Steel production facility in Canada.

Steel production facility in Canada. (AP)

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What Do Tariffs on Aluminum, Steel, and Copper Mean for the Western Hemisphere?

By Gladys Gerbaud

Learn which countries are the leading sources of the products touched by Trump’s trade agenda.

This article was originally published March 12 and has since been updated.

During the six months since his inauguration, U.S. President Donald Trump has implemented two rounds of tariffs on imported aluminum and steel—and threatened to place sectoral tariffs on copper, lumber, and timber imports.

The first aluminum and steel tariffs, set at 25 percent, went into effect in March. Then, on June 4, the administration increased the tariff to 50 percent. Only one country is exempt from the increase: the United Kingdom. “Our nation requires steel and aluminum to be made in America, not in foreign land,” Trump said when announcing the first set of tariffs measures in February. 

Both rounds are affecting Canada—the leading source of both imports—and countries in Latin America, as the United States represents a major buyer of aluminum and steel from Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.

"It's a measure we consider unjust," said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum of the 50 percent tariffs. The Brazilian government called the new rate "unjustifiable" and said it was considering how to respond. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “The latest tariffs on steel and aluminum are unjustified. They’re illegal. They’re bad for American workers, bad for American industry, and of course for Canadian industry as well."

On July 8, Trump announced his intention to place 50 percent tariffs on copper imports. This came after he signed orders calling for an investigation into the national security impact of the imports of copper, timber, and lumber. This potential rate on copper is higher than the 25 percent rate he hinted for these three products during his March 4 address to Congress.

Which countries in the Western Hemisphere are the leading sources of these imports for the United States? AS/COA Online looks at U.S. trade around steel, aluminum, copper, timber, and lumber.

 
Tariffs on aluminum and steel in the first Trump administration

This is not the first time Trump has targeted these products with trade action. 

During his first term, in March 2018, he imposed 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent on aluminum from all countries. A week in, he announced Canada and Mexico were exempt from the tariffs, a move he later retracted on June 1, 2018. After retaliation and back-and-forth, the United States lifted the tariffs on Canadian and Mexican aluminum and steel in 2019. Trump issued exemptions for other countries, including Argentina and Brazil, which led to negotiations and the imposition of quotas for these countries to avoid tariffs. Trump’s proclamation of the new tariffs on aluminum and steel in February 2025 eliminated these quotas.

Potential tariffs on copper

On July 7, Trump announced his intention to impose tariffs of 50 percent on copper imports during a Cabinet meeting. He did not announce an exact date for its implementation. In the past, Trump advisers have expressed concerns that China is seeking to dominate global copper production as rationale for a tariff. 

A Latin American country leads the list of countries from which the United States imports copper: Chile. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened a working group in February to study the potential effect of tariffs imposed by the United States.

 
Potential tariffs on timber and lumber

The other potential tariff Trump has threatened is on lumber and timber, which are both wood imports. Timber refers to wood that has not been processed, while lumber refers to wood that has been processed into materials for building, for instance, cut up into boards. These wood products are an important part of the U.S. construction sector, especially in residential construction. 

Canada is the leading source of lumber imports into the United States, with half of all imports of the product coming from the northern neighbor in 2021. Canadian softwood lumber is already subject to duties of 14.5 percent, due to a long-standing trade dispute over dumping practices.