Section 232 Metals Tariffs in 2026: 50% Core, 25% Derivatives, 15% Reduced List
Section 232 national-security tariffs on metals were consolidated and extended by the proclamation of Jun 4, 2026. As of mid-2026 the structure for steel, aluminum, and copper is three-tiered:
| Category | Rate | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Core articles of steel / aluminum / copper | 50% | Mill products, semi-finished metal, wire, plate, extrusions |
| Derivative products predominately of those metals | 25% | Fabricated metal goods, hardware, many components |
| Reduced derivative list (temporary) | 15% | Fixed industrial machinery; agricultural equipment and certain residential HVAC added June 2026 |
Two rules importers keep getting wrong
- Anti-stacking: goods subject to Section 232 are exempt from the July 24 Section 301 tiers (10%/12.5%). You pay 232 or the tier — not both. For some products the 232 rate is the worse deal by far; for reduced-list machinery from a 12.5% country, 232 treatment is actually favorable.
- Jurisdiction floors: for certain trading partners the proclamation sets a minimum 15% total effective duty on covered derivative products even where the column-1 rate is lower.
Separate 232 actions cover automobiles (25%), semiconductors (25%), and lumber (10%) per widely-reported determinations — verify the controlling proclamation for your product before relying on those figures, as auto treatment in particular has been entangled with the EU arrangement.
Whether your product is a "core article," a "derivative," or on the reduced list is an annex question decided by HTS code — a one-line classification difference worth 35 points of duty. This is the single highest-stakes lookup in the current tariff system.
Get pinged when these rates change
TariffPing watches the Federal Register and the official tariff schedule daily and emails you only when a change hits your HTS codes — with the before/after rate and the dollar impact per shipment. Free plan monitors 1 code.