Commerce seeks comments on adding 14 Section 232 derivative products

The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a notice requesting public comments on a proposal to add 14 derivative articles to the scope of Section 232 duties on aluminum, steel, and copper. The notice says Commerce has information indicating these imports tend to be composed predominantly of aluminum, steel, and or copper by weight and threaten to undermine the objectives of earlier Section 232 actions.

The proposed products are aluminum powder, brass-wind musical instruments and parts, parts of welding machines, floor safes, certain electric conductor cables, fire extinguishers, parts of heat exchange units, parts of certain hydraulic engines and motors, certain self-propelled cranes and mobile lifting frames, tanker trailers and semi-trailers, self-loading or self-unloading agricultural trailers and semi-trailers, certain other trailers and semi-trailers, and certain filled steel containers for specified chemicals and related items. The notice cites Proclamation 11021 as authority for adding derivative articles, and says certain mobile industrial equipment would instead generally be subject to the rates prescribed in Proclamation 11032.

Commerce proposes that most of the listed products would generally be subject to a 25% tariff. It proposes a 15% tariff for self-loading or self-unloading trailers and semi-trailers for agricultural purposes, and a 50% tariff for certain filled steel containers and related items for specified chemicals, applying only to the value of the metal container and not the contents. Comments may be submitted at any time but must be received by August 27, 2026.