Gird Your Wires: Copper Tariffs Coming August 1st

Jul. 30, 2025
By: Hannah B. Kreinik

Following up on his first tariff threat against copper (see our article here), the administration published a proclamation implementing Section 232 duties of 50% on semi-finished copper and copper derivative goods as of August 1^st. As of the publication of this article, the Federal Register notice with associated annex has not been published, so the exact coverage of the 232 duties is not clear.

The tariff will apply to the copper content of the merchandise with the non-copper content subject to reciprocal and fentanyl duties. The proclamation also states that if the good is subject to 25% duties under the Section 232 Auto and Auto parts proclamation, then it is excluded from the copper tariff. The proclamation makes similar carve-outs, like exceptions for goods admitted under “domestic status” and “foreign status” in Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs), no use of drawback, and that the Secretary of Commerce may amend the covered articles, which seem to follow previous proclamations under Section 232 (please see here and here).

New to the copper proclamation, the President has found that copper materials and high-quality copper scrap meet the criteria established under Section 101(b) of the DPA, 50 U.S.C. § 4511(b) and has directed the Secretary of Commerce to put in place the domestic sales actions recommended by the agency. This means export controls for some copper. This subsection permits market control over the distribution of certain materials that are key to national defense and are scarce enough that normal distribution of the materials would cause appreciable hardship to the national defense. Also new, the proclamation specifies that the Secretary should monitor and report on refined copper for potential additional duties of 15% in 2027 with an increase to 30% in 2028.

The proclamation also instructs the Secretary, within 90 days of the proclamation, to create a process for additional copper derivative inclusions like the Section 232 steel and aluminum processes.

Barnes, Richardson & Colburn attorneys are here to keep tabs on all Presidential Proclamations during the Trump administration. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions.