President Trump signed a new proclamation today (April 2, 2026) that seeks to bolster the domestic manufacture of certain strategic metals, namely steel, aluminum and copper. The changes outlined in the proclamation are set to become effective with respect to goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 6, 2026.

The changes outlined in the proclamation are as follows:

1. The proclamation defines the way that tariffs are assessed to ensure that they reflect the full value of imported steel, aluminum, and copper products—not an artificially low foreign price. The tariffs will now apply to the full value of the good, rather than only the steel, aluminum or copper content, "so no more of this artificial pricing done by foreign importers who just make believe that they did it cheap," said a senior administration official on a press call.
   
   
2. The proclamation also establishes clear rules for calculating the Section 232 metals tariffs.

1. Articles made entirely or almost entirely of aluminum, steel, or copper will pay a flat 50% on their full value — for example, steel coils and aluminum sheet.
2. Derivative articles substantially made of steel, aluminum, or copper will pay a flat 25% on their full value.
3. Certain metal-intensive industrial equipment and electrical grid equipment will pay 15% through 2027, to accelerate the massive industrial base buildout currently underway across the United States.
4. Products made abroad but entirely with American steel, aluminum, and copper will be subject to lower tariffs of 10%.
5. Products made of 15% or less steel, aluminum, or copper will no longer be subject to Section 232 metals tariffs.

The full proclamation can be accessed here and the fact sheet summarizing the proclamation is available here. Also, see Annexes I-A, I-B, II, III & IV for more details.

For further information about this or other Customs matters, contact George Tuttle III at geo@tuttlelaw.com or 415-986-8780.

The information in this article is general in nature and is not intended to constitute legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship with respect to any event or occurrence and may not be considered as such.

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