in effect
Proclamation 10947, signed June 3, 2025, is a presidential action taken under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the President to restrict imports that threaten national security. It amends a series of earlier proclamations dating to 2018 that had placed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, raising those tariffs further and establishing a special arrangement for the United Kingdom.
The tariff rate on imported steel articles, aluminum articles, and their derivative products increases from 25 percent to 50 percent ad valorem, effective 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on June 4, 2025. Goods already in U.S. foreign trade zones under “privileged foreign status” before that date are subject to the new rate when they formally enter U.S. commerce after that date. The United Kingdom is a temporary exception: its rate stays at 25 percent under the terms of the U.S.-UK Economic Prosperity Deal of May 8, 2025, but on or after July 9, 2025 the Commerce Secretary may adjust that rate — lowering it through a quota arrangement or raising it to 50 percent if the UK is found not to be complying with the deal. A separate clarification specifies that the 50 percent tariff applies only to the steel or aluminum content of a product, while any non-metal content remains subject to other applicable tariffs, including reciprocal tariffs from a separate April 2025 executive order. No duty drawback (refund of tariffs on re-exported goods) is available for duties collected under this proclamation.
U.S. importers of steel mill products, aluminum products, and goods made from those materials — such as pipes, structural shapes, wire, foil, and finished goods like auto parts or appliances that contain steel or aluminum — will pay a higher import duty, effectively increasing their cost of goods. Domestic steel and aluminum producers are the intended beneficiaries, as the higher tariff is designed to make foreign imports less price-competitive and support U.S. production capacity. Foreign exporters, particularly those in countries other than the United Kingdom, face a significantly less favorable market for their metal products entering the United States.