The Trump administration aims to streamline compliance procedures and prevent undervaluation of imported goods.

US President Donald Trump has adjusted import tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper to streamline compliance procedures and prevent undervaluation of imported goods. The White House announced the news in a statement.

According to the document, the US will continue to impose a 50% import tariff on steel and aluminum under Section 232 of the Trade Act, but this rate will apply to the price paid by US consumers. It is unclear how the selling price and the corresponding tariff will be determined.

Other changes announced by the Trump administration include the following measures:

The US will eliminate the 50% tariff on steel, aluminum, and copper derivatives if their metal content is less than 15% (by weight).

To accelerate the ongoing massive expansion of the US industrial base, certain metal-intensive industrial equipment and power grid equipment will be subject to a 15% tariff until 2027. Reuters notes that steel producers had previously advocated for this lower tariff rate to apply to steelmaking equipment manufactured in Germany and Italy.

Products containing more than 15% steel, aluminum, or copper by weight will be subject to a preferential tariff of 25%—this tariff applies to the total import value, not just the metal content.

Products wholly made using U.S. steel, aluminum, and copper and manufactured abroad will be subject to a preferential tariff of 10%.

It is important to note that on March 26, the European Parliament approved the EU-U.S. trade agreement reached last year, but with certain conditions. Specifically, MEPs voted in favor of an extension clause, insisting that the new European preferential policies would only take effect after the U.S. fulfills its obligations. This includes reducing U.S. tariffs on EU products containing no more than 50% steel and aluminum to a maximum of 15%.

Furthermore, for EU products containing more than 50% steel and aluminum, if the U.S. does not reduce tariffs to a maximum of 15%, the EU's tariff preferences on U.S. steel, aluminum, and their derivatives will expire six months after this provision takes effect.