumer goods.
The Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce announced the expansion in a 19 August 2025 news release. The Bureau published the full list of affected products in the Federal Register.
The move aims to prevent tariff circumvention and strengthen domestic steel and aluminum production. According to Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler, the action "expands the reach of the steel and aluminum tariffs and shuts down avenues for circumvention – supporting the continued revitalization of the American steel and aluminum industries."
This latest measure builds on a series of tariff actions taken by the Trump Administration. In June 2025, the United States doubled its tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, excluding the United Kingdom (see United States Excludes United Kingdom from Steel and Aluminum Tariff Hike, Confirms 50% Rate for Others (5 June 2025). Separately, the United States announced a new 50% tariff on copper imports in July 2025 (see United States to Impose 50% Tariff on Copper Imports, Says No More Delay on 1 August Tariff Hike (9 July 2025)). The 19 August 2025 action, however, is not part of the broader "Liberation Day" tariffs introduced in April 2025 (see Trump Administration Rolls Out Sweeping 10% General Tariff on All Imports, Reciprocal Elevated Duties Targeting EU, 53 Other Countries (3 April 2025)). Rather, it is a targeted expansion of section 232 duties specifically designed to protect the US steel and aluminum sectors from indirect import threats.
Report from Jannica Santos, Regional Editor. Stay up to date on tariff mandates via our Tax News Service (subscribers only).