Department of Commerce Adds Wind Components to Products Affected by Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

The Department of Commerce announced the addition of 407 product categories to the list of “derivative” steel and aluminum products covered by Section 232 sectoral tariffs. As a result, the steel and aluminum content of these products will be subject to a duty rate of 50%. This action covers wind turbines and their parts and components, mobile cranes, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, railcars, furniture, compressors and pumps, and hundreds of other products. 

This is the latest in a series of historic steps by the Trump Administration to strengthen America’s steel and aluminum industry. In February, President Trump issued Proclamations 10895 and 10986, which eliminated numerous carve-outs from the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs and cracked down on tariff misclassification and duty evasion schemes. These proclamations also directed Commerce, within 90 days, to establish a process for adding steel and aluminum derivative products to the Section 232 tariffs – which Commerce did in May. In June, President Trump issued Proclamation 10947, which increased the tariff rate for steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, making the tariffs stronger than ever.

Under Commerce’s steel and aluminum product inclusion process, there are three annual windows for the public to submit product inclusion requests. The next window will open in September and will be announced in the Federal Register. 

A complete list of the 407 product categories added to the steel and aluminum tariffs is in the annex to a Federal Register notice, available here.

Additional information regarding Commerce’s decisions on each of the product categories is available here. 

US Dept of Commerce | https://www.bis.gov/