BRASILIA (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has signed a Proclamation to address the effects of copper imports on America's national security, including by imposing tariffs on several categories of copper imports.
The Proclamation imposes universal 50 percent tariffs on imports of semi-finished copper products such as copper pipes, wires, rods, sheets, and tubes and copper-intensive derivative products such as pipe fittings, cables, connectors, and electrical components, effective August 1.
The copper 232 tariffs apply to the copper content of a product, while non-copper content of a product remains subject to reciprocal tariffs or other applicable duties.
The White House has made it cler that copper 232 tariffs do not stack with auto 232 tariffs.
Copper input materials such as copper ores, concentrates, mattes, cathodes, and anodes and copper scrap are not subject to 232 or reciprocal tariffs.
The Proclamation directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a product 'inclusion' process to add copper derivative products to these tariffs
The President has also authorized the Secretary of Commerce to take steps under the Defense Production Act to support the domestic copper industry, including requiring 25 percent of high-quality copper scrap produced in the United States to be sold in the United States. This is to improve access to this important feedstock for domestic fabricators and secondary refiners.
The Proclamation requires 25 percent of copper input materials produced by American companies to be sold in the United States, starting in 2027. The share will be increased to 30 percent in 2028 and 40 percent in 2029. This will boost U.S. refining capacity by ensuring low-cost inputs while domestic refiners grow their operations.
By taking these actions, President Trump is leveling the playing field for U.S. copper businesses to support a strong domestic copper industry, according to the White House.
The Proclamation follows the Secretary of Commerce's completion of a Section 232 investigation under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended.
Copper is a necessary input in a range of defense systems, including aircraft, ground vehicles, ships, submarines, missiles, and ammunition. It is the Department of Defense's second-most used material, and plays a central role in the broader U.S. industrial base.
Foreign competitors' predatory practices and excessive environmental regulations have undercut the American copper industry and domestic investment in smelting, refining, and fabrication facilities.
The U.S. now has a massive trade deficit in, and dependence on many foreign copper products.
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